cost recovery

cost recovery

A tax concept commonly called depreciation,but technically different in ways that don't matter to most taxpayers.The explanation is that depreciation is a calculation determined by starting with the acquisition cost of a property and then subtracting the anticipated salvage value when the property's useful life is over.That number is then divided by the number of years one can reasonably assume the property will have a useful life.The resulting figure is the annual depreciation for the property.Because of constant arguments,audits,and litigation over the correct salvage value and the correct useful life for various properties,the IRS replaced the whole depreciation system with the cost recovery system that assigns a useful life to various classes of property,assumes the property will be worthless at the end,and then allows deductions over the course of the useful life.

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Cost Recovery

A term sometimes used to refer to depreciation claimed under the ACRS or MACRS methods of depreciation. See also Accelerated Cost Recovery System (ACRS) and Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS).