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Accounting Changes
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2019
Accounting Changes  
Accounting Changes

2. Accounting Changes:

New Standards to be Implemented

In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued guidance which changed the disclosure requirements for fair value measurements and defined benefit plans. The guidance is effective for each of the topics on January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020, respectively, with early adoption of certain provisions permitted. The company early adopted the provision in the fair value guidance that removed the Level 1/Level 2 transfer disclosures. The company is evaluating the adoption date for the remaining changes. As the guidance is a change to disclosures only, the company does not expect the guidance to have a material impact in the consolidated financial results.

In January 2017, the FASB issued guidance that simplifies the goodwill impairment test by removing Step 2. The guidance also changes the requirements for reporting units with zero or negative carrying amounts and requires additional disclosures for these reporting units. The guidance is effective January 1, 2020 and early adoption is permitted. The company expects to adopt the guidance on a prospective basis on the effective date. The company is evaluating the impact of the guidance.

In June 2016, with amendments in 2018 and 2019, the FASB issued guidance for credit impairment based on an expected loss model rather than an incurred loss model. The guidance requires the consideration of all available relevant information when estimating expected credit losses, including past events, current conditions and forecasts and their implications for expected credit losses. The new guidance expands the scope of financial instruments subject to impairment, including off-balance sheet commitments and residual value. The guidance is effective January 1, 2020 with one-year early adoption permitted. The company will adopt the guidance as of the effective date. A cross-functional team was established to evaluate the impact of the guidance on the financial instruments portfolio. All of the changes to systems, processes and policies are on track for completion before the effective date. The guidance is not expected to have a material impact in the consolidated financial results.

Standards Implemented

The FASB issued guidance in February 2016, with amendments in 2018 and 2019, which changed the accounting for leases. The guidance requires lessees to recognize right-of-use (ROU) assets and lease liabilities for most leases in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position. The guidance also made some changes to lessor accounting, including elimination of the use of third-party residual value guarantee insurance in the lease classification test, and overall aligns with the new revenue recognition guidance. The guidance requires qualitative and quantitative disclosures to assess the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. The company adopted the guidance effective January 1, 2019, using the transition option whereby prior comparative periods were not retrospectively presented in the Consolidated Financial Statements. The company elected the package of practical expedients not to reassess prior conclusions related to contracts containing leases, lease classification and initial direct costs and the lessee practical expedient to combine lease and nonlease components for all asset classes. The company made a policy election to not recognize ROU assets and lease liabilities for short-term leases for all asset classes. The guidance had a material impact on the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position as of the effective date. As a lessee, at adoption, the company recognized operating and financing ROU assets of $4.8 billion and $0.2 billion, respectively, and operating and financing lease liabilities of $5.1 billion and $0.2 billion, respectively. The transition adjustment recognized in retained earnings on January 1, 2019 was not material. From a lessor perspective, the changes in lease termination guidance and removal of third-party residual value guarantee insurance in the lease classification test did not have a material impact in the consolidated financial results. Refer to note 5, “Leases,” for additional information, including further discussion on the impact of adoption.

In August 2018, the FASB issued guidance on a customer’s accounting for implementation costs incurred in cloud-computing arrangements that are hosted by a vendor. Certain types of implementation costs should be capitalized and amortized over the term of the hosting arrangement. The guidance is effective January 1, 2020 and early adoption is permitted. The company adopted the guidance on January 1, 2019 on a prospective basis. The guidance did not have a material impact in the consolidated financial results.

In February 2018, the FASB issued guidance that allows entities to elect an option to reclassify the stranded tax effects related to the application of U.S. tax reform from accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) (AOCI) to retained earnings. The guidance was effective January 1, 2019 with early adoption permitted, and can be applied either in the period of adoption or retrospectively to all applicable periods. The company adopted the guidance effective January 1, 2018, and elected not to reclassify prior periods. In accordance with its accounting policy, the company releases income tax effects from AOCI once the reason the tax effects were established cease to exist (e.g., when available-for-sale debt securities are sold or if a pension plan is liquidated). This guidance allows for the reclassification of stranded tax effects as a result of the change in tax rates from U.S. tax reform to be recorded upon adoption of the guidance rather than at the actual cessation date. At adoption on January 1, 2018, $2.4 billion was reclassified from AOCI to retained earnings, primarily comprised of amounts relating to retirement-related benefit plans.

