Fair market value is the appropriate standard of value in most business valuation assignments. But when valuing an asset for financial reporting purposes, fair value is generally used. Here’s an overview of what fair value is and how it differs from fair market value. Eyes on GAAP The terms “fair value” and “fair market value” are sometimes used interchangeably. To a business valuation professional, however, they have very different meanings. Under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), fair value is “the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.” This definition is found in Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement. For example, fair value may be used when: ...