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Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Principles of Consolidated and Basis of Presentation, Policy
PRINCIPLES OF CONSOLIDATED AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of TLLP and its subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. We have evaluated subsequent events through the filing of this Form 10-K. Any material subsequent events that occurred during this time have been properly recognized or disclosed in our financial statements.

In 2016, 2015 and 2014, we entered into various transactions with Tesoro and our general partner, TLGP, pursuant to which TLLP acquired from Tesoro the following:

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tankage, refined product storage, marine terminal terminalling and storage assets, pipelines, causeway and ancillary equipment located in Martinez, California (the “Northern California Terminalling and Storage Assets”) effective November 21, 2016;
•
all of the limited liability company interests in Tesoro Alaska Terminals, LLC, tankage, bulk tank farm, a truck rack and rail-loading facility, terminalling and other storage assets located in Kenai, Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska (the “Alaska Storage and Terminalling Assets”) completed in two stages on July 1, 2016 and September 16, 2016;
•
a crude oil and refined products storage tank facility located at Tesoro’s Los Angeles refinery and a 50% fee interest in a pipeline that transports jet fuel from Tesoro’s Los Angeles refinery to the Los Angeles International Airport (the “Los Angeles Storage and Handling Assets”) effective November 12, 2015; and
•
truck terminals, storage tanks, rail loading and unloading facilities and a refined products pipeline (the “West Coast Logistics Assets”) effective July 1, 2014, for the terminals, storage tanks and rail facilities and effective September 30, 2014, for the refined products pipeline (the “West Coast Logistics Assets Acquisition”).

These transactions are collectively referred to as “Acquisitions from Tesoro” and the related assets, liabilities and results of the operations are collectively referred to as the “Predecessors.”

The Acquisitions from Tesoro were transfers between entities under common control. As an entity under common control with Tesoro, we record the assets that we acquire from Tesoro on our consolidated balance sheet at Tesoro’s historical basis instead of fair value. Transfers of businesses between entities under common control are accounted for as if the transfer occurred at the beginning of the period, and prior periods are retrospectively adjusted to furnish comparative information. Accordingly, the accompanying financial statements and related notes of TLLP have been retrospectively adjusted to include the historical results of the assets acquired in the Acquisitions from Tesoro prior to the effective date of each acquisition. See Note 2 for additional information regarding the 2016 and 2015 acquisitions.

The accompanying financial statements and related notes present the combined financial position, results of operations, cash flows and equity of our Predecessors at historical cost. The financial statements of our Predecessors have been prepared from the separate records maintained by Tesoro and may not necessarily be indicative of the conditions that would have existed or the results of operations if our Predecessors had been operated as an unaffiliated entity. Our Predecessors did not record revenue for transactions with Tesoro in the Terminalling and Transportation segment, except for the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (“RCA”) tariffs charged to Tesoro on the refined products pipeline included in the acquisition of the West Coast Logistics Assets. Accordingly, the revenues in our Predecessors’ historical combined financial statements relate only to amounts received from third parties for these services and amounts received from affiliates with respect to transportation regulated by the RCA for the refined products pipeline included in the West Coast Logistics Assets Acquisition.
Use of Estimates, Policy
USE OF ESTIMATES

We prepare our consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, which requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and revenues and expenses reported and presented as of and for the periods ended. We review our estimates on an ongoing basis using currently available information. Changes in facts and circumstances may result in revised estimates and actual results could differ from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

Cash and cash equivalents include bank deposits and low-risk short-term investments with original maturities of three months or less at the time of purchase. Cash equivalents are stated at cost, which approximates market value. We place our cash deposits and temporary cash investments with high credit quality financial institutions. At times, our cash and cash equivalents may be uninsured or in deposit accounts that exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limit.
Receivables, Policy
RECEIVABLES

A portion of the Partnership’s accounts receivable is due from Tesoro. Credit for non-affiliated customers is extended based on an evaluation of each customer’s financial condition and in certain circumstances, collateral, such as letters of credit or guarantees, is required. Our allowance for doubtful accounts is based on various factors including current sales amounts, historical charge-offs and specific accounts identified as high risk. After reasonable efforts to collect the amounts have been exhausted, balances are deemed uncollectible and are charged against the allowance for doubtful accounts. Write-offs were immaterial in 2016, 2015 and 2014. The Company does not have any off-balance-sheet credit exposure related to its customers.
Property, Plant and Equipment, Policy
PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

