Accounting Methods for Construction Contracts

This could cause a massive impact on the business’ working capital and cash flow. A company is hired to construct a building in which the company will charge the customer $2 million, and the project will take two years to complete. The company establishes milestones in which the customer will pay $500,000 or 25% of the https://www.bookstime.com/ project’s cost every six months. Cost of goods sold (COGS) makes up a substantial portion of a construction company’s expenses. Because the CCM allows the deferral of taxes, a large contractor must usually choose the PCM, but a small contractor can choose CCM if the estimated life of the contract is 2 years or less.

Corrigan Krause is a team of dedicated, passionate, experienced professionals who provide comprehensive consulting, tax and accounting services to individuals and privately-held businesses. Corrigan Krause is headquartered in Westlake, Ohio with two additional offices in Medina and Mayfield Heights, Ohio. If you’re unsure which accounting method is right for your business, the Construction Services group at Corrigan Krause can help. Email for more information and sign up for our Construction Services newsletter here. Following is a summary of the costs incurred, amounts billed and amounts collected.

Which Method is Right for You: Completed Contract or Percentage of Completion?

To qualify for this exemption, a contractor must be for working on a building with four or fewer dwelling units while 80% or more of the estimated total contract costs relates to the dwelling units. If either of these exemptions is met, the taxpayer is not required to use POC for tax reporting. Any additional costs incurred in completing the performance of the contract are deductible against the recognized disputed revenue. Contractors should think carefully about their long term business goals and tax liabilities before choosing.

• For example, a construction company is building a 10-story office complex that is under contract at a sales price of $4 million.
• If these requirements cannot be met then it is recommended to proceed with the completed contract method.
• The method of accounting will depend on the types of contracts the contractor works on.
• The important thing to remember is that contractors must be consistent in how they calculate the percent complete.
• Once the transaction price, costs incurred to date and estimated cost to complete are properly determined, calculating contract assets or contract liabilities is fairly straightforward.
• Construction companies have to make difficult choices among many financial alternatives, like bidding on one project over another, selecting financing for materials or equipment, or setting a project’s profit margin….

There’s no need to estimate costs when using the completed contract method since those costs are readily apparent at the end of the contract. In this method, all revenue and expenses will not be recognized, until the completion of the contract. If there is any unpredictability in collecting funds from customers, then this method is used.

Journal Entries of Completed Contract Method

If there is an expectation of a loss on a contract, record it at once even under the completed contract method; do not wait until the end of the contract period to do so. Recording losses at once represents the most conservative form of accounting, ensuring that financial statement users are aware of problems as soon as they arise. When change orders are included and estimates change as the project goes along, calculating the percentage complete can get complicated.

Using CCM accounting, revenue and expenses are not recognized on a company’s income statement even if cash payments were issued or received during the contract period. An analyst would learn that changes to total estimated contract costs or losses, if any, are recognized in the period in which they are determined by the company. You have a construction contract worth $4 million to be completed over 3 years.

Advantages of a Completed Contract Method

It is necessary to fully understand the chosen method, as each differs, especially concerning taxes. Once selected, the method cannot be changed without special permission from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). To illustrate the completed contract method, the example below shows a construction project using both the percentage of completion and completed contract methods. A company can establish milestones throughout the project’s lifetime and assign percentages of completion for each milestone.

The two revenue recognition methods are commonly seen in construction companies, engineering companies, and other businesses that mainly generate revenue on long-term contracts for projects. In a unit price arrangement, the contractor is paid an agreed-upon price per unit of work completed. Unit price arrangements are often used when the project’s total scope isn’t fully known or if there are certain costs involved with the work that will likely be encountered but can’t be accurately estimated.

Introduction to Construction Accounting

To calculate the percentage of completion for a project, there are three indicators contractors can use. The most common is costs incurred to date, but they can also use units completed or labor hours. Choosing what method is right for your company can be complex and can play an integral role in your company’s success. It is critical to know completed contract method formula the distinction between the various accounting methods for both accurate financial reporting and tax compliance. Often time the best answer is a not a simple yes or no, but a strategy developed just for you. Don’t feel like you need to do it alone, let one of Corrigan Krause’s construction experts help you build success and a great future.

Thus, if you want a better picture of the contract status, the percentage completion method of accounting is upheld in all accounting standards, tax laws, etc. If a taxpayer is not a small contractor or performing home construction contracts, they are working on nonexempt contracts. Even if a taxpayer is required to use percentage of completion as a tax method, however, there is still an opportunity to create tax deferrals. The completed contract method (CCM) of accounting considers all income and expenses directly related to a long-term contract as received when work is completed.