Can I defer an expense under IFRS?

Question

Our company recently held training program for regional heads, which is generally held every two years. My question is whether we can defer the total cost of the program for two years and charge total cost to P&L monthly for 24 months?

Answer 1

If you were to defer expenses, that means that you would have to recognize assets.

However, in order to recognize asset one of the criteria is: it is probable that the expected future economic benefits that are attributable to the asset will flow to the entity.

So, it comes down to whether future economic benefits will flow into the entity from those training programs. Generally, it is not the case and such expenditure is recognized in period in which it is incurred.