Last reviewed: August 2026.
An asset is impaired when its carrying amount is higher than the amount the entity expects to recover through use or sale. IAS 36 Impairment of Assets prevents that overstatement by requiring a comparison with recoverable amount and recognition of any resulting impairment loss.
This guide focuses on the mechanics of an IAS 36 test: impairment indicators, value in use, fair value less costs of disposal, cash-generating units, journal entries, allocation limits, reversals and revised depreciation. It is a dedicated impairment guide rather than a general fixed-asset valuation or goodwill-acquisition article.
IAS 36 impairment at a glance
| Step | Required action |
|---|---|
| 1. Identify the test level | Test an individual asset if recoverable amount can be estimated; otherwise test its cash-generating unit (CGU). |
| 2. Determine recoverable amount | Use the higher of value in use and fair value less costs of disposal. |
| 3. Compare amounts | If carrying amount exceeds recoverable amount, recognise the difference as an impairment loss. |
| 4. Record and allocate | Reduce the asset or allocate a CGU loss first to goodwill, then to other assets subject to required floors. |
| 5. Update later accounting | Recalculate depreciation or amortisation and assess permitted reversals in later periods. |
The IFRS Foundation IAS 36 overview states the central principle: an asset should not be carried above the highest amount recoverable through its use or sale.
Scope and the test level
IAS 36 applies to many non-financial assets, including property, plant and equipment, right-of-use assets, intangible assets and goodwill, subject to its detailed scope. Some assets have impairment or measurement requirements in other Standards, so the applicable Standard must be identified before starting the calculation.
Recoverable amount is estimated for an individual asset when the asset generates cash inflows that are largely independent or when one of the two recoverable-amount measures can be determined for it. If this is not possible, the test moves to the asset’s CGU.
When is an impairment test required?
At each reporting date, an entity considers whether there is an indication that an asset may be impaired. A formal recoverable-amount estimate is normally required when an indicator exists. The list of indicators is not exhaustive, so unusual facts must also be considered.
External indicators
- a significant fall in the asset’s market value;
- adverse technological, market, economic or legal changes;
- higher market interest rates or required returns that could reduce value in use; and
- evidence that the entity’s net assets exceed its market capitalisation.
Internal indicators
- physical damage or obsolescence;
- plans to discontinue, restructure, dispose of or significantly change the way an asset is used;
- performance that is materially below budget; and
- cash outflows needed to acquire, operate or maintain the asset that are materially above expectations.
The ACCA guide to impairment indicators and goodwill testing provides a useful exam-oriented explanation of these internal and external warning signs.
Assets tested every year
Goodwill, intangible assets with indefinite useful lives and intangible assets not yet available for use are subject to annual testing under IAS 36. They are also tested when indicators arise. An annual test may occur at any time during the annual period if it is performed consistently at the same time each year.
Goodwill must be allocated to the CGU or group of CGUs expected to benefit from the business combination. For the acquisition and goodwill framework, see the existing Goodwill Accounting under IFRS 3 and IAS 36 guide.
Recoverable amount formula
Recoverable amount = higher of:
1. Value in use (VIU)
2. Fair value less costs of disposal (FVLCD)
If either measure exceeds carrying amount, the asset is not impaired and it may be unnecessary to calculate the other measure. If neither exceeds carrying amount, the higher measure becomes recoverable amount and the shortfall is the impairment loss.
Value in use
Value in use is the present value of future cash flows expected from continuing use of the asset or CGU and its ultimate disposal. The calculation reflects entity-specific use, but the assumptions must be reasonable, supportable and consistent with available external evidence.
Cash-flow forecast controls
- Start with the most recent budgets or forecasts approved by management.
- Detailed forecasts normally cover no more than five years unless a longer period can be justified.
- Beyond the detailed period, use a steady or declining growth rate unless objective evidence supports an increase.
- Do not include benefits from a future restructuring to which the entity is not committed or from future enhancements not yet made.
- Exclude financing cash flows and income-tax receipts or payments.
- Use cash flows and a discount rate on a consistent basis so that risk or inflation is not counted twice.
Discount rate
The discount rate is a pre-tax rate reflecting current market assessments of the time value of money and risks specific to the asset that have not already been built into the cash flows. A common error is to use an entity-wide rate without adjusting for the risk, currency and duration of the tested cash flows.
Fair value less costs of disposal
FVLCD is based on the price that market participants would use to sell the asset or CGU in an orderly transaction, less incremental costs directly attributable to disposal. It is a market-participant measure and therefore differs from entity-specific value in use.
Evidence may come from a binding sale agreement, an active market, comparable transactions or a valuation technique consistent with IFRS 13. Costs of disposal can include legal costs, transaction taxes and costs to remove the asset when directly attributable, but not finance costs or income-tax expense.
Do not confuse recoverable amount with a routine revaluation. The site’s fixed-asset valuation guide explains the separate IAS 16 cost and revaluation models.
