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Ind AS Implementation Services in India – Transition, Compliance & Ongoing Reporting | N D Savla & Associates
Ind AS Implementation

Ind AS Implementation Services in India
Transition, Compliance & Ongoing Reporting

The transition from Indian GAAP to Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) is not a simple restatement exercise. It changes how revenue is recognised, how financial instruments are measured, how leases appear on the balance sheet, how employee benefit obligations are calculated, and how subsidiaries and associates are consolidated.

Part of our Assurance & Reporting practice: Audit & Assurance IFRS Implementation

What Are Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS)?

Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) are accounting standards notified by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) under Section 133 of the Companies Act, 2013, read with Rule 3 of the Companies (Indian Accounting Standards) Rules, 2015. Ind AS is substantially converged with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) — though not identical, as certain carve-outs exist to accommodate Indian legal and regulatory requirements.

The primary difference from the earlier Indian GAAP framework is the shift from a rules-based approach to a principles-based approach. Under Ind AS, management is required to exercise significant judgement on measurement, recognition, and disclosure — and to document the basis for those judgements. This places a greater burden on CFOs, finance teams, and audit committees than the earlier standards, but it produces financial statements that are more comparable internationally and more reflective of economic reality. For companies with overseas investors, foreign subsidiaries, or IPO ambitions, Ind AS-compliant financials are increasingly a prerequisite rather than a choice.

Companies that approach Ind AS as purely an accounting exercise — handing it to the finance team without structured project management, impact assessment, and senior oversight — typically find themselves with first-year Ind AS financials that require significant restatement, qualified audit opinions, or disclosures they were not prepared to make.

N D Savla & Associates provides structured Ind AS implementation services for companies transitioning from Indian GAAP for the first time and for businesses that adopted Ind AS but continue to face complex accounting judgements under the standards. Our work spans applicability assessment, gap analysis, accounting policy development, restated opening balance sheet preparation, first-year Ind AS financial statements, and ongoing reporting support. Our Ind AS practice connects directly to our Audit & Assurance Services, IFRS Implementation Services, and ICFR Audit & IFC Support — ensuring that the accounting transition and the control environment are managed together.

Ind AS Applicability — Which Companies Must Adopt Ind AS?

Ind AS applicability is determined by net worth, listing status, and group relationships. The MCA's phased roadmap has established the following applicability thresholds:

Listed Companies & Their Group

Listed companies and their unlisted holding, subsidiary, associate and JV companies — required to adopt Ind AS from April 1, 2016 (Phase I) or April 1, 2017 (Phase II) depending on net worth.

Unlisted Companies — Net Worth Rs. 500 Crore+

Unlisted companies with net worth of Rs. 500 crore or more were required to adopt Ind AS from April 1, 2016.

Unlisted Companies — Net Worth Rs. 250 Crore+

Unlisted companies with net worth of Rs. 250 crore or more — mandatory Ind AS adoption from April 1, 2017.

NBFCs

NBFCs that are listed or have net worth of Rs. 250 crore or more — Ind AS applies from April 1, 2018 or 2019 depending on net worth, under a separate NBFC roadmap.

Group Companies of Ind AS Entities

Holding, subsidiary, JV or associate companies of any Ind AS-applicable entity must also adopt Ind AS for consolidated financial statements — even if the entity itself does not meet the threshold independently.

Voluntary Adoption

A company may voluntarily adopt Ind AS even if not required — but once adopted, it cannot revert to Indian GAAP.

Companies below these thresholds continue to prepare financial statements under the Companies (Accounting Standards) Rules, 2006 (Indian GAAP / AS framework). The threshold is calculated on the basis of net worth as at the end of the immediately preceding financial year.

