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Recognition and Measurement: Plan Assets

Recognition and Measurement: Plan Assets :

Fair Value of Plan Assets:

100. The fair value of any plan assets is deducted in determining the amount recognised in the balance sheet under paragraph 55. When no market price is available, the fair value of plan assets is estimated; for example, by discounting expected future cash flows using a discount rate that reflects both the risk associated with the plan assets and the maturity or expected disposal date of those assets (or, if they have no maturity, the expected period until the settlement of the related obligation).

101. Plan assets exclude unpaid contributions due from the reporting enterprise to the fund, as well as any non-transferable financial instruments issued by the enterprise and held by the fund. Plan assets are reduced by any liabilities of the fund that do not relate to employee benefits, for example, trade and other payables and liabilities resulting from derivative financial instruments.

102. Where plan assets include qualifying insurance policies that exactly match the amount and timing of some or all of the benefits payable under the plan, the fair value of those insurance policies is deemed to be the present value of the related obligations, as described in paragraph 55 (subject to any reduction required if the amounts receivable under the insurance policies are not recoverable in full).

Reimbursements

When, and only when, it is virtually certain that another party will reimburse some or all of the expenditure required to settle a defined benefit obligation, an enterprise should recognise its right to reimbursement as a separate asset. The enterprise should measure the asset at fair value. In all other respects, an enterprise should treat that asset in the same way as plan assets. In the statement of profit and loss, the expense relating to a defined benefit plan may be presented net of the amount recognised for a reimbursement.

Sometimes, an enterprise is able to look to another party, such as an insurer, to pay part or all of the expenditure required to settle a defined benefit obligation. Qualifying insurance policies, as defined in paragraph 7, are plan assets. An enterprise accounts for qualifying insurance policies in the same way as for all other plan assets and paragraph 103 does not apply (see paragraphs 40-43 and 102).

When an insurance policy is not a qualifying insurance policy, that insurance policy is not a plan asset. Paragraph 103 deals with such cases: the enterprise recognises its right to reimbursement under the insurance policy as a separate asset, rather than as a deduction in determining the defined benefit liability recognised under paragraph 55; in all other respects, including for determination of the fair value, the enterprise treats that asset in the same way as plan assets. Paragraph 120(f)(iii) requires the enterprise to disclose a brief description of the link between the reimbursement right and the related obligation

Example Illustrating Paragraphs 103-105

(Amount in Rs.)

Liability recognised in balance sheet being the present value of obligation

1,258

Rights under insurance policies that exactly match the amount and timing of some of the benefits payable Rights under insurance policies that exactly match the amount and timing of some of the benefits payable under the plan.

 

Those benefits have a present value of Rs. 1,092

1,092

 

If the right to reimbursement arises under an insurance policy that exactly matches the amount and timing of some or all of the benefits payable under a defined benefit plan, the fair value of the reimbursement right is deemed to be the present value of the related obligation, as described in paragraph 55 (subject to any reduction required if the reimbursement is not recoverable in full).

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