# ASC 980-20-15: Regulated Operations — Discontinuation of Rate-Regulated Accounting — 15 Scope and Scope Exceptions

Source: FASB Accounting Standards Codification, Basic View

[Read online](https://asc.understandingaccounting.org/asc/980/20/#15-scope-and-scope-exceptions)

Study and research edition. Verify current requirements with the official source. Summaries, enrichment, and tags are machine-generated study aids. Paragraph html preserves source markup; snippet is abbreviated. Pending content is not necessarily effective.

Tables and mathematical or amendment markup are retained as HTML where Markdown would lose structure.

Source downloaded (UTC): 2026-09-10T02:27:53.312Z to 2026-09-10T02:27:53.312Z

Record version: sha256:0b716c0a6fc421b123fd9468fd0f0b046c3617e8ec003da21f4eb4a3ae91f9b3

Snapshot version: sha256:15aea8165dff9f5ae47d9484f8470588b13b307f56e1d50801bf4d85ec190e3f

Effective as of: not established by retrieval timestamps.


## ASC 980-20-15: 15 Scope and Scope Exceptions

[Read section](https://asc.understandingaccounting.org/asc/980/20/#15-scope-and-scope-exceptions)

SEC content: no

#### Overall Guidance

##### [980-20-15-1](https://asc.understandingaccounting.org/asc/980/20/#980-20-15-1)

Pending content: no

Source downloaded (UTC): 2026-09-10T02:27:53.312Z to 2026-09-10T02:27:53.312Z

Record version: sha256:fd53711f03fe90b05f80544faa60cf386a100cb7f58f5d3a2d203fdd6db222f4

Snapshot version: sha256:15aea8165dff9f5ae47d9484f8470588b13b307f56e1d50801bf4d85ec190e3f

Effective as of: not established by retrieval timestamps.


This Subtopic follows the same Scope and Scope Exceptions as outlined in the Overall Subtopic, see Section 980-10-15, with specific exceptions as noted below, which provides further guidance on an entity's operations that no longer meet the criteria of regulated operations.

#### Entities

##### [980-20-15-2](https://asc.understandingaccounting.org/asc/980/20/#980-20-15-2)

Pending content: no

Source downloaded (UTC): 2026-09-10T02:27:53.312Z to 2026-09-10T02:27:53.312Z

Record version: sha256:afda2117b8a0a3deec0b448287cbf4b1562732dbf267843ac66384b503c453a7

Snapshot version: sha256:15aea8165dff9f5ae47d9484f8470588b13b307f56e1d50801bf4d85ec190e3f

Effective as of: not established by retrieval timestamps.


Failure of an entity's operations to continue to meet the criteria in paragraph [980-10-15-2](https://asc.understandingaccounting.org/asc/980/10/#980-10-15-2) can result from different causes. Examples include the following:

1.  a
    
    Deregulation
    
2.  b
    
    A change in the regulator's approach to setting rates from cost-based rate-making to another form of regulation
    
3.  c
    
    Increasing competition that limits the entity's ability to sell utility services or products at rates that will recover costs (as used in paragraph [980-10-15-2](https://asc.understandingaccounting.org/asc/980/10/#980-10-15-2))
    
4.  d
    
    Regulatory actions resulting from resistance to rate increases that limit the entity's ability to sell utility services or products at rates that will recover costs if the entity is unable to obtain (or chooses not to seek) relief from prior regulatory actions through appeals to the regulator or the courts.

##### [980-20-15-3](https://asc.understandingaccounting.org/asc/980/20/#980-20-15-3)

Pending content: no

Source downloaded (UTC): 2026-09-10T02:27:53.312Z to 2026-09-10T02:27:53.312Z

Record version: sha256:9d236c4db91de9b7523e3a0217bbbd4604b267713330ab3e8ef134800c27c1e9

Snapshot version: sha256:15aea8165dff9f5ae47d9484f8470588b13b307f56e1d50801bf4d85ec190e3f

Effective as of: not established by retrieval timestamps.


Regardless of the reason for an entity's discontinuation of application of the Regulated Operations Topic, this Subtopic specifies how that discontinuation shall be reported in the entity's general-purpose external financial statements.
