Domestic companies in the US are generally required to use US GAAP and cannot use IFRS for SEC filings. However, foreign private issuers listed on US exchanges may use IFRS without reconciling to GAAP. While IFRS is not permitted for domestic public company filings, it is not strictly prohibited for private company reporting.
Currently, the IFRS principle is being adopted by 167 countries around the world, including China, India, Japan, the UAE, the Netherlands, Italy, and Germany. However, in the case of the USA, IFRS standards are permitted for use by foreign companies only.
Declaring (and rightfully so) that their main goal is to protect US investors' interests, the SEC notes that IFRS lacks consistent application, allows too much leeway with judgment, and is underdeveloped in many specific areas, for which the US GAAP has detailed and accepted guidance and established practice ( ...
IFRS is used in more than 110 countries around the world, including the EU and many Asian and South American countries. GAAP, on the other hand, is only used in the United States. Companies that operate in the U.S. and overseas may have more complexities in their accounting.
In the US, IFRS is only applied to foreign companies listed on US stock exchanges. These companies are allowed to present their financial statements with IFRS without necessarily reconciling their financials to GAAP.
While IFRS compliance is not mandatory for all companies, certain entities are required to follow Ind-AS, including: Listed companies. Unlisted companies with a net worth of Rs. 250 crore or more.
IFRS 16 and Topic 842 became effective for IFRS Accounting Standards preparers and US GAAP public companies in 2019, and US private entities (including most not-for-profit entities) in 2022.
IFRS offers broader international adoption and flexibility, while US GAAP provides strict, detailed rules—useful in highly regulated environments.
Incompatibility with Local Tax Regulations
One of the major drawbacks of IFRS adoption is its frequent misalignment with local tax laws and reporting requirements. Many countries have tax systems closely tied to national accounting standards, where taxable income is directly derived from financial statements.
The four pillars of IFRS S1 and S2 are governance, strategy, risk management and metrics and targets.
Apple's adherence to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) provides investors with a transparent view of its financial performance. The company recognizes revenue when obligations are met, such as when an iPhone ships.
China, India, and Indonesia do not follow IFRS accounting standards but have similar standards, while Japan allows companies to follow IFRS standards if they choose.
One of the biggest advantages of LIFO is its ability to lower taxable income when costs are rising. By using the most recent, higher-priced inventory to calculate the cost of goods sold, businesses can report lower profits on paper—leading to tax savings.
As noted in the SEC Staff Final Report, IFRS lacks guidance for a certain number of industries, and concluded that overall, U.S GAAP is more comprehensive than IFRS. The third and final reason for the delay concerns the shifting of standard-setting authority from the SEC to the IASB.
The company uses several International Financial Reporting Standards for accounting policies regarding fixed assets, depreciation, impairment of assets, borrowing costs, provisions, and more.
FASB Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) The ASC is the single official source of authoritative accounting principles known as the United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP).
IFRSs are required for Government-owned enterprises, newly privatised companies (large taxpayers, or 'LTOs'), banks, and insurance companies. IFRSs required in both consolidated and separate financial statements of financial institutions.
Key advantages of adopting IFRS include enhanced global comparability and reduced reporting costs for multinational firms. Disadvantages include high implementation expenses, the complexity of a principles-based approach, and a lack of universal adoption (e.g., the U.S. uses GAAP).
The international financial reporting standards (“IFRS”) are the standards applicable to companies who do not apply a local GAAP. These mostly tend to be international companies. IFRS is mandatory for listed companies, but for all other UK companies there is a choice between IFRS and UK GAAP.
Although the SEC currently has no plans to permit the use of IFRS by domestic registrants, IFRS remains relevant to these entities, as well as private companies in the U.S., given the continued expansion of IFRS use across the globe.
As a general rule most companies around the world can choose whether they want to report under US GAAP or IFRS. US companies based overseas can use IFRS and overseas companies based in the US can still use IFRS rather than GAAP. Much of US GAAP and IFRS is very similar.
For Operating Leases under U.S. GAAP, companies record a simple “Rental Expense” or “Lease Expense” on their Income Statements. However, they still calculate the Interest, Depreciation, and Principal Repayments and change their Operating Lease Assets and Liabilities based on those.
The 90% rule in leasing is an accounting guideline for classifying leases, stating that if the present value (PV) of a lessee's minimum lease payments equals or exceeds 90% of the leased asset's fair market value (FMV), the lease should be treated as a finance lease (or capital lease) rather than an operating lease, reflecting essentially a purchase for accounting purposes. This rule helps determine if the lease transfers substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership, requiring balance sheet recognition of the asset and liability.
ASC 842 is the US GAAP standard for accounting for leases governed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), while IFRS 16 is the corresponding International Financial Reporting Standard(s) governed by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB).
IFRS 16 lessee lease classification
These leases are capitalized and presented on the balance sheet as assets, known as the right-of-use ( ROU ) asset, and liabilities, unless subject to any of the exemptions prescribed by the standard.