Impairment (financial reporting)

Impairment of assets is the diminishing in quality, strength, amount, or value of an asset. An impairment cost must be included under expenses when the book value of an asset exceeds the recoverable amount. Fixed assets, commonly known as PPE (Property, Plant & Equipment), refers to long-lived assets such as buildings, land, machinery, and equipment; these assets are the most likely to experience impairment, which may be caused by several factors.