Property, plant and equipment are stated at the lower of historical cost less accumulated depreciation or fair value, if impaired. We capitalize all construction-related direct labor and material costs, as well as indirect construction costs. Indirect construction costs include general engineering and other allocated employee costs. Costs, including complete asset replacements and enhancements or upgrades that increase the original efficiency, productivity or capacity of property, plant and equipment, are also capitalized. The costs of repairs, minor replacements and maintenance projects that do not increase the original efficiency, productivity or capacity of property, plant and equipment are expensed as incurred. We capitalize interest as part of the cost of major projects during the construction period. Capitalized interest totaled $5 million, $9 million and $6 million during 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively, and is recorded as a reduction to net interest and financing costs in our consolidated statements of operations.

We compute depreciation of property, plant and equipment using the straight-line method, based on the estimated useful life of three to 28 years and salvage value of each asset. When assets are placed into service, we make estimates with respect to their useful lives that we believe are reasonable. However, factors such as maintenance levels, economic conditions impacting the demand for these assets and regulatory or environmental requirements could cause us to change our estimates, thus impacting the future calculation of depreciation. We depreciate leasehold improvements and property acquired under capital leases over the lesser of the lease term or the economic life of the asset.
Asset Retirement Obligations, Policy
ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS. We record asset retirement obligations (“AROs”) at fair value in the period in which we have a legal obligation to incur costs, whether by government action or contractual arrangement, to retire a tangible asset and can make a reasonable estimate of the fair value of the liability. AROs are calculated based on the present value of the estimated removal and other closure costs using our credit-adjusted risk-free rate given an estimated settlement date for the obligation. We estimate settlement dates by considering our past practice, industry practice, management’s intent and estimated economic lives. AROs included in our consolidated balance sheets were $9 million and $12 million at December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively.
Acquired Intangibles, Policy
ACQUIRED INTANGIBLES AND GOODWILL

Acquired intangibles are recorded at fair value as of the date acquired and consist of customer relationships obtained in connection with the acquisition all of the limited liability company interests of QEP Field Services, LLC, (the “Rockies Natural Gas Business Acquisition”). The value for the identified customer relationships consists of cash flow expected from existing contracts and future arrangements from the existing customer base. We amortize acquired intangibles with finite lives on a straight-line basis over an estimated weighted average useful life of 35 years and we include the amortization in depreciation and amortization expenses on our consolidated statements of operations.
Goodwill, Policy
Goodwill represents the amount the purchase price exceeds the fair value of net assets acquired in a business combination. We do not amortize goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible assets. The goodwill recorded for the Rockies Natural Gas Business represents future organic growth opportunities, anticipated synergies and intangible assets that did not qualify for separate recognition. We are required, however, to review goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment annually, or more frequently if events or changes in business circumstances indicate the book value of the assets may not be recoverable. In such circumstances, we record the impairment in loss on asset disposals and impairments in our consolidated statements of operations. We review the recorded value of goodwill for impairment on November 1st of each year, or sooner if events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount may exceed fair value using qualitative and/or quantitative assessments at the reporting level. There were no impairments of goodwill during the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Policy
IMPAIRMENT OF LONG-LIVED ASSETS

We review property, plant and equipment and other long-lived assets, including acquired intangibles with finite lives, for impairment whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate the net book values of the assets may not be recoverable. Impairment is indicated when the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the assets’ net book value. If this occurs, an impairment loss is recognized for the difference between the asset fair value and net book value. Factors that indicate potential impairment include: a significant decrease in the market value of the asset, operating or cash flow losses associated with the use of the asset and a significant change in the asset’s physical condition or use.
Investment in Equity Method Investments, Policy
INVESTMENTS IN EQUITY METHOD INVESTMENTS

For equity investments that are not required to be consolidated under the variable or voting interest model, we evaluate the level of influence we are able to exercise over an entity’s operations to determine whether to use the equity method of accounting. Our judgment regarding the level of control over an equity method investment includes considering key factors such as our ownership interest, participation in policy-making and other significant decisions and material intercompany transactions. Amounts recognized for equity method investments are included in equity method investments in our consolidated balance sheet and adjusted for our shares of the net earnings and losses of the investee and cash distributions, which are included in our consolidated statements of operations and our consolidated statements of cash flows. Amounts recognized for earnings in excess of distributions of our equity method investments are included in the operating section of our consolidated statements of cash flows. We evaluate our equity method investments for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts of such investments may be impaired. A loss is recorded in earnings in the current period to write down the carrying value of the investment to fair value if a decline in the value of an equity method investment is determined to be other than temporary.

