The XBRL Standards Board has published a Working Group Note on the topic of “block tagging” in Inline XBRL reports. Block tagging is the practice of tagging text content in a report with Inline XBRL tags.

Block tags have been in use for many years, most notably at the US SEC, but the more recent application of block tags to European reports under the ESEF system has raised some new challenges.

The Working Group Note examines the differences between US and European experience, and proposes some new approaches to block tagging that would enhance the utility of block tags, whilst reducing preparer and reviewer burden associated with the presentation of block tags.

Block tags are not an alternative to detailed tagging of numerical disclosures using specific Inline XBRL tags, but they can play an important role in increasing the analytical value of narrative disclosures – a feature which is becoming increasingly important with the advent of sustainability reporting.

This initial release of the Working Group Note has been published in order to gather feedback on the proposed approach. Stakeholders are actively encouraged to review the proposals and provide feedback by 24 July 2024.