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Revenue Recognition
12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2025
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]  
Revenue Recognition Revenue Recognition
Nature of Products and Services
Substantially all of our revenue is from contracts with customers. We recognize revenue as promised products are transferred to, or services are performed for, customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled in exchange for those products and services. Our offerings consist of industrial automation and information products, solutions, and services.
Our products include hardware, software, and configured-to-order products. Our solutions include custom-engineered systems and software. Our services include customer technical support and repair, asset management and optimization consulting, and training. Also included in our services is a portion of revenue related to spare parts that are managed within our services offering.
Our operations are comprised of the Intelligent Devices segment, the Software & Control segment, and the Lifecycle Services segment. Revenue from the Intelligent Devices segment is predominantly comprised of product sales, which are recognized at a point in time. Revenue from the Software & Control segment is comprised of product sales, which are recognized at a point in time, and software products, which may be recognized over time if certain criteria are met. Revenue from the Lifecycle Services segment is predominantly comprised of solutions and services, which are primarily recognized over time. See Note 20 for more information.
In most countries, we sell primarily through independent distributors in conjunction with our direct sales force. We sell large systems and service offerings principally through our direct sales force, though opportunities are sometimes identified through distributors.
Performance Obligations
We use executed sales agreements and purchase orders to determine the existence of a customer contract.
For each customer contract, we determine if the products and services promised to the customer are distinct performance obligations. A product or service is distinct if both of the following criteria are met at contract inception: (i) the customer can benefit from the product or service on its own or together with other readily available resources, and (ii) our promise to transfer the product or perform the service is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract. The fact that we regularly sell a product or service separately is an indicator that the customer can benefit from a product or service on its own or with other readily available resources.
The objective when assessing whether our promises to transfer products or perform services are distinct within the context of the contract is to determine whether the nature of the promise is to transfer each of those products or perform those services individually, or whether the promise is to transfer a combined item or items to which the promised products or services are inputs. If a promised product or service is not distinct, we combine that product or service with other promised products or services until it comprises a bundle of products or services that is distinct, which may result in accounting for all the products or services in a contract as a single performance obligation.
For each performance obligation in a contract, we determine whether the performance obligation is satisfied over time. A performance obligation is satisfied over time if it meets any of the following criteria: (i) the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits provided by our performance as we perform, or (ii) our performance creates or enhances an asset that the customer controls as the asset is created or enhanced, or (iii) our performance does not create an asset for which we have an alternative use and we have an enforceable right to payment for performance completed to date. If one or more of these criteria are met, then we recognize revenue over time using a method that depicts performance. If none of the criteria are met, then control transfers to the customer at a point in time and we recognize revenue at that point in time.
Our products represent standard, catalog products for which we have an alternative use, and therefore we recognize revenue at a point in time when control of the product transfers to the customer. For the majority of our products, control transfers upon shipment, though for some contracts control may transfer upon delivery. Product-type contracts are generally one year or less in length.
Revenue in our Software & Control segment also includes revenue from perpetual and subscription software licenses under on-premise and SaaS arrangements. When on-premise software licenses are determined to be distinct performance obligations, we recognize the related revenue at a point in time when the customer is provided the right to use the license, while revenue allocated to upgrades and support are recognized over the term of the contract. To the extent that the on-premise license is not
considered distinct, revenue is recognized over time over the period the related services are performed. Revenue from SaaS arrangements, which allow customers to use hosted software over the contract period without taking possession of the software, are recognized over time during the period the customer is provided the right to use the software.
We offer a wide variety of solutions and services to our customers, for which we recognize revenue over time or at a point in time based on the contract as well as the type of solution or service. If one or more of the three criteria above for over time revenue recognition are met, we recognize revenue over time as cost is incurred, as work is performed, or based on time elapsed, depending on the type of customer contract. If none of these criteria are met, we recognize revenue at a point in time when control of the asset being created or enhanced transfers to the customer. More than half of our solutions and services revenue is from contracts that are one year or less in length. For certain solutions and services offerings, when we have the right to invoice our customers in an amount that corresponds to our performance completed to date, we apply the practical expedient to measure progress and recognize revenue based on the amount for which we have the right to invoice the customer.
When assessing whether we have an alternative use for an asset, we consider both contractual and practical limitations. These include: (i) the level and cost of customization of the asset that is required to meet a customer’s needs, (ii) the activities, cost, and profit margin after any rework that would be required before the asset could be directed for another use, and (iii) the portion of the asset that could not be reworked for an alternative use.
At times we provide products and services free of charge to our customers as incentives when the customers purchase other products or services. These represent distinct performance obligations. As such, we allocate revenue to them based on relative standalone selling price.
Most of our global warranties are assurance in nature and do not represent distinct performance obligations. See Note 9 for additional information and disclosures. We occasionally offer extended warranties to our customers that are considered a distinct performance obligation, to which we allocate revenue based on relative standalone selling price, which is recognized over the extended warranty period.
We account for shipping and handling activities performed after control of a product has been transferred to the customer as a fulfillment cost. As such, we have applied the practical expedient and we accrue for the costs of shipping and handling activities if revenue is recognized before contractually agreed shipping and handling activities occur.
