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Amortization

Business Sales and M&A Specialists

Amortization – This is an accounting technique, used for tax planning purposes, to periodically lower the book value of a loan or an intangible asset over a set period of years. This is accomplished by monthly lowering the intangible asset value on the balance sheet by a specific amount and charging that same amount to expense on the income statement. The amount of amortization taken as a non-cash charge in any given accounting period is almost always based upon number of years approved by the IRS for cost recovery. See also Depreciation, which is the corresponding accounting technique for tangible assets.

What is Amortization?

Amortization is the process of incrementally charging the cost of an asset to expense over its expected period of use, which shifts the asset from the balance sheet to the income statement. It essentially reflects the consumption of an intangible asset over its useful life. Amortization is most commonly used for the gradual write-down of the cost of those intangible assets that have a specific useful life. Examples of intangible assets are patents, copyrights, taxi licenses, and trademarks. The concept also applies to such items as the discount on notes receivable and deferred charges.

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