The principal equity method investments and TLLP’s ownership percentage as of December 31, 2016 were Rendezvous Gas Services, L.L.C. (“RGS”), in which we own a 78% ownership interest, Three Rivers Gathering, L.L.C. (“TRG”), in which we own a 50% ownership interest, and Uintah Basin Field Services, L.L.C. (“UBFS”), in which we own a 38% ownership interest. All entities are limited liability companies engaged in gathering and compressing natural gas.
Financial Instruments, Policy
FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

Financial instruments including cash and cash equivalents, receivables, accounts payable and accrued liabilities are recorded at their carrying value. We believe the carrying value of these financial instruments approximates fair value. Our fair value assessment incorporates a variety of considerations, including:

•
the short term duration of the instruments (less than two percent for both our trade payables and third-party receivables have been outstanding for greater than 90 days); and
•
the expected future insignificance of bad debt expense, which includes an evaluation of counterparty credit risk.

The evaluation of our third-party receivables with a short-term duration excludes amounts that are greater than 90 days related to XTO Energy Inc.’s (“XTO”) legal dispute with QEP Field Services, LLC (“QEPFS”). See further discussion regarding the XTO litigation in Note 10.

The fair value of our senior notes is based on prices from recent trade activity and is categorized in level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. The carrying value and fair value of our debt were approximately $4.1 billion and $4.3 billion at December 31, 2016, respectively, and were approximately $2.9 billion and $2.8 billion at December 31, 2015, respectively. These carrying and fair values of our debt do not consider the unamortized issuance costs, which are netted against our total debt.
Income Taxes, Policy
INCOME TAXES

We are a limited partnership, with the exception of one of our subsidiaries, and are not subject to federal or state income taxes. Our taxable income or loss is included in the federal and state income tax returns of our partners. Taxable income may vary substantially from income or loss reported for financial reporting purposes due to differences in the tax bases and financial reporting bases of assets and liabilities, and due to certain taxable income allocation requirements of the partnership agreement. We are unable to readily determine the net difference in the bases of our assets and liabilities for financial and tax reporting purposes because individual unitholders have different investment bases depending upon the timing and price of acquisition of their partnership units.

Upon the closing of the merger of QEP Midstream Partners, LP (“QEPM”), as discussed further in Note 2, QEP Midstream GP, LLC, the general partner of QEPM and wholly-owned subsidiary of TLLP, made an election to be treated as a corporation for income tax purposes. As a result, we have recognized $1 million of deferred tax expense related to the difference in QEP Midstream GP, LLC’s book and tax basis in its investment in QEPM.

Management is required to evaluate uncertain tax positions taken by the Partnership. The financial statement effects of a tax position are recognized when the position is more likely than not, based on the technical merits, to be sustained upon examination by the Internal Revenue Service. Management has analyzed the tax positions taken by the Partnership and has concluded that there are no uncertain positions taken or expected to be taken.
Environmental Matters, Policy
CONTINGENCIES

ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS. We are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations governing environmental quality and pollution control. These laws and regulations require us to remove or remedy the effect of the disposal or release of specified substances at current and former operating sites. Our environmental liabilities are estimates using internal and third-party assessments and available information to date. It is possible these estimates will change as additional information becomes available.

