Revenue recognition and measurement in accordance with IFRS 15 and the Polish GAAP – a comparison

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this article is to assess the scale of differences between IFRS 15 and Polish GAAP in terms of revenue recognition. Methodology/approach: The methods used include studies of professional articles and legal acts, including the Polish Accounting Act, Polish Accounting Standards and relevant IAS/IFRS. Findings: The research has proven that Polish regulations can be categorised into two seg-ments. The first segment is KSR 15, which, compared to IFRS 15, contains very similar regulations regarding the general criteria for revenue recognition, including time point and measurement basis. The second segment comprises the Polish Accounting Act and KSR 3, which are based on international standards which are already superseded – IAS 11 and IAS 18, which dealt with revenue recognition over time. Practical implications: The article points out the differences between Polish and interna-tional regulation in terms of revenue recognition, which may play an important role for entities changing the basis for preparing their financial statements from Polish GAAP to IFRS. Originality: The article is the first attempt to compare the scale of similarities between the two sets of regulations in terms of revenue measurement and recognition