spinoff

ASC 505-60 governs the pro rata distribution of nonmonetary assets that constitute a business to an entity's owners (a spinoff). Such distributions are recorded at the carrying (recorded) amount of the distributed business, reduced for any indicated impairment, and are never accounted for as a sale of the spinnee followed by a distribution of proceeds — even if the spun-off operations are sold immediately afterward. When the substance of the transaction differs from its legal form, the legal spinnee is treated as the accounting spinnor (reverse spinoff accounting).

ASC 845-10 governs nonmonetary transactions — reciprocal exchanges of nonmonetary assets and nonreciprocal transfers of nonmonetary assets to owners or others. The default rule is that such transactions are measured at the fair value of the asset surrendered (or received, if more clearly evident) with gain or loss recognized (845-10-30-1), subject to three exceptions requiring carryover (recorded amount) accounting: fair value not determinable within reasonable limits, an exchange of product held for sale to facilitate sales to customers, or a transaction lacking commercial substance (845-10-30-3). Special subsections address purchases and sales of inventory with the same counterparty, barter credits, and exchanges involving boot.