GIM4150 - Taxation of general insurance: funded accounting: an example

The example at GIM2210 had the following technical account:

Marine insurance Co Ltd – accounts to 31/12/00

Technical Account£m
Income

Fund @ 1.1.0017
Reinsurance recoveries22
Premiums53




Expenses

Reinsurance premiums(26)
Claims(42)
Expenses(5)
Fund @ 31.12.00(16)




Underwriting result3

The accounts for year ended 31/12/00 allow the results for the year ended 31/12/98 to be finalised for tax purposes as this is 3 year business. The example analysed the 2000 results as follows:


Total

1998 and earlier

1999

2000



£m

£m

£m

£m

Income







Fund @ 1.1.0017125

Reinsurance Recoveries221552
Premiums53(2)550
Expenses







Reinsurance Premiums(26)(1)(1)(24)
Claims(42)(15)(8)(19)
Expenses(5)(1)(1)(3)
Fund @ 31.12.00(16)(5)(4)(7)
Underwriting Result

3

31(1)

The result of the 1998 business reflected in the accounts to 31 December 2000 on the closure of the fund is therefore £3m. This final result will itself be the amalgamation of three years’ development, which will have been shown in three separate sets of accounts for 1998, 1999 and 2000. This can be seen in the table below.

Results of 1998 funded business in:-

1998 a/cs

1999 a/cs

2000 a/cs

Total









Income







Fund b/f

1312

Reinsurance Recoveries341522
Premiums497(2)54
Expenses







Reinsurance Premiums(27)(2)(1)(30)
Claims(8)(8)(15)(31)
Expenses(4)(1)(1)(6)
Fund c/f*(13)(12)(5)(5)
Underwriting result for 19980134

Fund c/fwd at 31 December 2000 is the closing provision for 1998 business, and may include  equalisation reserves.

The computations for the accounting period ended 31 December 2000 in this example will   therefore show the disallowance of the underwriting profit per the accounts, and the add-back of an aggregated figure for the 1998 underwriting year.  Where is it necessary check figures against  the FSA return, reference will need to be made to forms 24, 25, 28, and 29 (see GIM3200).  It will  be necessary to aggregate the figures on several forms to arrive at the total reflected in the accounts.  The fund for an open year of account will appear in line 20 on form 25.  The provision  for a closed year account will appear at line 29.  The final result for 1998 would therefore combine the “open year” figures for premiums, claims, and expenses from forms 24/25 from the 1998 and 1999 returns, together with the closed year figures for 1998 (and all earlier years) from the 2000 return.   The closing figure for the technical provisions would be that appropriate to 1998 (and earlier years) as shown in the 2000 return.

Line 19 on form 25 may be used in an “open” year where there is an anticipated loss for a year in one class of business accounted for on a funded basis, and an anticipated surplus in another.   Such anticipated profits and losses may, in certain circumstances, be offset against one another.   They have no effect on the tax computation, and, generally, Inspectors should ensure that where losses have been anticipated for an open year, these are not allowed in the tax computation for the closed year.

Funded business is frequently written in currencies other than sterling, and exchange differences can be significant.  The basic rules for currency accounting described in GIM4130 apply to funded accounting in the same way as they apply to annual accounting.  If profits or losses are recalculated when the fund is replaced, they will be translated using rates prevailing for the underwriting year, and not any later period.