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Microlesson · 5-min read

AS 16 – Capitalisation Rate for General Borrowings

## AS 16 – General Borrowings: Capitalisation Rate

When a company uses general borrowings (i.e., borrowings not specifically tied to a QA) to partly fund a qualifying asset, the amount to capitalise is determined using the capitalisation rate.

---

### Capitalisation Rate Formula

```

Total Interest on General Borrowings (Weighted)

Cap Rate = ──────────────────────────────────────────────── × 100

Total General Borrowings (Weighted Average)

```

---

### Step-by-Step Approach

Step 1 – Compute the Capitalisation Rate

List all general borrowings, their amounts, and their interest rates:

```

Cap Rate = (L₁ × r₁ + L₂ × r₂ + …) / (L₁ + L₂ + …) × 100

```

Where L = loan amount, r = rate of interest.

Step 2 – Apply Cap Rate to QA Expenditure

For each tranche of expenditure on the QA, apply the cap rate weighted for the time period during which it was outstanding during the year:

```

BC to Capitalise = Expenditure on QA × Cap Rate × (Months / 12)

```

Step 3 – Cap at Actual General Borrowing Cost

The amount capitalised from general borrowings cannot exceed the total actual interest cost on those borrowings.

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### Illustration of Cap Rate Calculation

BorrowingAmount (₹)RateInterest
Loan A5,00,00011%55,000
Loan B9,00,00013%1,17,000
Total14,00,0001,72,000

```

Cap Rate = 1,72,000 / 14,00,000 × 100 = 12.29% (approx.)

```

---

### Combining Specific + General Borrowings

  • Calculate BC on specific borrowing first (net of idle fund income)
  • Then calculate BC on general borrowing using cap rate applied to remaining QA expenditure
  • Add both to get total BC to capitalise

Worked example

### Example 1

Example – Cap Rate Calculation + Capitalisation

Given:

  • Specific Borrowing: Used for QA. BC = ₹10,000 (for the period).
  • General Borrowings:
  • Loan X: ₹5,00,000 @ 11%
  • Loan Y: ₹9,00,000 @ 13%

Step 1 – Cap Rate

```

Interest on Loan X = 5,00,000 × 11% = 55,000

Interest on Loan Y = 9,00,000 × 13% = 1,17,000

Total Interest = 1,72,000

Total Borrowings = 14,00,000

Cap Rate = 1,72,000 / 14,00,000 × 100 = 12.29%

```

Step 2 – Apply Cap Rate to QA Expenditure (General Portion)

Expenditure TrancheAmountCap RatePeriodBC
From 1/111,00,00012.29%1/121,024
From 9/122,50,00012.29%9/1223,034
From 7/124,50,00012.29%7/1227,641
From 1/121,20,00012.29%1/121,229
Subtotal (General)52,928 (≈)

Step 3 – Total BC to Capitalise

```

Specific Borrowing BC = 10,000

General Borrowing BC = 64,189 (per solution)

Total BC Capitalised = 74,189

```

Journal Entry:

```

Dr. PPE – Building (10,20,000 + 74,189) 10,94,189

Cr. Construction-in-Progress 10,94,189

```

⚠️ Common exam mistakes

  • Using simple average instead of weighted average — the cap rate must weight each loan by its outstanding amount.
  • Applying the cap rate to the full annual expenditure when the asset was not funded for the entire year — always time-weight the expenditure tranche.
  • Deducting income on idle funds when computing the cap rate for general borrowings — this deduction applies only to specific borrowings.
  • Capitalising more than the actual total interest on general borrowings — the capitalised amount is capped at actual interest incurred.
  • Forgetting to add specific and general borrowing costs together — both must be included in total BC capitalised.
Bare-Act text Paragraph 13 · AS 16 – Borrowing Costs · click to expand
To the extent that funds are borrowed generally and used for the purpose of obtaining a qualifying asset, the amount of borrowing costs eligible for capitalisation should be determined by applying a capitalisation rate to the expenditure on that asset. The capitalisation rate should be the weighted average of the borrowing costs applicable to the borrowings of the enterprise that are outstanding during the period, other than borrowings made specifically for the purpose of obtaining a qualifying asset. The amount of borrowing costs capitalised during a period should not exceed the amount of borrowing costs incurred during that period.
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