Old UK GAAP - The Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (FRSSE)

Synopsis

FRSSE (effective 2008)

The FRSSE prescribes the basis for preparing and presenting their financial statements. The definitions and accounting treatments are consistent with the requirements of companies legislation and are the same as those required by other accounting standards or are a simplified version of those requirements. The disclosure requirements exclude a number of those stipulated in other accounting standards.

Reporting entities that apply the FRSSE are exempt from complying with other accounting standards and UITF Abstracts unless preparing consolidated financial statements when certain other accounting standards apply.

For the convenience of companies using the FRSSE the requirements of company law on full financial statements are included in the standard.  

• Read FRSSE (effective April 2008)
  

FRSSE (effective 2015)

The 2013 revisions to the FRSSE are in respect of the revised reporting framework effective in the UK from January 2015. 
FRS 100 was issued in November 2012. The standard establishes rules on how to select the appropriate accounting framework for a particular entity. This may be FRS 101, FRS 102 or the FRSSE. FRS 100 modifies the FRSSE to reflect the new regime and the requirements of FRS 102. In particular amendments are made to:

• Clarify that where an entity undertakes a new transaction not dealt with by the FRSSE it should, in developing an accounting policy, have regard to FRS 102 as a way of establishing current practice;  
• Include the presumption that the useful life of goodwill and intangible does not exceed five years when the entity is otherwise unable to make a reliable estimate of useful life. The current FRSSE requires a maximum useful life of 20 years.
• Clarify that an entity must assess at each reporting date whether there is indication that an asset is impaired. Factors to be considered in this assessment are provided.
• Incorporate updated definitions of related parties and close family members and include a definition of key management personnel as a related party.
• Add the exemption for disclosure of intra-group related party transactions where any subsidiary party to the transaction is 100% owned by the group.

Further minor amendments update references to accounting standards that will be withdrawn when the new regime takes effect.

• Read FRSSE (effective 2015)
• Read FRS 100 amendments to the FRSSE

Micro entities

Both the FRSSE (effective 2008) and the FRSSE (effective 2015) were amended in 2014 as a result of The Small Companies (Micro-Entities’ Accounts) Regulations 2013, to enable micro-entities to comply with the FRSSE whilst taking advantage of the exemptions available to micro-entities. 

Micro-entities are defined by the Companies Act as companies that do not exceed two or more of the following thresholds (together with further criteria):

Certain new paragraphs have been added to both FRSSEs that are relevant only to micro-entities. These:

• require micro-entities to disregard the majority of the presentation and disclosure requirements of the FRSSE;
• disallow certain measurement bases allowed within the FRSSE;
• Require the use of the primary statement format provided in The Small Companies Regulations 2013;
• Significantly reduce the number of disclosure notes required

The amendments to the FRSSEs are effective from the same date as the underlying legislation, being financial years ending on or after 30 September 2013 for companies filing their accounts on or after 1 December 2013.

• Read Amendments to the FRSSE – Micro-entities

Following on from the withdrawal of the FRSSE the FRC have issued FRS 105 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable to the Micro-entities Regime.

• Find out more about FRS 105 

Which version of the standard?

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Non Micro-entities

Annual period starts 1 January 2015 - 31 December 2015

• FRSSE (effective January 2015)

Annual period starts 1 January 2010 – 31 December 2014

• FRSSE Bound volume 2012/2013 or
• FRSSE Bound volume 2011/2012 or

Micro-entities (relevant only where annual period ends on or after 30 September 2013)

Annual period starts 1 January 2015 - 31 December 2015

• FRSSE (effective January 2015) in conjunction with
• Amendments to the FRSSE – Micro-entities

Annual period starts before 1 January 2015

• FRSSE Bound Volume 2011/2013 or 2012/2013 in conjunction with
• Amendments to the FRSSE – Micro-entities  

Notes

1. Where FRS 100 is adopted early, use FRSSE (effective January 2015).
2. FRSSE Bound volumes 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 include the FRSSE effective 2008.
3. Amendments to the FRSSE – Micro-entities contains the amendments to the FRSSE that are relevant only to micro-entities.

The future of small entity reporting

The FRSSE is withdrawn from 1 January 2016 and replaced by either:

• FRS 105 The Financial Reporting Standard for the Micro-entities Regime, or
• Section 1A of FRS 102 The Financial Reporting Standard.

In order to determine the accounting standard applicable to an entity previously within the scope of the FRSSE, detailed eligibility criteria must be referred to as laid out in sections 382 – 384B of the Companies Act 2006. Size thresholds given within this guidance are as follows: