Book Value vs Carrying Value What's the Difference? Carrying value, also known as carrying amount or carrying cost, is the value at which an asset is carried on a company's balance sheet. It is calculated by subtracting any accumulated depreciation or impairment charges from the original cost of the asset. Carrying value is based on the principle of conservatism, which states that assets should be valued at the lower of their historical cost or market value. Book value in this definition is dete [...]