Impairment

减值

By ALICIA TUOVILA

作者：Alicia Tuovila

Reviewed By JULIUS MANSA

审核人：Julius Mansa

Updated May 31, 2020

更新时间：2020年5月31日

 

What Is Impairment?

什么是减值？

 

In accounting, impairment describes a permanent reduction in the value of a company's asset, typically a fixed asset or an intangible asset. When testing an asset for impairment, the total profit, cash flow, or other benefit expected to be generated by that specific asset is periodically compared with its current book value. If it is determined that the book value of the asset exceeds the future cash flow or benefit of the asset, the difference between the two is written off and the value of the asset declines on the company's balance sheet.

会计中的减值指的是公司资产价值（通常为固定资产或无形资产）的永久性减少。测试一项资产是否存在减值迹象时，需要定期将该项资产预计产生的总利润、现金流或其他收益与其当前账面价值进行比较。若确定资产的账面价值超过了其未来的现金流或资产收益，则应将两者之间的差额予以核销，并相应减少公司资产负债表上该资产的价值。

 

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

文章要点

 

Impairment can occur as the result of an unusual or one-time event, such as a change in legal or economic conditions, change in consumer demands, or damage that impacts an asset.

减值产生的原因可以是一次不常见的事件或一次性事件，如法律或经济条件的变化、消费者需求的变化或影响资产价值的损害的发生。

 

Assets should be tested for impairment regularly to prevent overstatement on the balance sheet.

应定期对资产进行减值测试，避免资产价值在资产负债表上被夸大。

 

Impairment exists when an asset's fair value is less than its carrying value on the balance sheet.

某项资产的公允价值低于其在资产负债表上的账面价值时，即存在减值。

 

If impairment is confirmed as a result of testing, an impairment loss should be recorded.

经测试确认存在减值时，应记录减值损失。

 

An impairment loss records an expense in the current period which appears on the income statement and simultaneously reduces the value of the impaired asset on the balance sheet.

减值损失应记录为利润表当期的费用，同时，资产负债表中减值资产的价值应相应减少。

 

Understanding Impairment

了解减值

 

Impairment is commonly used to describe a drastic reduction in the recoverable amount of a fixed asset. Impairment may occur when there is a change in legal or economic circumstances surrounding a company or a casualty loss from unforeseen devastation.

减值通常是指资产的可收回金额的大幅减少。公司所处的法律或经济环境发生变化或因不可预见的破坏事件而造成伤亡损失时，就可能发生减值。

 

For example, a construction company may experience impairment of its outdoor machinery and equipment in the aftermath of a natural disaster. It appears as a sudden and large decline in the fair value of an asset to below its carrying value. An asset's carrying value, also known as its book value, is the value of the asset net of accumulated depreciation that is recorded on a company's balance sheet.

例如，就某一建筑公司而言，发生自然灾害后，其室外机械设备就可能发生减值，具体表现为资产的公允价值突然大幅减少，低于其账面价值。资产的账面价值，即为公司的资产负债表上记录的扣除累计折旧后的净资产价值。

 

An accountant tests assets for potential impairment periodically; if any impairment exists, the accountant writes off the difference between the fair value and the carrying value. Fair value is normally derived as the sum of an asset's undiscounted expected future cash flows and its expected salvage value, which is what the company expects to receive from selling or disposing of the asset at the end of its life.

会计师定期对资产进行减值测试；如果发现存在减值，应将公允价值和账面价值之间的差额予以核销。公允价值通常指资产的未来预期不进行折现的现金流与其预期残值之和，预期残值指的是公司在资产使用期到期时出售或处置资产预期会得到的价值。

 

Other accounts that may be impaired, and thus need to be reviewed and written down, are the company's goodwill and accounts receivable. Long-term assets are particularly at risk of impairment because the carrying value has a longer span of time to become potentially impaired.

其他可能发生减值并需要审核和减记的科目包括公司的商誉和应收账款。长期资产的减值风险尤其要大一些，因为其账面价值在账目上登记的时间更长，因而发生减值的可能性更大。

 

Similar to an impaired asset, a company's capital can also become impaired. Impaired capital event occurs when a company's total capital becomes less than the par value of the company's capital stock. However, unlike the impairment of an asset, impaired capital can naturally reverse when the company's total capital increases back above the par value of its capital stock.

与资产减值类似，公司的资本也可能发生减损。当公司的总资本低于公司股本的票面价值时，资本减损事件就会发生。但是，与资产减值不同的是，当公司的总资本增加到其股本的票面价值时，减损的资本会自然增加。

 

Impairment vs. Depreciation

减值和折旧

 

Fixed assets, such as machinery and equipment, depreciate in value over time. The amount of depreciation taken each accounting period is based on a predetermined schedule using either straight line or one of multiple accelerated depreciation methods. Depreciation schedules allow for a set distribution of the reduction of an asset's value over its entire lifetime. Unlike impairment, which accounts for an unusual and drastic drop in the fair value of an asset, depreciation is used to account for typical wear and tear on fixed assets over time.

