relative fair value allocation

ASC 350-20 governs the accounting for goodwill after its initial recognition (initial recognition/measurement is in 805-30, 805-60, or 958-805) and prohibits capitalizing internally developed goodwill. Under the general model, goodwill is not amortized but is tested for impairment at least annually at the reporting unit level, with an optional qualitative "more likely than not" screen; if the quantitative test shows the reporting unit's carrying amount exceeds its fair value, a loss is recognized for that excess, capped at the goodwill allocated to the unit. Private companies and not-for-profit entities may elect accounting alternatives to amortize goodwill over 10 years or less and to test only upon a triggering event, and/or to evaluate triggering events only as of the end of each reporting period.

ASC 470-20 governs the issuer's accounting for debt with detachable warrants, convertible debt instruments, interest forfeited on conversion, induced conversions, conversions triggered by the issuer's call, and own-share lending arrangements entered into in contemplation of a convertible debt offering. After ASU 2020-06 eliminated the cash conversion and beneficial conversion feature models, the default rule is that convertible debt is accounted for in its entirety as a liability with no proceeds allocated to the conversion feature (470-20-25-12), unless the feature must be bifurcated as a derivative under 815-15 or the debt was issued at a substantial premium (470-20-25-13). Proceeds of debt issued with detachable warrants, by contrast, are allocated between the debt and the warrants based on relative fair values (470-20-25-2).

ASC 720-45 governs the accounting for costs of business process reengineering (BPR) activities, including those bundled into information technology transformation projects (e.g., enterprise software installations). The core rule is that BPR costs—whether performed internally or by third parties—must be expensed as incurred, even when they are part of a project to acquire, develop, or implement internal-use software. When a bundled third-party consulting contract covers multiple activities, the contract price must be allocated among activities based on objective evidence of relative fair values.

ASC 805-50 collects the transactions that fall outside the acquisition method of Topic 805: asset acquisitions that are not businesses, transfers between entities under common control, formation of master limited partnerships, and pushdown accounting. Asset acquisitions are recorded at cost (including transaction costs) and allocated to the individual assets on a relative fair value basis with no goodwill; common-control transfers are recorded by the receiving entity at the transferor's (or parent's) carrying amounts with retrospective presentation for periods under common control. Pushdown accounting is an optional, irrevocable election by an acquiree to reflect the acquirer's new basis in its separate financial statements.