The completed contract method (CCM) is a way to recognize income and expenses for construction contracts. With this method, no income or deductions are recognized until the contract is complete. When you “recognize” income, you are recording it for tax or other reporting purposes.
Long-term contractsThese are any agreement to construct property where that construction is not expected to be finished in the same year that the contract is executed. require special rules to determine when the income and expense from the contract is recognized. Most companies would love to defer recognition of income under the CCM, but only certain companies may use it. Other companies must use the percentage completion method (PCM), which requires income to be recognized as the project is being worked on.
Who Is Eligible To Use the Completed Contract Method of Accounting?
The IRS allows the CCM to be used in place of the PCM under the two primary exceptions below:
- Small contractor construction contracts
- Home construction contracts
What Is the Small Contractor Exception?
A small contractor is a contractor with average sales over the last three years of less than $29 millionThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 originally set the threshold at 25 million and is indexed annually for inflation. . Small contractors can use the CCM for contracts related to real property that will be completed in two years or less.
Companies that meet the small contractor exception are exempt from recognizing revenue through PCM. For these companies, any IRS-approved method can be used to account for the construction activity, but CCM is often the best choice as it defers revenue until the contract is complete. The CCM is an approved method for small contractors, but the business could still choose to use the PCM method if it best serves the organization’s long-term strategy.
What Is the Home Construction Contract Exception?
Home construction contracts are eligible to use the CCM if at least 80% of the contract costs are related to the construction or improvement of residential units. Qualified costs include land improvements and permanent attachments to residential units—and hotels or motels do not count as residential units.
How To Elect the Completed Contract Method?
If your company qualifies for the CCM and you are accounting for this type of contract for the first time, no special election is required.
However, you will have to file Form 3115 and attach it to your timely filed tax return if:
- You have used a different method of accounting for this type of contract in the past
- Your company has multiple types of contracts, as each group of contracts must use the same accounting method
The form will also need to be mailed separately to the IRS address provided on the Form 3115 instructions.
How To Account for the Completed Contract Method?
With the CCM, revenue and expenses are not put on an income statement until the contract is complete. In the meantime, that activity would be reported on the balance sheet, and changes to your balance sheet are made through adjustments to your balance sheet accounts. These adjustments are done by making journal entries to those accounts.
| Activity being recorded | Debit | Credit | Purpose of journal entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Costs | Work in progress | Cash or accounts payable (A/P) | Records expenses being accumulated in a balance sheet account called “work in progress” and the outflow of cash used to pay for the costs |
| Payment Received for Progress | Cash or accounts receivable (A/R) | Progress billing | Records receipt of cash and defers the revenue by recording Progress Billing, a balance sheet account |
| Revenue | Progress billing | Revenue | Moves progress billings from the balance sheet to the income statement when the contract is completed. |
| Expenses | Expense | Work in progress | Moves the project costs from the balance sheet to the income statement when the project is complete. |
Example of Accounting for Income and Expenses Under CCM
Let’s assume Bob the Builder enters a $500,000 contract in 2024 to build a residential house. Construction begins in 2024 and will be completed in 2025.
Actual costs paid and cash payments received in 2023 and 2024 are summarized below.
| 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Costs Paid | $200,000 | $100,000 |
| Cash Received | $150,000 | $350,000 |
2024 Journal Entries
| Date | Account | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Work in progress | 200,000 | |
| Cash | 200,000 | ||
| To record work in progress for costs paid in 2024 | |||
| 2024 | Cash | 150,000 | Progress billing |
| Progress billing | 150,000 | ||
| To record cash received from customer in 2024 | |||
Notice that Work in Progress and Progress Billing are both balance sheet accounts. The income statement is not affected by any of the 2024 activity.
2025 Journal Entries
| Date | Account | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Work in Progress | 100,000 | |
| Cash | 100,000 | ||
| To record work in progress for costs paid in 2025 | |||
| 2025 | Cash | 350,000 | |
| Progress Billing | 350,000 | ||
| To record cash received from customer in 2025 | |||
| Date | Account | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Progress billing | 500,000 | |
| Revenue | 500,000 | ||
| Progress billing moved to the income statement for income recognition once the contract is completed. | |||
| 2025 | Project expenses | 300,000 | |
| Work in progress | 300,000 | ||
| Project cost moved from the balance sheet to the income statement once the contract is completed. | |||
In 2025, the balance sheet activity for both years is moved to the income statement.
- “Progress Billings” of 500,000 (150,000 + 350,000) will be moved to “Revenue” on the income statement.
- “Work in Progress” of 300,000 (200,000 + 100,000) will be moved to “Project Expenses” on the income statement.
Pros & Cons of the Completed Contract Method
| Benefits | Risks |
|---|---|
| Useful when timing of project completion or payment is unknown | Erratic-looking income statement that could be confusing for investors |
| No tax paid on contract income until the end of the contract, which is generally close to when payment is received | No benefit of expenses until you recognize the revenue |
| Potentially large single outflow of cash when tax is assessed on revenue | |
| Not allowed for alternative minimum tax | |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
CCM is generally advantageous because it defers revenue longer than either the cash or accrual method of accounting. Specifically, it would allow you to defer tax on those construction contracts until they are complete. You would continue to use your normal accounting method (cash or accrual) for your other business activity.
Yes. You may use cash basis as your overall method of accounting and use CCM as a specialized method of accounting for your long-term contracts.
Once a contract is completed and the revenue and costs recognized, you would use your normal accounting method to account for any further expenses related to that project. For example, if you would normally deduct expenses on the cash basis, you would deduct these additional expenses when you make your cash payments.
Bottom Line
The completed contract method can be used to report construction contract income when exceptions apply to the general requirement to use the percentage of completion method apply. Generally, it is preferred to other methods because income recognition and the related tax are postponed until the contract is completed. When there is uncertainty around project completion or payment, the CCM protects against a construction company having to recognize and pay tax on income that it may not receive.
Each business has unique circumstances that should be analyzed to determine the best game plan. Before implementing a new revenue recognition strategy, consult your tax advisor for personalized advice.
