Recently issued accounting standards

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Recently issued accounting standards

Recently issued accounting standards

In June 2016, the FASB issued new guidance that changes the methodology to be used to measure credit losses for certain financial instruments and financial assets, including trade receivables. Under current guidance, an entity reflects credit losses on financial assets measured on an amortized cost basis only when it is probable that losses have been incurred, generally considering only past events and current conditions in determining incurred loss. The new guidance requires the recognition of an allowance that reflects the current estimate of credit losses expected to be incurred over the life of the financial asset, based not only on historical experience and current conditions, but also on reasonable forecasts. The main objective of the new guidance is to provide financial statement users with more useful information in making decisions about the expected credit losses on financial instruments and other commitments to extend credit held by a reporting entity at each reporting date. We adopted the new standard on January 1, 2020 using a modified retrospective transition approach by recognizing a cumulative-effect adjustment of $0.8 million to reduce our opening balance of retained earnings as of the adoption date. Prior period amounts have not been adjusted and continue to reflect our historical accounting.

In December 2019, the FASB issued new guidance that simplifies various aspects of accounting for income taxes including those related to the step-up in the tax basis of goodwill, intraperiod tax allocations and the interim period effects of changes in tax laws or rates. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The majority of the modifications under the new guidance will be applied on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings on January 1, 2021. The adoption of the guidance did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued guidance to simplify the quantitative test for goodwill impairment. Under current guidance, if a reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, the entity must determine the implied value of goodwill. This determination is made by deducting the fair value of a reporting unit’s identifiable assets and liabilities from the fair value of the reporting unit as a whole as if the reporting unit had just been acquired. Under the new guidance, a determination of the implied value of goodwill will no longer be required; a goodwill impairment will be equal to the amount by which a reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. We adopted this guidance on January 1, 2020 and will apply it, as applicable, to impairment testing we perform in 2020 and future years. The adoption of the guidance did not have an impact on the consolidated financial statements.

From time to time, new accounting guidance issued by the FASB or other standard setting bodies is adopted as of the specified effective date or, when permitted by the guidance and as determined by us, as of an earlier date. We have assessed recently issued guidance that is not yet effective, except as noted above, and believe the new guidance that we have assessed will not have a material impact on our results of operations, cash flows or financial position.