Natural Resources The IPSASB approved IPSAS 51, Tangible Natural Resources Held for Conservation. IPSAS 51 fills an important public sector reporting gap in the IPSASB’s literature. The IPSASB set an effective date of January 1, 2028 for IPSAS 51, with earlier adoption permitted.
Presentation of Financial Statements The IPSASB has completed its conceptual and technical discussions on requirements for the presentation of financial statements and confirmed that its draft Consultation Paper (CP) fully captures its views, subject to revisions to capture December discussions. Next quarter, the IPSASB will review the final piece of the developing illustrative ED related to disclosure requirements with a plan to approve the CP at the March 2026 meeting.
Making Materiality Judgments The IPSASB discussed the approach and the necessary public sector adaptations to develop non-authoritative guidance to assist public sector entities in applying materiality when preparing IPSAS financial statements. The IPSASB will review an updated draft ED at its March 2026 meeting to determine whether additional public sector adaptations are necessary.
Improvements The IPSASB agreed to the proposed amendments regarding the lack of exchangeability to IPSAS 4, The Effects of Changes in Foreign Exchange Rates, and IPSAS 33, First-time Adoption of Accrual Basis International Public Sector Accounting Standards. In addition, the IPSASB agreed to the narrow scope amendments regarding the definition of an operation and the recognition of assumed contingent liabilities to IPSAS 40, Public Sector Combinations. These amendments will be included in the next Improvements to IPSAS Standards ED expected to be approved in March 2026.
The next IPSASB meeting will be in Toronto, Canada from March 10-13, 2026.
The 2025 Edition of the Handbook of International Public Sector Accounting Pronouncements is out now. It contains the complete suite of IPSAS Standards published as of January 31, 2025.
In collaboration with us, IFAC has published a new resource, Implementing International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS): IFAC Tools, a compilation of our resources designed to help governments and public sector entities adopt and implement IPSAS Standards and help Professional Accountancy Organizations (PAOs) advocate for their use.