We capitalize environmental expenditures that extend the life or increase the capacity of facilities as well as expenditures that prevent environmental contamination. We expense costs that relate to an existing condition caused by past operations and that do not contribute to current or future revenue generation. We record liabilities when environmental assessments and/or remedial efforts are probable and can be reasonably estimated. Cost estimates are based on the expected timing and the extent of remedial actions required by governing agencies, experience gained from similar sites for which environmental assessments or remediation have been completed, and the amount of our anticipated liability considering the proportional liability and financial abilities of other responsible parties. Estimated liabilities are not discounted to present value, and environmental expenses are recorded primarily in operating expenses.
Legal Matters, Policy
LEGAL MATTERS. In the ordinary course of business, we become party to lawsuits, administrative proceedings and governmental investigations. These matters may involve large or unspecified damages or penalties that may be sought from us and may require years to resolve. We record a liability related to a loss contingency attributable to such legal matters in other current liabilities or other noncurrent liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets, depending on the classification as current or noncurrent if we determine the loss to be both probable and estimable. The liability is recorded for an amount that is management’s best estimate of the loss, or when a best estimate cannot be made, the minimum loss amount of a range of possible outcomes.
Acquisitions, Policy
ACQUISITIONS

We use the acquisition method of accounting for the recognition of assets acquired and liabilities assumed with acquisitions at their estimated fair values as of the date of acquisition, with the exception of the Acquisitions from Tesoro. As an entity under common control with Tesoro, we record the assets that we acquire from Tesoro on our consolidated balance sheet at Tesoro’s historical basis instead of fair value. Any excess consideration transferred over the estimated fair values of the identifiable net assets acquired from third parties is recorded as goodwill. While we use our best estimates and assumptions to measure the fair value of the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date, our estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. As a result, during the measurement period, not to exceed one year from the date of acquisition, any changes in the estimated fair values of the net assets recorded for the acquisitions will result in an adjustment to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recorded to our consolidated statements of operations. Our acquisitions are discussed further in Note 2.
Revenue Recognition, Policy
REVENUE RECOGNITION

The Partnership generates revenue by charging fees for gathering crude oil and produced water, gathering and processing natural gas as well as fees for terminalling, transporting and storing crude oil and refined products. Revenues are recognized as crude oil, natural gas and refined products are transported through, delivered by, or stored in our pipelines, terminals and storage facility assets and transported by our trucking operations. Processing revenues are generated under long-term contracts with fee-based or keep-whole agreements. Under our fee-based agreements, the amount of fee-based revenue we generate is based on the volumes of natural gas that we process at our processing complexes.

The only historic revenues reflected in the financial statements of our Predecessors are amounts received from third-party use of our pipelines and terminals, and amounts received from Tesoro with respect to transportation regulated by the RCA on the refined products pipeline included in the West Coast Logistics Assets Acquisition. Tesoro was not charged fees for services rendered with respect to any terminalling, storage or pipeline transportation services, except as described above, prior to the Acquisitions from Tesoro, as the respective assets were operated as a component of Tesoro’s petroleum refining and marketing businesses.

The Partnership has several streams of revenue. Revenues are recognized as products are shipped through our pipelines and terminals. Billings to customers for obligations under their quarterly minimum revenue commitments (shortfall payments) are recorded as deferred revenue when they have the right and physical ability to receive future services for these billings. Some of our fee-based agreements provide for fixed demand charges, which are recognized as revenue pursuant to the contract terms. Revenue associated with shortfall payments is recognized at the earlier of (i) the customer receiving the services provided by these billings, (ii) the expiration of the period in which the customer is contractually allowed to receive the services, (iii) the determination that future services will not be required.
Reimbursements, Policy
REIMBURSEMENTS

Pursuant to the Third Amended and Restated Omnibus Agreement (“Amended Omnibus Agreement”) and Carson Assets Indemnity Agreement, Tesoro reimburses the Partnership for pressure testing, required repairs and maintenance identified as a result of the first inspection of certain pipeline and tank assets subsequent to the Acquisitions from Tesoro, as well as maintenance projects identified in the Amended Omnibus Agreement for which the costs were not known at the date of the Acquisitions from Tesoro. These amounts are recorded as a reduction to operating expense within the category labeled imbalance settlement gains, net and reimbursements during the period the costs are incurred and were $17 million, $34 million and $26 million for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

In addition, Tesoro reimburses the Partnership for capital projects identified in the Amended Omnibus Agreement. These amounts are recorded as a capital contribution by affiliate and were $29 million, $22 million and $18 million for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
Imbalances, Policy
IMBALANCES

