2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Askarii Resources and Petrolia Canada Corporation. All significant intercompany transactions are eliminated in the consolidation process. All non-intercompany balances are included in the consolidated financial statement balances and all significant intercompany transactions are eliminated in the consolidation process.

The Company accounts for its investment in companies in which it has significant influence by the equity method. The Company’s proportionate share of earnings is included in earnings and added to or deducted from the cost of the investment.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of these consolidated financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Estimates and assumptions are reviewed periodically, and the effects of revisions are reflected in the interim consolidated financial statements in the period they are determined.

Cash equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid instruments purchased with an original maturity date of three months or less to be cash equivalents. At September 30, 2018, the Company did not hold any cash equivalents.

Revenue Recognition

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The Company adopted this standard on a modified retroactive basis on January 1, 2018. No financial statement impact occurred upon adoption.

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

We recognize revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring control over a product to a customer. Revenue is measured based on the consideration we expect to receive in exchange for those products.

Performance Obligations and Significant Judgments

We sell oil and natural gas products in the United States through a single reportable segment. We enter into contracts that generally include one type of distinct product in variable quantities and priced based on a specific index related to the type of product.

The oil and natural gas is typically sold in an unprocessed state to processors and other third parties for processing and sale to customers. We recognize revenue at a point in time when control of the oil or natural gas passes to the customer or processor, as applicable, discussed below. For oil sales, control is typically transferred to the customer upon receipt at the wellhead or a contractually agreed upon delivery point. Under our natural gas contracts with processors, control transfers upon delivery at the wellhead or the inlet of the processing entity’s system. For our other natural gas contracts, control transfers upon delivery to the inlet or to a contractually agreed upon delivery point. In the cases where we sell to a processor, we have determined that we are the principal in the arrangement and the processors are our customers. We recognize the revenue in these contracts based on the net proceeds received from the processor.

Transfer of control drives the presentation of transportation and gathering costs within the accompanying unaudited consolidated statements of operations. Transportation and gathering costs incurred prior to control transfer are recorded within the transportation and gathering expense line item on the accompanying unaudited consolidated statements of operations, while transportation and gathering costs incurred subsequent to control transfer are recorded as a reduction to the related revenue.

A portion of our product sales are short-term in nature. For those contracts, we use the practical expedient in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 606-10-50-14 exempting us from disclosure of the transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations if the performance obligation is part of a contract that has an original expected duration of one year or less.

For our product sales that have a contract term greater than one year, we have utilized the practical expedient in ASC 606-10-50-14(a) which states we are not required to disclose the transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations if the variable consideration is allocated entirely to an unsatisfied performance obligation. Under these sales contracts, each unit of product represents a separate performance obligation; therefore, future volumes are unsatisfied, and disclosure of the transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations is not required. We have no unsatisfied performance obligations at the end of each reporting period.

We do not believe that significant judgments are required with respect to the determination of the transaction price, including any variable consideration identified. There is a low level of uncertainty due to the precision of measurement and use of index-based pricing with predictable differentials. Additionally, any variable consideration identified is not constrained.

Receivables and allowance for doubtful accounts

Oil revenues receivable do not bear any interest. These receivables are primarily comprised of joint interest billings. We regularly review collectability and establish or adjust an allowance for uncollectible amounts as necessary using the specific identification method. Account balances are charged off against the allowance after all means of collection have been exhausted and the potential for recovery is considered remote. Management has determined that a reserve for uncollectible amounts was not required in the periods presented.

Asset Retirement Obligations

The Company records a liability for asset retirement obligations (“ARO”) associated with its oil and gas wells when those assets are placed in service. The corresponding cost is capitalized as an asset and included in the carrying amount of oil and gas properties and is depleted over the useful life of the properties. Subsequently, the ARO liability is accreted to its then-present value.

Inherent in the fair value calculation of an ARO are numerous assumptions and judgments including the ultimate settlement amounts, inflation factors, credit adjusted discount rates, timing of settlement, and changes in the legal, regulatory, environmental and political environments. To the extent future revisions to these assumptions impact the fair value of the existing ARO liability, a corresponding adjustment is made to the oil and gas property balance. Settlements greater than or less than amounts accrued as ARO are recorded as a gain or loss upon settlement.

Debt Issuance Costs

Costs incurred in connection with the issuance of long-term debt are presented as a direct deduction from the carrying value of the related debt and amortized over the term of the related debt.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for stock-based compensation to employees in accordance with FASB ASC 718. Stock-based compensation to employees is measured at the grant date, based on the fair value of the award, and is recognized as expense over the requisite employee service period. The Company accounts for stock-based compensation to other than employees in accordance with FASB ASC 505-50. Equity instruments issued to other than employees are valued at the earlier of a commitment date or upon completion of the services, based on the fair value of the equity instruments, and is recognized as expense over the service period. The Company estimates the fair value of stock-based payments using the Black-Sholes option-pricing model for common stock options and warrants and the closing price of the Company’s common stock for common share issuances. The Company may grant stock to employees and contractors in exchange for services rendered.

Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company’s derivative financial instruments consist of warrants with an exercise price denominated in a currency other than the Company’s functional currency. These derivative financial instruments are measured at their fair value at the end of each reporting period. Changes in fair value are recorded in net income.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., the “exit price”) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The hierarchy is broken down into three levels based on the observability of inputs as follows:

The carrying value of cash, accounts receivable, bank indebtedness, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, as reflected in the consolidated balance sheets, approximate fair value due to the short-term maturity of these instruments. The carrying value of notes payable approximates their fair value due to immaterial changes in market interest rates and the Company’s credit risk since issuance of the instruments.

Business Combinations

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01 Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business. The ASU provides an updated model for determining if acquired assets and liabilities constitute a business. In a business combination, the acquired assets and liabilities are recognized at fair value and goodwill could be recognized. In an asset acquisition, the assets are allocated value based on relative fair value and no goodwill is recognized. The ASU narrows the definition of a business. We adopted this standard in the first quarter of 2018. ASU 2017-01 did not have a material impact on our financial statements.

Foreign Currency Translation

The Company’s functional and reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. The functional currency of Petrolia Canada Corporation is the Canadian dollar. Assets and liabilities of these entities are translated from their functional currency of Canadian dollars into the reporting currency, United States dollars, at the exchange rate in effect at the balance sheet dates. Revenue and expenses are translated at average rates in effect during the reporting periods. Equity transactions are recorded at the historical rate when the transaction occurred. The resulting translation adjustment is reflected as accumulated other comprehensive income, a separate component of stockholders’ equity in the statement of stockholders’ equity.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

The Company has evaluated all the recent accounting pronouncements through the filing date and believes that none of them will have a material effect on the Company.