Accounting for the Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and for Long-Lived Assets to Be Disposed Of

Paragraph Number 
FASB Statement No. 121
Issued: March, 1995

Assets to be Held and Used
Recognition and Measurement of Impairment
4 A company should review its assets for possible impairment whenever the following types of events occur:
a. A significant decrease in the market value of an asset.
b. A significant change in the way an asset is used.
c. A significant adverse change in legal factors in the business climate.
d. Asset acquisition or construction cost significantly greater than expected, and
e. Forecast of continuing losses associated with an asset
6. If these events indicate that the carrying amount of an asset...may not be recoverable, the entity shall estimate the future cash flows expected to result from the use and disposition of the asset.
If the sum of the expected future undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset, the entity shall recognize an impairment loss; otherwise an impairment loss shall not be recognized.
An entity should recognize an impairment loss only when the fair value of an asset is less than its carrying amount.
7 Fair value is the amount at which the asset could be bought or sold in a current transaction (other than in a forced or liquidation sale.)
The impairment loss should be measured based on the fair value of the asset, when reasonably estimatable, or based on the present value of estimated future cash flows from the asset...
11 After the impairment is recognized, the reduced carrying amount shall be accounted for as the asset's new cost.
No restoration of a previously recognized impairment loss is allowed.
Reporting
13 An impairment loss for assets to be held and used shall be reported as a component of income from continuing operations
Disclosure
14 a. a description of the impaired asset and, reasons for the impairment
b. the amount of the impairment loss and how fair value was determined.
c. The caption in the income statement . . . in which the impairment loss is aggregated
d. if applicable, the business segment or segments, affected.
Assets to be Disposed Of
Recognition and Measurement
15 All long-lived assets and certain identifiable intangible assets not covered by Opinion No. 30 that are to be disposed of shall e reported at the lower of carrying amount or fair value less cost to sell. Fair value measured in accordance with paragraph 7 of this document
16 Cost to sell an asset generally included the incremental direct costs to transact the sale of the asset such as broker commissions, legal and title transfer fees, and closing costs.
17 Subsequent revisions in estimates of fair value less cost to sell shall be reported as adjustments to the carrying amount of an asset to be disposed of, provided that the carrying amount of the asset does not exceed the carrying amount of the asset before an adjustment was made to reflect the decision to dispose of the asset.
18 gains or losses resulting from application of paragraph 15-17 shall report the gains or losses resulting from the application of those paragraphs as a component of income from continuing operations before taxes....
19 Disclosures
a. A description of assets to be disposed of, facts and circumstance leading to the expected disposal, the expected disposal date, and the carrying amount of the asset.
b. If applicable, the business segment(s) in which asset to be disposed of are held.
c. The loss, if any, resulting from the application of paragraph 15 of this statement.
d. The gain or loss, if any, resulting from changes in the carrying amounts of assets to be disposed of that arises from application of paragraph 17 of this statement.
e. The caption in the income statement in which gains or losses in (c) and (d) are aggregated if those gains or losses have not been presented as a separate caption or reported parenthetically on the face of the income statement.
f. The results of operations for assets to be disposed of to the extent that those results are included in the entity's results of operations for the period and can be identified.
This Summary does not substitute for reading the Original Pronouncement!
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