Fair Value Measurement, 3rd Edition

CHAPTER 13Auditing Fair Value Measurement

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT in financial reporting creates a challenge for auditors. Measuring fair value requires preparers of financial statements to apply judgment when selecting appropriate inputs, adjusting those inputs, selecting appropriate valuation methods, and making assumptions about future periods. Because of the complexity of fair value measurement, the financial statement preparer may retain an outside valuation specialist to assist with the measurement. The quality of the fair value measurement depends on the preparer's judgment; therefore, auditing fair value measurement also requires judgment.

The role of the auditor is to obtain sufficient competent audit evidence to provide reasonable assurance that fair value measurement is in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Auditors in the United States and worldwide face increasing challenges as fair value measures become more prevalent in financial reporting across the globe. The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) describes some of the challenges that auditors face in obtaining sufficient competent audit evidence to opine about the conformity of fair value measurements to accounting standards. Some of the audit challenges recognized by the IAASB include:

• The measurement objective, as fair value accounting estimates are expressed in terms of the value of a current transaction or financial statement items based on conditions ...