Key Areas Where Ind AS Differs Significantly from Indian GAAP

The most significant accounting differences — and therefore the areas requiring the most careful implementation attention — include:

01

Revenue Recognition — Ind AS 115

Ind AS 115 replaces the earlier revenue standards with a five-step model: identify the contract, identify performance obligations, determine the transaction price, allocate the price to performance obligations, and recognise revenue when (or as) each obligation is satisfied. For businesses with multi-element contracts, variable consideration, long-term construction projects, or software and SaaS arrangements, this can significantly change both the timing and amount of recognised revenue compared to Indian GAAP.
Ind AS 115 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers
02

Financial Instruments — Ind AS 109

Ind AS 109 introduces the Expected Credit Loss (ECL) model for impairment of financial assets, replacing the incurred loss model. Loans, trade receivables, and investments in debt instruments must be assessed for expected credit losses on a forward-looking basis — even before any default has occurred. For banks and NBFCs, this has a significant impact on provision levels. For non-financial companies with large trade receivables portfolios, the ECL model can materially change the provisioning amount compared to the previous allowance for bad and doubtful debts.
Ind AS 109 – Financial Instruments / ECL Model
03

Lease Accounting — Ind AS 116

Ind AS 116 eliminated the distinction between finance leases and operating leases for lessees. Under the standard, virtually all leases must be recognised on the balance sheet as a right-of-use (ROU) asset and a corresponding lease liability. This significantly increases the total assets and total liabilities reported, changes EBITDA (as the lease expense is replaced by depreciation and interest), and affects key financial ratios. Companies with significant office, factory, retail, or warehouse leases — typically those that were classified as operating leases under Indian GAAP — are most affected.
Ind AS 116 – Leases
04

Employee Benefits — Ind AS 19

Ind AS 19 requires actuarial gains and losses on defined benefit plans (primarily gratuity) to be recognised immediately in Other Comprehensive Income (OCI), rather than being amortised through profit and loss over future periods as permitted under Indian GAAP. This eliminates the deferred recognition of actuarial gains and losses, making the defined benefit obligation on the balance sheet more current and volatile. Companies with large workforces and significant gratuity obligations see an immediate balance sheet impact on first adoption.
Ind AS 19 – Employee Benefits
05

Deferred Tax — Ind AS 12

Ind AS 12 requires deferred tax to be recognised on all temporary differences between the carrying amount of an asset or liability in the financial statements and its tax base. This includes deferred tax on fair value adjustments, on OCI items, and on first-time adoption adjustments — several of which had no deferred tax recognition under Indian GAAP. The deferred tax calculations under Ind AS are substantially more complex and require close coordination between the accounting team and the income tax function.
Ind AS 12 – Income Taxes

Our Ind AS Implementation Process

We follow a structured, phase-wise implementation methodology that gives companies visibility into the accounting impact, systems changes, and disclosure requirements at each stage before the first Ind AS financial statements are published:

01

Applicability and Readiness Assessment

Confirming whether and from which date the company is required to adopt Ind AS, and assessing the readiness of the finance team, accounting systems, and data quality.
02

Ind AS Impact and Gap Analysis

A detailed comparison of the company's current accounting policies against Ind AS requirements across all material areas — quantifying the expected financial impact of each difference.
03

Opening Balance Sheet Preparation (Ind AS 101)

Preparation of the restated opening balance sheet as at the transition date under Ind AS 101 (First-time Adoption), including all required adjustments and elections of available exemptions.
Ind AS 101 – First-time Adoption
04

Accounting Policy Development

Drafting of Ind AS-compliant accounting policies covering all material standards, calibrated to the company's specific transactions and judgements.
05

First-Year Ind AS Financial Statements

Preparation of complete Ind AS financial statements — including comparatives, OCI, notes, and all required disclosures — for the first year of adoption.
06

Finance Team Training and Ongoing Support

Training of the finance and accounts team on the new standards, and ongoing advisory support for accounting judgements as they arise in subsequent years.

Connected Assurance & Reporting Services

Our Ind AS practice connects directly to the following services — so the accounting transition and the control environment are managed together:

Planning Your Ind AS Transition?

From applicability assessment and gap analysis to the restated opening balance sheet and first-year Ind AS financial statements — N D Savla & Associates manages the transition as a structured project, not an accounting afterthought.

Get in Touch
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