IFRS 11 – Joint Arrangements | Overview and Disclosure Requirements

Raj MauryaMarch 13, 2022

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Overview

IFRS 11 Joint Arrangements outlines the accounting by entities that jointly control an arrangement. Joint control involves the contractually agreed sharing of control and arrangements subject to joint control are classified as either a joint venture or a joint operation.

Joint arrangements

A joint arrangement is an arrangement of which two or more parties have joint control. [IFRS 11:4]

A joint arrangement has the following characteristics: [IFRS 11:5]

the parties are bound by a contractual arrangement, and
the contractual arrangement gives two or more of those parties joint control of the arrangement.

A joint arrangement is either a joint operation or a joint venture. [IFRS 11:6]

Joint control

Joint control is the contractually agreed sharing of control of an arrangement, which exists only when decisions about the relevant activities require the unanimous consent of the parties sharing control. [IFRS 11:7]

Before assessing whether an entity has joint control over an arrangement, an entity first assesses whether the parties or a group of the parties, control the arrangement (in accordance with the definition of control in IFRS 10 Consolidated Financial Statements).

After concluding that all the parties, or a group of the parties, control the arrangement collectively, an entity shall assess whether it has joint control of the arrangement. Joint control exists only when decisions about the relevant activities require the unanimous consent of the parties that collectively control the arrangement. [IFRS 11:B6]

The requirement for unanimous consent means that any party with joint control of the arrangement can prevent any of the other parties, or a group of the parties, from making unilateral decisions (about the relevant activities) without its consent. [IFRS 11:B9]

Types of joint arrangements

Joint arrangements are either joint operations or joint ventures:

A joint operation is a joint arrangement whereby the parties that have joint control of the arrangement have rights to the assets, and obligations for the liabilities, relating to the arrangement. Those parties are called joint operators. [IFRS 11:15]
A joint venture is a joint arrangement whereby the parties that have joint control of the arrangement have rights to the net assets of the arrangement. Those parties are called joint venturers. [IFRS 11:16]

Financial statements of parties to a joint arrangement

Joint operations

A joint operator recognises in relation to its interest in a joint operation: [IFRS 11:20]

its assets, including its share of any assets held jointly;
its liabilities, including its share of any liabilities incurred jointly;
its revenue from the sale of its share of the output of the joint operation;
its share of the revenue from the sale of the output by the joint operation; and
its expenses, including its share of any expenses incurred jointly.

Joint ventures

A joint venturer recognises its interest in a joint venture as an investment and shall account for that investment using the equity method in accordance with IAS 28 Investments in Associates and Joint Ventures unless the entity is exempted from applying the equity method as specified in that standard. [IFRS 11:24]

A party that participates in, but does not have joint control of, a joint venture accounts for its interest in the arrangement in accordance with IFRS 9 Financial Instruments unless it has significant influence over the joint venture, in which case it accounts for it in accordance with IAS 28 (as amended in 2011). [IFRS 11:25].

Separate Financial Statements

The accounting for joint arrangements in an entity’s separate financial statements depends on the involvement of the entity in that joint arrangement and the type of the joint arrangement:

If the entity is a joint operator or joint venturer it shall account for its interest in
- a joint operation in accordance with paragraphs 20-22;
- a joint venture in accordance with paragraph 10 of IAS 27 Separate Financial Statements. [IFRS 11:26]
If the entity is a party that participates in, but does not have joint control of, a joint arrangement shall account for its interest in:
- a joint operation in accordance with paragraphs 23;
- a joint venture in accordance with IFRS 9, unless the entity has significant influence over the joint venture, in which case it shall apply paragraph 10 of IAS 27 (as amended in 2011). [IFRS 11:27]