We experience volume gains and losses, which we sometimes refer to as imbalances, within our pipelines, terminals and storage facilities due to pressure and temperature changes, evaporation and variances in meter readings and in other measurement methods. On our crude oil gathering and transportation system in North Dakota and Montana (the “High Plains System”), we retain 0.20% of the crude oil shipped on our owned and operated common carrier pipelines in North Dakota and Montana and we bear any crude oil volume losses in excess of that amount. Under the Second Amended and Restated Master Terminalling Service Agreement with Tesoro, we retain 0.25% of the refined products we handle at certain of our terminals for Tesoro, and bear any refined product volume losses in excess of that amount. The value of any crude oil or refined product imbalance settlements resulting from these tariffs or contractual provisions is determined by using the monthly average market prices for the applicable commodity, less a specified discount. The Partnership measures volume losses annually for the terminals and pipelines in the Northwest Products System. We retain 0.125% of the distillates and 0.25% of the other refined products we handle at our terminals on the Northwest Products System and we bear any refined product volume losses in excess of those amounts. The value of any refined product losses is determined by using the annual average market price for the applicable commodity. Any settlements under tariffs or contractual provisions where we bear any crude oil or refined product volume losses in excess of amounts specified reduce our operating expenses in the period in which they are realized, to the extent they are within the loss allowance, and increase our operating expenses in such period to the extent they exceed the loss allowance. For all of other terminals, and under our other commercial agreements with Tesoro, we have no obligation to measure volume losses and have no liability for physical losses.

The consolidated balance sheets also include offsetting natural gas imbalance receivables or payables resulting from differences in gas volumes received by customers and gas volumes delivered to interstate pipelines. Natural gas volumes owed to or by TLLP that are subject to tariffs are valued at market index prices, as of the balance sheet dates, and are subject to cash settlement procedures. Other natural gas volumes owed to or by TLLP are valued at the our weighted average cost of natural gas as of the balance sheet dates and are settled in-kind.
Unit-based Compensation, Policy
UNIT-BASED COMPENSATION

Our general partner provides unit-based compensation to officers and non-employee directors for the Partnership, which includes service and performance phantom unit awards. The fair value of our service phantom unit awards on the date of grant is equal to the market price of our common units. We estimate the grant date fair value of performance phantom unit awards using a Monte Carlo simulation at the inception of the award. We amortize the fair value over the vesting period using the straight-line method. The phantom unit awards are settled in TLLP common units. Expenses related to unit-based compensation are included in general and administrative expenses in our consolidated statements of operations. Total unit-based compensation expense totaled $6 million for both the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 and $2 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. During 2016, the long term incentive plan was amended and restated to make available an additional 1,000,000 common units for unit-based awards and to make certain other administrative changes to the plan document. The Partnership had 1,085,464 units available for future grants under the long term incentive plan at December 31, 2016.
Net Earnings per Limited Partner Unit, Policy
NET EARNINGS PER LIMITED PARTNER UNIT

We use the two-class method when calculating the net earnings per unit applicable to limited partners, because we have more than one participating security. At December 31, 2016, our participating securities consist of common units, general partner units and incentive distribution rights (“IDRs”). Net earnings attributable to the Partnership is allocated between the limited and general partners in accordance with our partnership agreement. We base our calculation of net earnings per unit on the weighted-average number of common and subordinated limited partner units outstanding during the period.

Diluted net earnings per unit includes the effects of potentially dilutive units on our common units, which consist of unvested service and performance phantom units. Basic and diluted net earnings per unit applicable to subordinated limited partners was historically the same, as there were no potentially dilutive subordinated units outstanding. Distributions less than or greater than earnings are allocated in accordance with our partnership agreement.
New Accounting Standards and Disclosures, Policy
NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARDS AND DISCLOSURES

REVENUE RECOGNITION. In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (“ASU 2014-09”), and has since amended the standard with ASU 2015-14, “Revenue From Contracts with Customers: Deferral of the Effective Date,” ASU 2016-08, ”Revenue From Contracts with Customers: Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net),” ASU 2016-10, “Revenue From Contracts with Customers: Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing,” and ASU 2016-12, “Revenue From Contracts with Customers: Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients.” These standards replace existing revenue recognition rules with a single comprehensive model to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers. We are required to adopt ASU 2014-09 on January 1, 2018.

