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Description

Fixed Assets: Handling Complex Transactions and Securing Their Tax Impact

Settle the fixed asset cases that come back at every closing without a consistent answer from one year to the next

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

Fixed asset tracking looks well mapped out until the real cases arrive: major overhauls, development costs, fit-out works on a leased property, software purchased and then extensively configured. The line between expense and capitalisation is open to debate, and the gap between the accounting treatment and the corporate tax treatment is often poorly documented.

These two days work through these situations one by one. Participants revisit the composition of initial cost, the component approach and impairment, then examine complex transactions and tax differences. Each builds a decision framework that can be applied directly to their own closing files.

Learning objectives

  • Distinguish expense from capitalisation in the most frequently debated cases
  • Determine the initial cost of an asset according to its method of acquisition
  • Build a component-based depreciation schedule and revise it
  • Handle impairment, disposals and complex asset transactions
  • Document differences between the accounting treatment and the corporate tax treatment

What makes this programme different

Contentious cases are settled together with the reasoning needed to justify them under review
A capitalise-or-expense decision framework is built by the group
Tax differences are tracked through to their entry in the reconciliation schedule

Programme

1Recognition Boundary and Initial Cost

Deciding what goes to the balance sheet and at what amount

  • Recognition criteria for assets and the treatment of subsequent expenditure
  • Composition of acquisition cost and items to be excluded
  • Internally generated assets and development costs
  • Basket purchases, exchanges and contributions in kind
  • Treatment of capital grants and investment subsidies

2Depreciation and Impairment

Keeping the schedule alive over the useful life

  • Component approach and determination of useful lives
  • Depreciation methods and residual value
  • Revising the schedule during the life of the asset
  • Indicators of impairment and impairment testing
  • Reversals of impairment and supporting documentation

3Complex Transactions

The files that hold up the closing

  • Leasehold improvements carried out on a rented property
  • Lease accounting under IFRS 16 and off-ledger tracking
  • Software, licences and internal development work
  • Disposals, write-offs and partial derecognition
  • Assets under construction and transfers

4Tax Dimension and Review Readiness

Holding the differences and being able to justify them

  • Common areas of divergence between accounting rules and corporate tax rules
  • Non-deductible depreciation and tax-driven depreciation adjustments
  • Treatment of gains and losses on disposal
  • Building the supporting file for the fixed asset register
  • Points examined during a tax review and the evidence to retain

Who is it for

General and subsidiary ledger accountants, accounting managers, management controllers and practice staff involved in period-end closings.

Prerequisites

Practical experience of general accounting and prior involvement in an annual closing.

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.