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Startup Accounting

Lease Accounting Under ASC 842

Written by Harry Prabandham

Curated by Rubric Financial

Last updated

1 / 5

What Changed Under ASC 842

  • ASC 842 requires most leases longer than twelve months to appear on the balance sheet.
  • Under prior rules, operating leases like office space were often disclosed only in the footnotes.
  • The standard applies to real estate, servers, vehicles, and equipment leases that convey a right to use an asset.
  • The goal is to give financial statement users a clearer view of a company's lease obligations.

About the author

Harry Prabandham

Founder & CEO

Founder and CEO of StartupCFO. MBA from Wharton, MS in Computer Science, and decades of experience building and advising venture-backed startups.

More articles by Harry

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ASC 842

GAAP standard requiring leases to be recognized on the balance sheet.

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