For what reasons should the percentage of completion method be used over the completed contract method whenever possible?
Emma Miller
Updated on January 03, 2026
The percentage of completion method must be used if the revenues and costs of a project can be reasonably estimated and the parties involved are expected to be able to complete all duties.
Which method is presumed to be the better one the percentage of completion method or the completed contract method?
The presumption is that the percentage-of-completion approach is the better method and that the completed-contract method should be used only when the percentage-of-completion method is inappropriate.
How does the percentage of completion method typically determine the percentage of work completed on a long term contract?
The percentage of completion method of accounting requires the reporting of revenues and expenses on a period-by-period basis, as determined by the percentage of the contract that has been fulfilled. The current income and expenses are compared with the total estimated costs to determine the tax liability for the year.
What is the formula for percentage of completion?
The Percentage of completion formula is very simple. First, take an estimated percentage of how close the project is to being completed by taking the cost to date for the project over the total estimated cost. Then multiply the percentage calculated by the total project revenue to compute revenue for the period.
Who must use percentage of completion method?
In general, contracts must use percentage of completion where the following apply:
- if the contractor’s average annual revenue for the last three years exceeds an exception limit.
- if completion is expected to take at least two years from the date the contract begins.
Why is percentage of completion better than completed contract?
Under this method, the contractor pays tax when profits are earned, no matter when the contract is deemed complete. The percentage of completion method is easier to plan for and stabilizes company cash flow. In conclusion, the completed contract method is more advantageous for tax purposes.
What is a completion rate?
Completion Rate measures the percentage of users who complete a specific business goal or a series of goals e.g. sharing a document, subscribing to a mailing list, connecting a dashboard to a screen.
When can you use completed contract method?
The completed contract method defers all revenue and expense recognition until the contract is completed. The method is used when there is unpredictability in the collection of funds from the customer. It is simple to use, as it is easy to determine when a contract is complete.
What is the point at which firm profit equals zero?
Economic and Normal Profit A business will be in a state of normal profit when its economic profit is equal to zero, which is why normal profit is also called “zero economic profit.” Normal profit occurs at the point where all resources are being efficiently used and could not be put to better use elsewhere.
What is a good survey completion rate?
A survey response rate of 50% or higher should be considered excellent in most circumstances. A high response rate is likely driven by high levels of motivation to complete the survey, or a strong personal relationship between business and customer. Survey response rates in the 5% to 30% range are far more typical.
How do you solve completion rate?
Calculate the completion rate using the following formula: Completion rate = total hours completed/total hours attempted. For example, if the total hours attempted from Step 3 is 3,500 hours and the total hours completed from Step 5 is 2,400, the completion rate = 2,400/3,500 = 0.6857 or 68.57 percent.
How Does completed contract method work?
The completed contract method allows all revenue and expense recognition to be deferred until the completion of a contract. CCM accounting is helpful when there is unpredictability surrounding when the company will be paid by their customer and uncertainty regarding the project’s completion date.
Is normal profit break-even?
Break-even point is that point of output level of the firm where firms total revenues are equal to total costs (TR = TC). Normal profit is included in the cost of production. Thus, at break-even point a firm gets only normal profit or zero economic profit.
What is an acceptable completion rate?
Surveys which included between 1-3 questions had an average completion rate of 83.34%. The average completion rate drops to 65.15% in surveys containing 4-8 questions. Questionnaires with 9-14 questions have a completion rate of 56.28%, while those with 15 questions and more have a completion rate of 41.94%.
What is completion rate?
Completion rate is a measure used to describe data collection procedure and quality of data collected in online survey (most often). It is number of fully completed interviews divided by the number of started interviews.
When can I use completed contract method?
The completed contract method is used to recognize all of the revenue and profit associated with a project only after the project has been completed. This method is used when there is uncertainty about the collection of funds due from a customer under the terms of a contract.