Recognize Dividend Income on a Cash Settlement Basis

Eagle Accounting's dividend processing allow you to recognize dividend income in the accounting ledger on an ex-date basis or on a cash settlement basis. This page describes how to recognize dividend income on a cash settlement basis. 

An accounting basis level election, Cash Based Div Recognition Flag, determines whether the system recognizes dividend income on an ex-date basis or on a cash settlement basis. If you set the election to record income on a cash settlement basis, you can also elect whether to record the dividend income using the ex-date FX rate or the settlement date FX rate. 

The ability to recognize dividend income on a cash settlement basis does not apply to Registered Investment Company (RIC) and Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) securities, as a general rule, Dividend processing can always recognize dividend income for RICs and REITs on an ex-date basis, so long as you identify the security using the RIC Flag or REIT Flag options. You can then override this basis-level election at the security-specific level, using security processing rules that apply to RICs or REITs.

Set Up Entities

You can set up the Cash Based Div Recognition Flag field (tag 16160) and the FX Election for Cash Div Recognition field (tag 16161 in the panels where you define entities, master funds, and accounting bases as follows. For example, you find these basis-level options that apply to recognizing cash-based dividend income in the Create/Edit Entity panel, the Add a Basis to a Portfolio panel, and the Create Master Fund panel.

Option

Tag

Description

Option

Tag

Description

Cash Based Div Recognition Flag

16160

Indicates whether to process cash dividend income, tax, and reclaim in the accounting ledger on ex-date or upon the settlement of the associated cash. Options include:

  • No. Default. The system recognizes dividend income on an ex-date basis.

  • Yes. The system recognizes dividend income on a cash settlement basis.

FX Election for Cash Div Recognition

16161

If you recognize dividend income on a cash settlement basis, indicates whether the system selects the FX rate used for foreign dividend settlement using the ex-date FX rate or the settlement date FX rate. It applies only to the settlement of dividends issued by a foreign security. This field appears if you set the Cash Based Div Recognition Flag field to a value of Yes. Options include:

  • Ex-date. Recognizes the income using the ex-date FX rate.

  • Settlement Date. Recognizes the income using the settlement date FX rate.

Set Up Securities 

The ability to recognize dividend income on a cash settlement basis does not apply to Registered Investment Company (RIC) and Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) securities, as a general rule, If you want to have the system exclude RICs and REITs when you recognize cash-based dividend income, you must identify the RIC and REIT securities you want to exclude. 

If you use Reference Data Center to set up securities, you can use the RIC Flag and REIT Flag options to identify securities as RICs and REITs. Otherwise, if you use Issue Viewer with Eagle Accounting, the following fields are available in the Equity/Mutual Fund panel under Equity/Mutual Fund Flags.

Option

Tag

Description

Option

Tag

Description

RIC Flag

1445

Indicates whether the security is issued from a Registered Investment Company (RIC). Options include:

  • Yes

  • No

REIT Flag

16159

Indicates whether the security is a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT). Options include:

  • Yes

  • No

Set Up Security Processing Rules 

Security processing rules allow you to override market characteristic behavior such as income accrual and amortization. You can additionally use security processing rules to override a basis-level election to recognize income on a cash settlement basis for certain types of securities. 

If you want to exclude securities such as RICs and REITs from recognizing income on a cash settlement basis, you can create security processing rules for those securities that override the basis-level election so that the system recognizes cash for those securities on an ex-date basis rather than on a cash settlement basis. You can set up the Cash Based Div Recognition Flag field (tag 16160) and the FX Election for Cash Div Recognition field (tag 16161 in the panels where you define security processing rules so that the security processing rule has the Cash Based Div Recognition Flag set to No. 

The Create Security Processing Rule panel includes the following options. 

Option

Tag

Description

Option

Tag

Description

Cash Based Div Recognition Flag

16160

Indicates whether to process cash dividend income, tax, and reclaim in the accounting ledger on ex-date or upon the settlement of the associated cash. Options include:

  • No. Default. The system recognizes dividend income on an ex-date basis.

  • Yes. The system recognizes dividend income on a cash settlement basis.

FX Election for Cash Div Recognition

16161

If you recognize dividend income on a cash settlement basis. indicates whether the system selects the FX rate used for foreign dividend settlement using the ex-date FX rate or the settlement date FX rate. It applies only to the settlement of dividends issued by a foreign security. This field appears if you set the Cash Based Div Recognition Flag field to a value of Yes. Options include:

  • Ex-date. Recognizes the income using the ex-date FX rate.

  • Settlement Date. Recognizes the income using the settlement date FX rate.

A security processing rule can control whether the system recognizes cash-based or settlement-based dividend income in effect for that security. You can apply this rule at the security or entity level, as follows:

  • Assigned at Security Level. If the security processing rule applies to a security across all entities and accounting bases in Eagle Accounting, you can directly assign the security processing rule to an individual security. For example, use the Security Processing Rule Name (tag 3197) field for the security record.

