Arm’s Length Transaction

Business, Legal & Accounting Glossary

Definition: Arm’s Length Transaction


Arm’s Length Transaction

Quick Summary of Arm’s Length Transaction


A transaction between two related or affiliated parties that is conducted as if they were unrelated, so that there is no question of a conflict of interest. Or sometimes, a transaction between two otherwise unrelated or affiliated parties.




Full Definition of Arm’s Length Transaction


An arm’s length transaction is a transaction, often between two affiliated parties, that’s conducted as if the parties were unrelated.

An arm’s length transaction is carried out under free-market conditions in which each party acts in its own self-interest. In the case of buying or selling, an arm’s length transaction ensures outside parties that the arm’s length transaction was conducted at fair market value. An arm’s length transaction furthermore assures outsiders that the transaction did not involve any conflict of interest. Sometimes an arm’s length transaction is facilitated by a third party to provide extra assurance that neither of the principal parties influenced each other. One example of an arm’s length transaction is a company’s board setting the CEO’s salary (if the CEO had set her own salary, there would have been an obvious conflict of interest so it would not have been an arm’s length transaction).


Examples of Arm’s Length Transaction in a sentence


It was an arm’s length transaction that took place, which meant that the two companies did not know each other at all.

Since they were related entities, they had to make sure it was an arm’s length transaction so it would not cause any concern by auditors.

The arm’s length transaction was made to ensure that no conflicting interest or personal motives would be involved in the decision-making process.


Related Phrases


arm's length price
non-arm's length transaction
arm's length
transfer pricing


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Definition Sources


Definitions for Arm’s Length Transaction are sourced/syndicated and enhanced from:

  • A Dictionary of Economics (Oxford Quick Reference)
  • Oxford Dictionary Of Accounting
  • Oxford Dictionary Of Business & Management

This glossary post was last updated: 5th November, 2021 | 0 Views.