Carrying Amount

Carrying Amount Definition

Carry amount (also known as the book value of the asset) is the value of the asset recorded in the books of the accounts and is calculated as historical purchase price minus accumulated depreciation or impairment. It can also be defined as the value that the shareholders will get in the event of liquidation of the company. This value is generally determined by keeping in mind the GAAP or IFRS accounting principles when accounted for.

Carrying Amount Formula

• If the company has purchased some patent or any other intangible asset on its balance sheet, the formula to calculate the carrying amount of the asset will be (Original purchase cost – Amortization Expense).
• On the other hand, the formula for physical assets calculation such as machinery or building will be (Original purchase cost- depreciation).

Below is the overall formula to calculate Carrying Amount

Carrying Amount formula = Purchase Cost – Accumulated Depreciation – Accumulated Impairment

How to Calculate Carrying Amount?

Company XYZ purchases machinery for $20,000 on Oct-18. It uses Straight-line depreciation on the asset @ 10%. The accounting for the asset will be done as follows

For the year ending Dec-18. The asset depreciation amount will be $20,000*10/100*3/12 = $500

Since the asset was purchased in the month of October the depreciation amount on the asset will only be charged for 3 months i.e. $500 for that year. Hence on the balance sheet for the year ending 31-Dec-18 the asset’s carrying amount will be $20,000- $500 = $15,000.

For the next year, full depreciation will be charged on the asset till the scrap value becomes zero.

Carrying Amount vs Fair Value

The market value of the asset which is also often referred to as the fair value of an asset means for how much an asset can sell for in the market. It is the value for which an asset can be sold in the open market. For example, Company XYZ has total assets of $10,000 with a total liabilities of $80,000 the book value of the company will be $20,000 which is the value of the assets less the value of liabilities.

The market value often differs from the Carrying Amount due to the following factors: –

• A difference in the depreciation methods which is used by the company and other evaluators
• The forces of supply and demand factors which makes the market value of asset vary over time depending upon the availability of the asset which can result in substantial variance in the values
• Market Value is very subjective in nature whereas this value is based on accounting principles and can be traced back to the purchase receipt of an asset
• The market value of an asset is not related to the company’s financial statements whereas this value of an asset is related to the profit and loss and balance sheet item.

For example, the company purchase equipment for $200,000 each month the company depreciates the asset for $5,000 for 4 months and then decides to sell the asset. The asset is sold for $150,000. Since the asset is sold for only $150,000 the market value of the asset is $150,000 but the carrying amount of the asset will be ($200,000 – $20,000) = $180,000. Hence the company will book a loss of $30,000 in the profit and loss statement.

When Fair Value is lower than the Carrying Value

When the company’s market value of the shares and it’s share is lower than the carrying amount it indicates that the market and the shareholders have lost confidence in the company’s fundamentals and the future earnings are not enough to pay its debt and liabilities. There are many cases especially with the start-up companies that their book value and market value differ significantly and the assets are worth much less in the market than it is shown in the books of accounts. Ideally, the company should be sold off when it’s market value becomes less than the book value of the company.

When a Fair Value is greater than the Carrying Value

When the market value of the company exceeds the book value of the company. The market is positive about the future earnings prospects, increased investments, and increases profits which will result in the increase of the market value of the company and in turn higher returns on the stock. A company who have consistently higher profits and increased profits will have a market value greater than the book values of the company.

However sometimes significantly higher market values indicate overvalued stocks and are most likely to experience a steep fall in the market prices of the stocks as investors have been too positive about the stock and the market needs to be corrected.

When a Fair Value is equal to the Carrying Value

It is seldom that the investor will think and of the opinion that the company’s carrying amount is equal to that of the market. However, in that case, the company can be called a perfectly valued company.

Carrying Amount for an Investor

It is also the fundamental value of the company which can be easily defined as how much the net assets of the company are worth. For fundamental and value growth investors this value is important because for a company having a high market value from its book value is a good opportunity for investing. The price to book value ratio is a good indicative ratio to measure the carrying amount of the company. The ratio indicates whether you’re paying too much for what would remain if the company is approaching bankruptcy.

Recommended Articles

This has been a guide to Carrying Amount and its definition. Here we discuss the formula to calculate carrying amount along with examples and its differences between carrying amount and fair value, etc. You can learn more about accounting from the following articles –

• P&L Accounting | Components
• Calculate Carrying Value
• Calculate Carrying Value of Bond
• Book Value Formula Calculation
• Calculate Book Value of Asset