A basic concept of accounting is substance over form Accounting for leases from ACCT 302 at Liberty University Online Academy The bank sees the transaction as one of being a loan to be repaid over the term of the lease. If an entity practices the 'substance over form' concept, then the financial statements will show the overall financial reality of the entity (economic substance), rather than the legal form of transactions (form). Under IAS 17 – Leases, an asset held under a finance lease should be accounted for by the entity as a non-current asset. IAS 17 Leases takes the concept of substance over form and applies it to the specific accounting area of leases. IAS 17 Leases takes the concept of substance over form and applies it to the specific accounting area of leases. Substance over form is an accounting principle used "to ensure that financial statements give a complete, relevant, and accurate picture of transactions and events".

Following are examples of the application of the concept in the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). In other words, the legal basis of a transaction can be used to hide the true nature of a transaction.
Let us take two cases where there is a ARO involved. When applying this concept, it is often deemed necessary to account for the substance of a transaction – ie its commercial reality, rather than its strict legal form.

IAS 17, Leases takes the concept of substance over form and applies it to the specific accounting area of leases.

“Substance over form” is an accounting concept if said in a complete phrase, from which this term is extracted then it will be something like this: For Accounting purposes economic substance of the transaction will be preferred over the legal form of the transaction.
This topic area is currently covered by IAS 17, Leases. Case 1 - Company leases a fully furnished office (with carpets, … This means that while maintaining accounting records, substance of the transaction should take precedence over its legal form. Why do we need to apply substance … This issue of Substance over form looks at whether costs in an ARO for a leased property should be included while calculating the minimum lease payments for a lease classification there impacting lease accounting under FAS 13 under US GAAP or AS 19 under IGAAP. Explanation, Use and Application: Usually the legal form of a transaction is frequently descriptive of … Substance over form is the concept that the financial statements and accompanying disclosures of a business should reflect the underlying realities of accounting transactions.Conversely, the information appearing in the financial statements should not merely comply with the legal form in which they appear. When applying this concept, it is often deemed necessary to … In short, the recordation of a transaction should not hide its true intent, which … Seventh Circuit Adopts "Substance Over" Form Test for True Lease Determination January/February 2006 Newsletters As secured financing and leasing transactions involving capital assets become more complicated to account for evolving tax, liquidity, equipment obsolescence and similar considerations, the difference between "true" leases and financing arrangements has become increasingly difficult to … This is called Substance over form rule.. IAS 17 Leases requires the preparers of financial statements to consider the substance of lease arrangements when determining the type of lease for accounting purposes. Economic substance refers to the economic benefits and economic losses or any […] A strong argument for substance over form is that if a company leases a piece of equipment for the greater part of its useful economic life, it effectively owns it; also the finance company, the bank, does not consider that it owns equipment, although it does have legal title. The substance transactions or …

When applying this concept, it is often deemed necessary to account for the substance of a transaction – ie its commercial reality, rather than its strict legal form. Under Substance over form concept (convention, principle) of accounting, “transactions should be dealt with reference to their economic reality rather than their legal form”. IFRS 16 - Leases: Challenges, Perspectives and Implications in the Light of Substance Over Form Leases classified as operating leases were not disclosed in a company’s balance sheet but rather in the balance sheet in a similar manner to a service contract, in which the company reports a lease expense in the income statement (typically the same amount in each lease period) (Loyd, 2016).