Financial Accounting Standards Board

Since 1973, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, has been the designated organization in the private sector for establishing standards of financial accounting and reporting in the United States. Those standards govern the preparation of financial reports. They are officially recognized as authoritative by the Securities and Exchange Commission (Financial Reporting Release No. 1, Section 101) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (Rule 203, Rules of Conduct, as amended May 1973 and May 1979).

The Securities and Exchange Commission has statutory authority to establish financial accounting and reporting standards for publicly held companies under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Throughout its history, however, the Commission's policy has been to rely on the private sector for this function to the extent that the private sector demonstrates ability to fulfill the responsibility in the public interest.

The mission of the Financial Accounting Standards Board is to establish and improve standards of financial accounting and reporting for the guidance and education of the public, including issuers, auditors, and users of financial information.

FASB's guidance on equity-based compensation (including stock options issued as compensation) is mainly found in Accounting Standards Codification 718 (ASC 718).

Formerly, SFAS 123 and APB 25 were the authoritative financial accounting standards related to stock compensation are.