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ASC 850 Related-Party Disclosures
Perspective and Issues
Subtopic
ASC 850 contains one subtopic:
- ASC 850-10, Overall, which sets forth the disclosure requirements, certain significant related party transactions, and control relationships.
Scope
ASC 850 applies to all entities.
Definitions of Terms
Source: ASC 850-20. Also see Appendix A, Definition of Terms, for another term related to this topic: Related Parties.
Affiliate. A party that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with an entity.
Control. The possession, direct or indirect, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of an entity through ownership, by contract, or otherwise.
Immediate Family. Family members who might control or influence a principal owner or a member of management, or who might be controlled or influenced by a principal owner or a member of management, because of the family relationship.
Management. Persons who are responsible for achieving the objectives of the entity and who have the authority to establish policies and make decisions by which those objectives are to be pursued. Management normally includes members of the board of directors, the chief executive officer, chief operating officer, vice presidents in charge of principal business functions (such as sales, administration, or finance), and other persons who perform similar policy-making functions. Persons without formal titles also may be members of management.
Principal Owners. Owners of record or known beneficial owners of more than 10% of the voting interests of the entity.
Concepts, Rules, and Examples
Disclosures
According to ASC 850, Related-Party Disclosures, financial statements are required to disclose material related-party transactions other than compensation arrangements, expense allowances, or other similar items that occur in the ordinary course of business.
A related party is essentially any party that controls or can significantly influence the management or operating policies of the company to the extent that the company may be prevented from fully pursuing its own interests. Related parties include affiliates, investees accounted for by the equity method, trusts for the benefit of employees, principal owners, management, and immediate family members of owners or management.
Transactions with related parties must be disclosed even if there is no accounting recognition made for such transactions (e.g., a service is performed without payment). Disclosures are not permitted to assert that the terms of related-party transactions were essentially equivalent to arm's-length dealings unless those claims can be substantiated. If the financial position or results of operations of the reporting entity could change significantly because of common control or common management, disclosure of the nature of the ownership or management control is required, even if there were no transactions between the entities.
The disclosures include:
- The nature of the relationship
- A description of transactions and the effects of those transactions reflected in the financial statements for each period for which an income statement is presented
- The dollar amount of transactions for each period for which an income statement is presented and the effects of any change in the terms of such transactions as compared to the terms used in prior periods
- Amounts due to and from related parties as of the date of each statement of financial position presented, together with the terms and manner of settlement.