机械设备等固定资产会随着时间的推移而贬值。每个会计期间的折旧额是使用直线法或某种加速折旧法基于预先确定的计划表确定的。折旧计划表允许将资产价值的减少在其整个使用周期内进行分配。折旧与减值有所不同，前者为资产公允价值的大幅异常减少，而后者则指的是固定资产随着时间的推移普遍发生的磨损。

 

Requirements for Impairment

Under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), assets are considered to be impaired when the fair value falls below the book value. Any write-off due to an impairment loss can have adverse affects on a company's balance sheet and its resulting financial ratios. It is, therefore, very important for a company to test its assets for impairment periodically. Certain assets, such as the intangible goodwill, must be tested for impairment on an annual basis in order to ensure the value of assets are not inflated on the balance sheet.

根据一般公认会计原则（“GAAP”），资产的公允价值低于其账面价值时被视为发生减值。因减值损失而进行的任何核销可能会对公司的资产负债表及与其有关的财务比率造成不利影响。因此，公司需要定期进行资产减值测试。某些资产，如无形商誉，必须每年进行减值测试，以确保其在资产负债表上显示的价值不会被夸大。

 

GAAP also recommends that companies take into consideration events and economic circumstances that occur between annual impairment tests in order to determine if it is "more likely than not" that the fair value of an asset has dropped below its carrying value. Specific situations where an asset might become impaired and unrecoverable include when there is a significant change to an asset's intended use, decrease in consumer demand, damage to the asset, or adverse changes to legal factors that affect the asset. If these types of situations arise mid-year, it's important to test for impairment immediately.

GAAP还建议公司要考虑年度减值测试之间发生的事件和经济环境，从而确定某项资产的公允价值降至低于其账面价值的可能性是否会更大。资产可能发生减值从而无法回收的具体状况包括，资产的预期用途发生重大变化、消费者需求减少、资产受损或影响资产的法律因素发生不利变化。上述状况在年中出现时，需要及时进行减值测试。

 

Standard GAAP practice is to test fixed assets for impairment at the lowest level where there are identifiable cash flows. For example, an auto manufacturer should test for impairment for each of the machines in a manufacturing plant rather than for the high-level manufacturing plant itself. However, if there are no identifiable cash flows at this low level, it's allowable to test for impairment at the asset group or entity level.

GAAP的标准做法是在可确认现金流量之最低水平处对固定资产进行减值测试。例如，汽车制造商应对制造工厂的所有机器进行减值测试，而非对处于高水平的制造工厂进行减值测试。但是，低水平处没有可确认现金流量时，允许在资产组合或实体层面进行减值测试。

 

Example of Impairment

减值示例

 

ABC Company, based in Florida, purchased a building many years ago at a historical cost of $250,000. It has taken a total of $100,000 in depreciation on the building, and therefore has $100,000 in accumulated depreciation. The building's carrying value, or book value, is $150,000 on the company's balance sheet. A category 5 hurricane damages the structure significantly, and the company determines the situation qualifies for impairment testing.

位于佛罗里达州的ABC公司在许多年前，以250,000美元的历史成本购入一栋楼。现在，该栋楼的合计折旧值为100,000美元，因此其累计折旧为100,000美元。该栋楼的账面价值在公司的资产负债表上列示为150,000美元。一场5级飓风严重损坏了这栋建筑物，因此公司决定就此状况对该栋楼进行减值测试。

 

After assessing the damages, ABC Company determines the building is now only worth $100,000. The building is therefore impaired and the asset value must be written-down to prevent overstatement on the balance sheet. A debit entry is made to "Loss from Impairment," which will appear on the income statement as a reduction of net income, in the amount of $50,000 ($150,000 book value - $100,000 calculated fair value). As part of the same entry, a $50,000 credit is also made to the building's asset account, to reduce the asset's balance, or to another balance sheet account called the "Provision for Impairment Losses."

对受损状况进行评估后，ABC公司确定该栋楼目前仅值100,000美元。因此该栋楼的价值有所减少，其资产负债表上的价值必须进行相应的核销以避免其价值在资产负债表中被夸大。借记“减值损失”50,000美元，这一损失在利润表中将显示为净收入的减少。（150,000美元的账面价值 - 100,000美元经核算的公允价值）。作为同一分录的一部分，还应向该建筑物的资产账目贷记50,000美元，以减少该资产的余额，或记入另一资产负债表科目“计提资产减值损失”。