N
The Daily Insight Hub

How is revenue recognized under percentage of completion method?

Author

William Jenkins

Updated on January 17, 2026

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 of percentage completion method?

To determine the percentage of work completed, you can use the following formula: Percentage of work completed = (Total Expenses incurred on the project till the close of the accounting period.

How are revenue contracts calculated?

To determine cumulative revenue, multiply the contract cost incurred to date with the total contract price. Divide the resulting number by the total estimated cost of completing the contract to obtain cumulative revenue.

How is revenue Recognised and measured in case of incompleted contracts?

Revenue to be recognized to-date = Percent complete x Estimated total revenue. Current period revenue = Revenue to be recognized to date – revenue recognized in prior periods.

What is cost to revenue ratio?

The cost revenue ratio is a measure of efficiency that compares a company’s expenses to its earnings. The total revenue counts the total earnings from sales during a financial period. The cost revenue ratio compares these two amounts. Businesses can use the cost revenue ratio to track their efficiency.

What is the percentage of completion method in accounting?

What is the Percentage of Completion Method? The percentage of completion method is a revenue recognition accounting concept that evaluates how to realize revenue periodically over a long-term project or contract. Revenue, expenses, and gross profit are recognized each period based on the percentage of work completed or costs incurred.

How is the percentage of work completed calculated?

In this method, revenue is recognized on a yearly basis as a percentage of work completed during that year. Revenue for a given year is calculated as follows: Revenue to be recognized = (Percentage of Work Completed in the given period) * (Total Contract Value) Here, the biggest challenge is to calculate the percentage of work completed.

How to calculate revenue for a given year?

Revenue for a given year is calculated as follows: Revenue to be recognized = (Percentage of Work Completed in the given period) * (Total Contract Value) Here, the biggest challenge is to calculate the percentage of work completed.

When do you switch to percentage of completion?

Under current revenue guidance, companies are required to apply a completed contract method if they don’t meet the criteria for percentage of completion, and once the completed contract method is applied, the company can’t switch to the percentage of completion. This is no longer the case.