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Microlesson · 5-min read

AS 16 – Capitalisation of Borrowing Costs: Specific Borrowings

## AS 16 – Specific Borrowings: How to Capitalise

When a loan is taken specifically to finance a qualifying asset, the treatment is straightforward but has one important adjustment.

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### Step-by-Step Approach

Step 1 – Identify net borrowing cost

```

Actual Interest on Specific Borrowing

LESS: Income earned by temporarily investing idle loan funds

= Net Borrowing Cost eligible for capitalisation

```

> Only for specific borrowings is this income deducted. For general borrowings the income offset does not apply.

Step 2 – Allocate proportionately across purposes

If the specific loan funds both QA and non-QA purposes, split the net BC in proportion to the amounts used for each purpose.

Step 3 – Capitalise the QA portion; expense the rest

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### Formula

```

BC to Capitalise = Net BC × (Expenditure on QA / Total Expenditure)

```

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### Key Rule

ItemSpecific Borrowing Treatment
Income from idle fundsDeduct before capitalising
Actual interest on loanStarting point
BC for Non-QA portionCharge to P&L

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### Journal Entry

```

Dr. Asset (QA) – Cost of Qualifying Asset [BC capitalised]

Dr. P&L – Finance Cost [BC on Non-QA]

Cr. Interest Payable / Bank [Total interest]

```

Worked example

### Example 1

Example – Specific Borrowing with Idle Fund Income

Loan taken on 01.06.21. Total interest for the period = ₹10,00,000. Income on temporary investment of idle funds = ₹50,000.

Net Borrowing Cost = 10,00,000 – 50,000 = ₹9,50,000

Funds used for:

Purpose%BC CapitalisedBC to P&L
Construction of Building (QA)40%3,80,000
Working Capital (Not QA)30%2,85,000
Machinery (Not QA)15%1,42,500
Furniture (Not QA)2%19,000
Truck (Not QA)13%1,23,500
Total100%3,80,0005,70,000

Note: The ₹50,000 income from idle funds is deducted before allocation, not after.

### Example 2

Example – Specific Borrowing, Single QA Purpose

Total Int Expense = ₹11,00,000. Income from Idle Funds = ₹2,00,000.

Net BC = ₹9,00,000.

PurposeQA?BC CapBC P&L
Construction of Shed (40%)Yes3,60,000
Machinery (35%)No3,15,000
Working Capital (25%)No2,25,000
Total3,60,0005,40,000

Total = ₹9,00,000 ✓

⚠️ Common exam mistakes

  • Not deducting income from idle funds for specific borrowings — this income must be subtracted from actual interest before capitalisation.
  • Applying the idle-fund income deduction to general borrowings as well — AS 16 requires this deduction only for specific borrowings.
  • Allocating gross interest (before idle fund deduction) across purposes — always compute net BC first, then allocate.
  • Forgetting to split the loan when it serves both QA and non-QA purposes — each portion must be treated separately.
Bare-Act text Paragraph 12 · AS 16 – Borrowing Costs · click to expand
To the extent that funds are borrowed specifically for the purpose of obtaining a qualifying asset, the amount of borrowing costs eligible for capitalisation on that asset should be determined as the actual borrowing costs incurred on that borrowing during the period less any investment income on the temporary investment of those borrowings.
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