  • Assigned to Basis Processing Rule Assigned at Entity Level. Otherwise, if you apply the security processing rule for the security only when processing specific entities or accounting bases, you can assign the security processing rule at the entity/accounting basis level. You do this by creating a basis processing rule that identifies one or more securities and includes the security processing rule, and then assigning the basis processing rule to a portfolio or accounting basis. For more information, see Manage Basis Processing Rules. 

Process Corporate Actions 

During corporate action processing for an accounting basis where you set Cash Based Div Recognition Flag to No, the system recognizes all cash dividends and associated tax/reclaim in the accounting ledger on the accounting date that coincides with the ex-date of the cash dividends. The system generates traded cash events from the corporation action.

During corporate action processing for an accounting basis where you set Cash Based Div Recognition Flag to Yes, the system recognizes all cash dividends and associated tax/reclaim in the accounting ledger upon the settlement date of the associated cash. The system generates traded cash events from the corporate action that identify the election for ex-date or settlement date income recognition and the associated FX rate ex-date or settlement date election. These fields enable the system to exclude the records from the mapping for Ledger Subledger (LSL) Reconciliation Report reporting. This avoids unnecessary LSL mismatches because the system still writes the cash records to the object/database based on the ex-date.

If you created a security processing rule to override the basis-level setting for specific securities, the system determines when an override rule exists that allows it to recognize dividend income on ex-date even though the basis-level election is for the cash settlement date. 

Set Up Reports 

You can set up reports in Eagle Accounting's standard report package to ensure the reports correctly reflect the cash dividend recognition method you use. 

Dividend Income Report

The following option is available for report setup in the Dividend Income Report panel, 

Option

Tag

Description

Option

Tag

Description

Cash Based Dividend Income Recognition Reporting

9152

Indicates whether the report output reflects cash dividends that recognize dividend income on a cash settlement basis rather than on an ex-date basis. Options include:

  • Report Dividends When Due. Default. The report output displays all cash dividend entitlement events since its effective date.

  • Do Not Report Dividends When Due. The report does not display any cash dividend entitlement events where you recognize the dividends on settlement date.

Traded Cash Activity Report

The following option is available for report setup in the Traded Cash Activity Report panel.

Option

Tag

Description

Option

Tag

Description

Cash Based Dividend Income Recognition Reporting

9152

Indicates whether the report output reflects cash dividends that recognize dividend income on a cash settlement basis rather than on an ex-date basis. Options include:

  • Report Dividends When Due. Default. The report output displays all cash dividend entitlement events since its effective date.

  • Do Not Report Dividends When Due. The report does not display any cash dividend entitlement events where you recognize the dividends on settlement date.

Consolidated Earned Income Report

This report shows any cash dividend related income as of its entitlement date or settlement date based on how you choose to recognize such income. The report displays all cash dividend activity since its entitlement effective date in its appropriate open/settled status, if such cash dividend activity is recognized by STAR ledgers on entitlement. In cases where cash dividends are recognized on settlement, the report shows such dividends on their settlement date in settled status.

Ledger Subledger Reconciliation Report

The Ledger Subledger Reconciliation report displays any cash dividend income/reclaim income on settlement for dividends recognized on settlement date. This report also displays any cash dividend income/reclaim income and associated receivables on entitlement effective date for dividends recognized on entitlement date.

Unsettled Transactions Report

The following option is available for report setup in the Unsettled Transactions Report panel.

Option

Tag

Description

Option

Tag

Description

URGL on Cash Based Div Income

9152



Indicates whether the report output reflects cash dividends that recognize dividend income on a cash settlement basis rather than on an ex-date basis. Options include:

  • Display URGL on Cash Based Div Income. Default. The report computes market value and URGL for all open receivables/payables regardless of their accounting treatment.

  • Do not Display URGL on Cash Based Div Income. The report does not display market value and its associated URGL for dividends and associated reclaims where you recognize the dividends on settlement date, although it does display such open dividends and reclaim records.

Set Up Control Center 

In Control Center, the EPDIT edit test leverages the Past Due Interest report (SPRECEIVABLEPAYABLEREPORT), and compares the report output results to a user defined day tolerance. If the interest receivable balance is past due (unsettled) and exceeds the tolerance setting, the system delivers a raised edit test result to Control Center. It generates an alert for each day that the receivable balance remains unsettled.

About Processing for Estimated Dividends

Certain securities use an estimated dividends ratio that changes to an actual ratio after corporate actions processing. This can occur for some securities in Korea and other countries. For example, at ex-date you enter an estimated dividend rate and pay date. Sometime later you receive the actual dividend rate and pay date and must update the estimated dividends ratio with the actual dividends ratio. To do so, you can manually cancel and rebook the dividend.  

Eagle Accounting does not provide any special estimated dividends processing for such securities. You have the ability to set up a corporate action as a Pending transaction and then update it to a Released status at ex-date. But if you want to reflect the dividend as of ex-date while the dividend is still an estimate, the pending/released approach does not enable you to update the corporate action with the actual dividend ratio at a later time after corporate actions processing. You would still need to manually cancel and rebook the dividend.Â