Worked example: individual asset
A machine has a carrying amount of CU240,000. Its value in use is CU205,000 and its fair value less costs of disposal is CU218,000.
| Calculation | CU |
|---|---|
| Value in use | 205,000 |
| Fair value less costs of disposal | 218,000 |
| Recoverable amount — higher measure | 218,000 |
| Carrying amount | 240,000 |
| Impairment loss | 22,000 |
The machine is written down to CU218,000. If its residual value is CU8,000 and its remaining useful life is five years, future straight-line depreciation becomes CU42,000 a year: (CU218,000 − CU8,000) ÷ 5.
Journal entry
Dr Impairment loss — profit or loss CU22,000
Cr Asset / accumulated impairment CU22,000
For an asset carried at a revalued amount, the loss is treated as a revaluation decrease to the extent required by the applicable Standard, with any excess recognised in profit or loss.
What is a cash-generating unit?
A CGU is the smallest identifiable group of assets that generates cash inflows largely independent of other assets or groups. A machine that works only as part of a production line may not have an independently measurable value in use, so the production line may be the appropriate CGU.
CGUs should be identified consistently between periods unless a change is justified. The carrying amount tested must be determined on a basis consistent with the recoverable amount. Selectively omitting loss-making assets or including unrelated cash inflows makes the comparison unreliable.
Worked example: CGU impairment allocation
A CGU has goodwill of CU50,000 and three other assets with carrying amounts of CU300,000, CU200,000 and CU100,000. Total carrying amount is CU650,000. Recoverable amount is CU520,000, creating an impairment loss of CU130,000.
The loss is allocated first to goodwill: CU50,000 reduces goodwill to zero. The remaining CU80,000 is allocated to the other assets pro rata because no individual floor is breached.
| Asset | Before loss | Allocated loss | After loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goodwill | 50,000 | (50,000) | — |
| Asset A | 300,000 | (40,000) | 260,000 |
| Asset B | 200,000 | (26,667) | 173,333 |
| Asset C | 100,000 | (13,333) | 86,667 |
| Total | 650,000 | (130,000) | 520,000 |
Allocation floors
When allocating a CGU loss, an individual asset must not be reduced below the highest of its measurable FVLCD, determinable VIU and zero. Any amount blocked by this floor is reallocated to the other assets of the CGU on a pro-rata basis.
Reversing an impairment loss
At each reporting date, an entity assesses whether an earlier impairment loss for an asset other than goodwill may no longer exist or may have decreased. A reversal is recognised only when there has been a change in the estimates used to determine recoverable amount.
The revised carrying amount cannot exceed the amount that would have existed, net of depreciation or amortisation, if no impairment had been recognised. For example, if an impaired asset is carried at CU160,000, recoverable amount rises to CU185,000 and the no-impairment carrying amount would have been CU190,000, the permitted reversal is CU25,000.
An impairment loss recognised for goodwill is never reversed. An apparent recovery is likely to relate to internally generated goodwill rather than reversal of the acquired goodwill loss.
Disclosure and audit trail
- Document the events and circumstances that triggered the test or reversal.
- Reconcile the carrying amount tested to the asset register and general ledger.
- Support cash-flow forecasts with approved budgets, external evidence and forecast-versus-actual reviews.
- Record the recoverable amount and whether it was based on VIU or FVLCD.
- Retain valuation methods, discount rates, growth rates, sensitivity analysis and independent review evidence.
- Disclose material impairment losses and reversals, affected line items and relevant asset or CGU information.
Common IAS 36 mistakes
- Using the lower rather than the higher of VIU and FVLCD.
- Testing an individual asset even though it does not generate independent cash inflows.
- Using optimistic cash flows that are inconsistent with approved budgets or external evidence.
- Including uncommitted restructurings, future enhancements, financing cash flows or tax cash flows in VIU.
- Combining unrelated assets into a CGU to hide poor performance.
- Allocating a CGU loss to other assets before reducing goodwill.
- Ignoring asset-level allocation floors.
- Failing to revise future depreciation after an impairment or reversal.
- Reversing an impairment loss recognised for goodwill.
IAS 36 review checklist
- Confirm that IAS 36 is the applicable impairment Standard.
- Identify indicators and annual-test assets.
- Define the individual asset or lowest appropriate CGU.
- Reconcile the carrying amount and included assets.
- Calculate VIU and/or FVLCD using supportable assumptions.
- Compare carrying amount with recoverable amount.
- Record and allocate the impairment within the required limits.
- Update depreciation, tax effects and disclosures.
- Retain approvals, sensitivity analysis and an audit-ready calculation file.
Key takeaway
IAS 36 is a disciplined recoverability test, not a general asset revaluation. Determine the correct test level, calculate the higher of value in use and fair value less costs of disposal, recognise any shortfall, apply CGU allocation limits and update future depreciation. Clear assumptions and a reconciled audit trail are as important as the arithmetic.
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