We have been and continue to evaluate the impact of the standard’s revenue recognition model on our contracts with customers in the Gathering and Processing and Terminalling and Transportation segments. While we have made substantial progress in our review and documentation of the impact of the standard on our revenue agreements, we continue to assess the impact in certain other areas where industry consensus continues to be formed such as agreements with terms that include non-cash consideration, contributions in aid of construction, and tiered pricing structures. At this time, we are unable to estimate the full impact of the standard until the industry reaches a consensus on certain industry specific issues.

We are currently in the early stages of our implementation plan and are evaluating the impact of the standard on our business processes, accounting systems, controls and financial statement disclosures. We preliminarily expect to transition to the new standard under the modified retrospective transition method, whereby a cumulative effect adjustment is recognized upon adoption and the guidance is applied prospectively.

CONSOLIDATION. In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-02, “Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis” (“ASU 2015-02”). This standard modifies existing consolidation guidance for reporting organizations that are required to evaluate whether they should consolidate certain legal entities. ASU 2015-02 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015, and requires either a retrospective or a modified retrospective approach to adoption. We adopted this guidance using the modified retrospective approach as of January 1, 2016 and performed the required reassessments outlined by the guidance. For further information on the results of the reassessments, refer to Note 6, Investments - Equity Method and Joint Ventures.

BUSINESS COMBINATIONS. In September 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-16, “Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments” (“ASU 2015-16”). The standard requires an acquirer to recognize the cumulative impact of adjustments to provisional purchase price amounts that are identified during the measurement period in the reporting period in which the adjustment amounts are determined. The standard also requires an entity to present separately on the face of the income statement or disclose in the notes the portion of the amount recorded in current-period earnings by line item that would have been recorded in previous reporting periods if the adjustment to the provisional amounts had been recognized as of the acquisition date. ASU 2015-16 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015, and must be applied prospectively to adjustments that occur after the effective date. We adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2016, with no impact to our financial statements.

LEASES. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases” (“ASU 2016-02”), which amends existing accounting standards for lease accounting and adds additional disclosures about leasing arrangements. Under the new guidance, lessees are required to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet for all leases with terms longer than 12 months. Leases will be classified as either a finance lease or operating lease with the classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement and presentation of the cash flows in the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-02 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim reporting periods within those annual reporting periods. Early adoption is permitted and modified retrospective application is required. We are still evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-02 on our financial statements.

SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, “Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting” (“ASU 2016-09”), which simplifies several aspects of the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions including accounting for income taxes, cash flow presentation of tax impacts, forfeitures, and liability versus equity accounting due to statutory tax withholding requirements. ASU 2016-09 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. As of January 1, 2016, we early adopted ASU 2016-09 and with respect to the guidance on forfeitures, we have elected to continue to estimate forfeitures on the date of grant to account for the estimated number of awards for which the requisite service period will not be rendered. The adoption of ASU 2016-09 had no impact on our financial statements.

CREDIT LOSSES. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, “Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments” (“ASU 2016-13”), which amends guidance on the impairment of financial instruments. The ASU estimates credit losses based on expected losses, modifies the impairment model for available-for-sale debt securities and provides for a simplified accounting model for purchased financial assets with credit deterioration. ASU 2016-13 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim reporting periods within those annual reporting periods. Early adoption is permitted for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. While we are still evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-13, we do not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material impact on our financial statements.

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, “Clarification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments” (“ASU 2016-15”), which eliminates the diversity in practice related to the classification of certain cash receipts and payments in the statement of cash flows, by adding or clarifying guidance on eight specific cash flow issues. ASU 2016-15 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The amendments in this update should be applied retrospectively to all periods presented, unless deemed impracticable, in which case, prospective application is permitted. We early adopted this standard retrospectively as of December 31, 2016, which had an immaterial impact on our financial statements.

DEFINITION OF A BUSINESS. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, “Clarifying the Definition of a Business” (“ASU 2017-01”), which revises the definition of a business and assists in the evaluation of when a set of transferred assets and activities is a business. ASU 2017-01 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and should be applied prospectively on or after the effective date. Early adoption is permitted under certain circumstances. At this time, we are evaluating the potential impact of this standard on our financial statements.