Forex Hedge Accounting Treatment
OANDA’s FXConsulting
for Corporations
13
CASH FLOW HEDGE
FAIR VALUE HEDGE
Account
Debit (credit)
Account
Debit (credit)
Commitment
Transactions at 70 Days
Sales to US
Customers
Cash
1,300,000.00
Cash
1,300,000.00
Sales
(1,300,000.00)
Sales
(1,300,000.00)
Cost of goods sold
1,095,238.09
Cost of goods sold
1,000,000.00
Inventory
1,095,238.09
Inventory
(1,000,000.00)
Reclassify OCI
account
OCI
95,238.09
n/a
Cost of goods sold
(95,238.09)
Pros
The gain or loss on the forex hedge impacts
earnings at the same time the hedged item impacts
earnings.
The gain or loss on the designated purchase
commitment is not recorded on the balance sheet.
The reclassification of the gain or loss in the OCI
account on the designated sales commitments is
relatively easy to track and record (as compared to
purchase commitments.)
The gain or loss on the forex hedge impacts earnings at
the same time the hedged item impacts earnings.
Tracking the impact to earnings on purchases is
relatively simple because the underlying purchase
amount is adjusted and the impact to earnings naturally
flows to earnings over time. This process will be
substantially easier to manage fixed asset, inventory, or
raw material purchases.
Cons
Tracking the impact to earnings on purchases may
become quite complex because it may occur over
time.
Gain or loss on the designated purchase commitment is
recorded on the balance sheet. (This is typically not a
recorded asset or liability.)
Conclusion
As shown in the above scenario, the two different hedge designations have the same impact to earnings
at the same time; however, the recorded journal entries are different. Under the fair value hedge, the
change in the value of the forex hedge is offset by recording the change in value of the purchase
commitment on the balance sheet. While commitments nor there change in value are not typically
recorded on the balance sheet, the desire to record the fair value of hedges on the balance sheet requires
this unique treatment of recording the change in the value of the commitment on the balance sheet.
The above scenario is fairly simple, but the benefit of using fair value hedges for firm commitments is
easier to see when you consider raw material purchases in a foreign currency. Tracking the earnings
impact timing of raw material purchases is much more complex under a cash flow hedge,
especially when taking into account complicating factors such as raw materials used in multiple
products or sold to intercompany subsidiaries. With such complicating factors, the OCI amounts for
cash flow hedges would become very complex to track and reclassify to earnings. On the other hand, a
fair value hedge would adjust the raw material inventory directly, thereby reducing the need for future
tracking to earnings.
Highly Probable Forecasted Forex Transactions (Transaction Risk
– Cash
Flow Hedge)
A cash flow hedge is used for highly probable future financial assets or liabilities (for example, a highly
probable sales/purchase contract). The effective portion of the hedge's change in the fair value can be
recorded in the equity section of the balance sheet under ―OCI – Foreign Exchange Account‖, provided
some strict criteria are met.
The cumulative hedge value recorded as OCI will be subsequently reclassified into earnings when the
forecasted transaction affects earnings. As an example, consider a sales contract that drops in value by
$10,000 due to a change in exchange rates from the date the cash flow forex hedge commenced to the
date the product was delivered. The sale is recorded in the income statement when the product is
delivered. The reduced sales value is offset by the reclassification of the $10,000 gain on the forex
hedge (assuming an effective hedge) that had been recorded as OCI. The second case study at the end
Forex Hedge Accounting Treatment
OANDA’s FXConsulting
for Corporations
14
of this paper provides sample accounting entries related to cash flow hedges and the related future
financial asset.
The reclassification into earnings of the OCI amounts may be fairly complex if the hedged item
impacts earnings over a longer time frame. For example, a hedged intercompany product sale to a
subsidiary will not have the OCI reclassified into earnings at the time of the intercompany sale. Instead,
it will be reclassified into earnings when the subsidiary completes the product sale to third parties. For
another example, the hedged foreign currency purchase of raw materials used for producing a finished
product would not have the OCI amounts reclassified into earnings until the finished product is sold.
What Happens When a Highly Probable Foreign Transaction Ceases to be Highly
Probable?
Consider the situation where a cash flow forex hedge was designated for a highly probable forecasted
foreign currency purchase that later ceases to be highly probable (due to a regular review—at a
minimum, at each reporting date—of the probability designation). From the time the hedge was
designated, the OCI account has accumulated amounts.
The table below provides guidance on what to do when an assessment determines a change in the
probability of the transaction occurring.
Current Assessment of the
Transaction’s Probability
of Occurring
Impact on
Hedge
Accounting
Impact on the OCI Account Amounts
Highly Probable
Continue
Continue to accumulate amounts in the OCI
account.
Reasonably Possible
Stop
Previous OCI Amounts remain in the OCI
account and will be reclassified to income when
the transaction impacts earnings.
Stop accumulating new OCI amounts.
Current gains/losses on the forex hedge are
recorded directly to earnings.
Not Reasonably Possible
Stop
Not Probable
Stop
Reclassify
Reclassify previous OCI Amounts in the OCI
account to earnings.
Current gains/losses on the forex hedge are
recorded directly to earnings.
Net Investment in Foreign Operation
– Investment Risk
When hedging the foreign currency exposure of a net investment in a foreign operation, the gain or loss
is reported in OCI (outside earnings) as part of the cumulative translation adjustment account. Similar
to a cash flow hedge, you must document the hedging relationship in advance and prove the
effectiveness of the hedging relationship on both a prospective and retrospective basis.
For details on the precise financial statement and financial statement note disclosure, refer to your
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