In August 2017, the FASB issued guidance to simplify the application of hedge accounting in certain areas, better portray the economic results of an entity’s risk management activities in its financial statements and make targeted improvements to presentation and disclosure requirements. The guidance was effective January 1, 2019 with early

adoption permitted. The company adopted the guidance as of January 1, 2018, and it did not have a material impact in the consolidated financial results.

In March 2017, the FASB issued guidance that impacts the presentation of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit costs (net benefit cost). Under the guidance, the service cost component of net benefit cost continues to be presented within cost, SG&A expense and RD&E expense in the Consolidated Statement of Earnings, unless eligible for capitalization. The other components of net benefit cost are presented separately from service cost within other (income) and expense in the Consolidated Statement of Earnings. The guidance was effective January 1, 2018 with early adoption permitted. The company adopted the guidance as of the effective date. The guidance is primarily a change in financial statement presentation and did not have a material impact in the consolidated financial results. This presentation change was applied retrospectively upon adoption.

In January 2016, the FASB issued guidance which addresses aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of financial instruments. The guidance was effective January 1, 2018 and early adoption was not permitted except for limited provisions. The company adopted the guidance on the effective date. The guidance required certain equity investments to be measured at fair value with changes recognized in net income. The amendment also simplified the impairment test of equity investments that lack readily determinable fair value. The guidance did not have a material impact in the consolidated financial results.

The FASB issued guidance on the recognition of revenue from contracts with customers in May 2014 with amendments in 2015 and 2016. Revenue recognition depicts the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The guidance also requires specific disclosures relating to revenue recognition. The company adopted the guidance effective January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method. At adoption, $557 million was reclassified from notes and accounts receivable-trade and deferred income-current to prepaid expenses and other current assets to establish the opening balance for net contract assets. In-scope sales commission costs previously recorded in the Consolidated Statement of Earnings were capitalized in deferred costs in accordance with the transition guidance, in the amount of $737 million. Deferred income of $29 million was recorded for certain software licenses that will be recognized over time versus at point in time under previous guidance. Additionally, net deferred taxes were reduced by $184 million in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position, resulting in a cumulative-effect net increase to retained earnings of $524 million. In the fourth quarter of 2018, the company recognized an additional impact to net deferred taxes and retained earnings of $56 million, resulting in a total net increase to retained earnings of $580 million. The decrease to net deferred taxes was the result of the company’s election to include Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (GILTI) in measuring deferred taxes. The revenue guidance did not have a material impact in the company’s consolidated financial results. Refer to note 3, “Revenue Recognition,” for additional information.

In March 2016, the FASB issued guidance which changed the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities and classification in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. The guidance was effective and adopted by the company on January 1, 2017, and it did not have a material impact on the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position. The ongoing impact of the guidance could result in increased volatility in the provision for income taxes and earnings per share in the Consolidated Statement of Earnings, depending on the company’s share price at exercise or vesting of share-based awards compared to grant date, however these impacts are not expected to be material. These impacts are recorded on a prospective basis. The company continues to estimate forfeitures in conjunction with measuring stock-based compensation cost. The guidance also requires cash payments on behalf of employees for shares directly withheld for taxes to be presented as financing outflows in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. The FASB also issued guidance in May 2017 and June 2018, which relates to the accounting for modifications of share-based payment awards and accounting for share-based payments issued to non-employees, respectively. The company adopted the guidance for modifications in the second quarter of 2017, and guidance for non-employees’ payments in the second quarter of 2018. The guidance had no impact in the consolidated financial results.