Unfulfilled Performance Obligations
As of September 30, 2025, we expect to recognize approximately $1.415 million of revenue in future periods from unfulfilled performance obligations from existing contracts with customers. We expect to recognize revenue of approximately $800 million from our remaining performance obligations over the next 12 months with the remaining balance recognized thereafter.
We have applied the practical expedient to exclude the value of remaining performance obligations for (i) contracts with an original term of one year or less and (ii) contracts for which we recognize revenue in proportion to the amount we have the right to invoice for services performed. The amounts above also do not include the impact of contract renewal options that are unexercised as of September 30, 2025.
Transaction Price
The transaction price is the amount of consideration to which we expect to be entitled in exchange for transferring products to, or performing services for, a customer. We estimate the transaction price at contract inception, and update the estimate each reporting period for any changes in circumstances. In some cases a contract may involve variable consideration, including rebates, credits, allowances for returns, or other similar items that generally decrease the transaction price. We use historical trend experience and expected market conditions to estimate variable consideration, including any constraint.
The transaction price (including any discounts and variable consideration) is allocated between separate products and services based on their relative standalone selling prices. The standalone selling prices are determined based on the prices at which we separately sell each good or service. For items that are not sold separately, we estimate the standalone selling price using available information such as market reference points and other observable data.
We have elected the practical expedient to exclude sales taxes and other similar taxes from the measurement of the transaction price.
Significant Payment Terms
Our standard payment terms vary globally but do not result in a significant delay between the timing of invoice and payment. We occasionally negotiate other payment terms during the contracting process. We do not typically include significant financing components in our contracts with customers. We have elected the practical expedient to not adjust the transaction price for the period between transfer of products or performance of services and customer payment if expected to be one year or less.
For most of our products, we invoice at the time of shipment and we do not typically have significant contract balances. For our solutions and services as well as some of our products, timing may differ between revenue recognition and billing. Depending on the terms agreed to with the customer, we may invoice in advance of performance or we may invoice after performance. When revenue recognition exceeds billing we recognize a receivable, and when billing exceeds revenue recognition we recognize a contract liability.
Disaggregation of Revenue
The following table presents our revenue disaggregation by geographic region for our three operating segments (in millions). We attribute sales to the geographic regions based on the country of destination.
Year Ended September 30, 2025
North AmericaEurope, Middle East, and AfricaAsia PacificLatin AmericaTotal
Intelligent Devices$2,486 $608 $391 $271 $3,756 
Software & Control1,652 341 244 146 2,383 
Lifecycle Services1,132 539 389 143 2,203 
Total Company Sales$5,270 $1,488 $1,024 $560 $8,342 
Year Ended September 30, 2024
North AmericaEurope, Middle East, and AfricaAsia PacificLatin AmericaTotal
Intelligent Devices$2,503 $615 $399 $287 $3,804 
Software & Control1,415 350 261 161 2,187 
Lifecycle Services1,135 539 413 186 2,273 
Total Company Sales$5,053 $1,504 $1,073 $634 $8,264 
Year Ended September 30, 2023
North AmericaEurope, Middle East, and AfricaAsia PacificLatin AmericaTotal
Intelligent Devices$2,409 $829 $569 $291 $4,098 
Software & Control1,795 528 394 169 2,886 
Lifecycle Services1,020 514 395 145 2,074 
Total Company Sales$5,224 $1,871 $1,358 $605 $9,058 
Contract Liabilities
Contract liabilities primarily relate to consideration received in advance of performance under the contract.
Below is a summary of our Contract liabilities balance, the portion not expected to be recognized within twelve months is included within Other liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheet (in millions):
September 30, 2025September 30, 2024
Balance as of beginning of year$653 $654 
Balance as of end of period$695 653
The most significant changes in our Contract liabilities balance during both the twelve months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, were due to amounts billed during the period, offset by revenue recognized on amounts billed during the period and revenue recognized that was included in the Contract liabilities balance at the beginning of the period.
In the twelve months ended September 30, 2025, we recognized revenue of approximately $545 million that was included in the Contract liabilities balance at September 30, 2024. In the twelve months ended September 30, 2024, we recognized revenue of approximately $584 million that was included in the Contract liabilities balance at September 30, 2023. In the twelve months ended September 30, 2023, we recognized revenue of approximately $424 million that was included in the Contract liabilities at September 30, 2022. We did not have a material amount of revenue recognized in the twelve months ended September 30, 2025, 2024 and 2023, from performance obligations satisfied or partially satisfied in previous periods.
Costs to Obtain and Fulfill a Contract
We capitalize and amortize certain incremental costs to obtain and fulfill contracts. These costs primarily consist of incentives paid to sales personnel, which are considered incremental costs to obtain customer contracts. We elected the practical expedient to expense incremental costs to obtain a contract when the contract has a duration of one year or less for most classes of contracts. Our capitalized contract costs, which are included in Other assets in our Consolidated Balance Sheet, are not significant as of September 30, 2025 and 2024. There was no impairment charge in relation to capitalized costs during the years ended September 30, 2025, 2024, and 2023.