What percentage is reasonably possible?

Asked by: Mr. Pierce Champlin Sr.  |  Last update: September 11, 2025
Score: 4.9/5 (50 votes)

The ASC master glossary defines reasonably possible: The chance of the future event or events occurring is more than remote but less than likely. This is a very large range, somewhere between less than 10% to 50%.

What percentage is considered probable?

“Probable” is defined as “more likely than not” (i.e., greater than 50 percent). More contingencies may qualify for recognition as liabilities under IFRS Accounting Standards than under U.S. GAAP.

What percentage is highly probable?

Probable - more than 50%; Highly probable - more than 75%.

What is reasonably possible in accounting?

“Likely to occur” is considered to be more certain than “more likely than not to occur.” Under both accounting frameworks, a contingency is considered “reasonably possible” if occurrence of the future event or events is more likely than remote, but less likely than “probable” (“probable” as defined within each ...

Is reasonably possible more than probable?

Probable – The future event or events are likely to occur. Reasonably possible – The chance is more than remote but less than likely.

Loss Contingencies Explained

28 related questions found

What is reasonably probable?

The reasonably probable standard, when properly applied, is an effective countermeasure against valuation based upon speculative uses that unreasonably inflate the estimate of market value.

What percentage is probable in accounting?

While a numeric standard for probable does not exist, practice generally considers an event that has a 75% or greater likelihood of occurrence to be probable. A provision must be probable to be recognized. Probable is interpreted as more likely than not (i.e., a probability of greater than 50 percent).

What does reasonably possible mean?

Reasonably possible. The chance of the future event or events occurring is more than remote but less than likely.

What is the golden rule of accounting?

The three Golden Rules of Accounting are- 1) Debit what comes in - credit what goes out. 2) Credit the giver and Debit the Receiver. 3) Credit all income and debit all expenses.

What is a contingent liability that is reasonably possible?

Types of Contingent Liabilities

Reasonably Possible: A reasonably possible contingency is defined as a future event that is more than remote but less than likely to occur– generally defined as a 50-75% chance of occurring.

What percentage is considered unlikely?

Likelihood of an outcome or result

"Likely" means greater than 66 percent. "More likely than not" means greater than 50 percent. "About as likely as not" means 33 to 66 percent. "Unlikely" means less than 33 percent.

Does probable mean more than 50%?

' We can think of 'probable' as 'very likely. ' If something is 'likely' then it has around a 50% (and up) chance of happening or being true.

What percentage makes something probable?

“Likely” (and its close synonym: “probable”) is deemed to correspond, on average, to probabilities around 70%, and in any case higher than 50% (e.g., Budescu and Wallsten, 1995, Clark, 1990, Lichtenstein and Newman, 1967, O'Brien, 1989; Sirota and Juanchich, 2015, Theil, 2002).

What percentage is reasonable doubt?

The means, from lowest to highest are as follows: reasonable articulable suspicion (42.1 percent), probable cause (49.7 percent), preponderance of the evidence (54.4 percent), substantial probability (55.3 percent), clear and convincing evidence (73.4 percent), and beyond a reasonable doubt (90.1 percent).

What percentage is substantial in law?

Contemplation of the meaning in percentage terms would lead many to view “substantially” as more than 50 percent, but not too much more. Though some could argue that substantial should be viewed as merely large, even perhaps the largest, but not necessarily more than 50 percent.

What are the 5 basic accounting principles?

Although the guidelines for accountants are extensive, there are five main principles that underpin accounting practices and the preparation of financial statements. These are the accrual principle, the matching principle, the historic cost principle, the conservatism principle and the principle of substance over form.

What is the golden ratio in accounting?

A golden ratio is an irrational number with an approximate value of 1.618. In this paper, the golden ratio was applied to develop the assumption that the firm should use debt at a percentage of 61.8% and equity at 38.2%, which deviates from the capital structure variables.

What is the modern rule of accounting?

Modern Approach to Accounting

Under the Modern Approach, the accounts are not debited and credited. Hence, the Accounting Equation is used to debit or credit an account. Thus, it is also known as the Accounting Equation Approach. The Basic Accounting Equation is: Assets = Liabilities + Capital (Owner's Equity)

What is the difference between reasonably possible and probable?

Probable is the kind of contingencies that refers to the contingencies that are expected to occur and can be evaluated. They must be recorded in the financial statements. Reasonably possible refer to the contingencies whose occurrence is unlikely but are still possible.

What is considered reasonable?

In legal terms, 'reasonable' means ordinary. The court considers the usual behavior of an average person under the same circumstances. Persons who meet or exceed an expected typical response aren't negligent. Those who fail to meet the standard for typical behavior are negligent.

What is reasonably certain standard?

Reasonable Certainty: A More Precise Evidentiary Based Standard. In determining the validity of a calculation of lost profits, courts consider the establishment of reasonable certainty in an analyst's measurement of lost profits.

What is the 5% rule in GAAP?

Under US GAAP, the 5% rule suggests that if a misstatement is less than 5% of a financial statement item, it is generally considered not material. However this is not an absolute rule and must be applied with professional judgment.

What is the possible percentage?

Most people interpret “possible” as meaning between 40% and 55%. There is a significant minority all the way down near 0%, but few people who assign it above 55%.

What percentage is considered immaterial in accounting?

The materiality threshold is defined as a percentage of that base. The most commonly used base in auditing is net income (earnings / profits). Most commonly percentages are in the range of 5 – 10 percent (for example an amount <5% = immaterial, > 10% material and 5-10% requires judgment).