RIGHT-TO-USE LEASES GUIDANCE: BUDGETARY CAPITAL
Effective Fiscal 2024
Page 3 of 69 November 2022
Proprietary Accounting Requirements & Agency Decision Points
SFFAS No. 54, Leases, as amended by SFFAS No. 60 and SFFAS No. 61, replaces proprietary lease accounting and disclosure standards for general
purpose federal financial reports. SFFAS No. 54 is effective for reporting periods beginning after September 30, 2023. (Early implementation is not
permitted.)
A lease is defined as “a contract or agreement whereby one entity (lessor) conveys the right to control the use of PP&E (the underlying asset) to another
entity (lessee) for a period of time as specified in the contract or agreement in exchange for consideration.” (SFFAS 54, Par. 6.) SFFAS No. 54 requires
that federal lessees recognize a lease liability and a right-to-use lease asset (also referred to as a lease asset), and that federal lessors recognize a lease
receivable and unearned revenues at the commencement of the lease term, unless the lease meets the definitional criteria of a short-term lease, contract
or agreement that transfers ownership, or an intra-governmental lease.
For proprietary accounting, entity management is responsible for exercising professional judgement and collaborating within its agency to reach
certain determinations before establishing proprietary accounting treatment, including:
1) Lease Term, with consideration for Options, Renewals/Terminations, and Cancellation Clauses;
2) Calculation of Lease Asset/Liability; with consideration for Fixed vs. Variable Payments;
3) Selection of Proprietary Interest Rates - Amortization of Discount on Lease Liability/Receivable;
4) Modifications, Terminations, and any respective remeasurements; and
5) Contracts or Agreements Containing Nonlease and Lease Components (if applicable)
Proprietary Lease Term
For proprietary accounting, calculating the lease term is pivotal because the classification between short-term leases and right-to-use leases depends
on the lease duration. The lease term is determined to be the noncancelable lease period, plus certain periods subject to options to extend or terminate
the lease. The noncancelable period is the shorter of the period agreed upon in the lease contract that: (1) precedes any option to extend the lease; or
(2) precedes the first option to terminate the lease. In addition, the lessee’s lease term should include the noncancelable period, along with periods:
Involving an option to extend the lease, if it is probable that the lessee or lessor will exercise that option (SFFAS 54, Par. 15a & 15c)
Following an option to terminate the lease, if it is probable that the lessee or lessor will not exercise that option (SFFAS 54, Par. 15b & 15d)
Some specific provisions may also need to be applied when determining the lease term:
Periods for which the lessee/lessor (1) have an option to terminate the lease without permission from the other entity, or (2) have to agree to
extend, are considered to be cancelable periods and are thus excluded from the lease term (SFFAS 54, Par. 19a.)
An availability of funds/cancellation clause allowing lessees to cancel a lease agreement if funds for the lease payments are not appropriated
should only affect the lease term when it is probable that the clause will be exercised (SFFAS 54, Par. 19c.)
If a lessee has the option to purchase the underlying asset during the lease term and the contract is not a contract that transfers ownership, the
lease term should exclude the period, after the date at which the option is probable of being exercised (SFFAS 61, Par. 6)