Insights from the Initial Post-Implementation Review of FIN 48

Abstract

In 2009, the Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) determined that the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) standard setting process required a formal review to monitor and address issues that can arise after the implementation of accounting standards. The FAF selected FASB Interpretation No. 48 (FIN 48), Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes, as the initial post-implementation review (PIR) standard. This paper informs the academic community about the PIR process and provides an academic perspective on the initial PIR of FIN 48. In particular, we demonstrate the role of the academic literature using the FIN 48 literature review prepared as part of the PIR process.