Field help: (2019) Intangible assets

Tick this box if you want to provide information on intangible assets of the business assets.

Intangible (immaterial) assets include rights, legal values and other benefits. Tax law does not define intangible assets. Intangible assets are

• Rights, possibilities, special advantages for the company,
• for the acquisition of which expenses were incurred,
• which will benefit the operation beyond the balance sheet date,
• that are subject to a special delimitation and evaluation, and
• for which the acquirer of the business would charge a special fee.

Intangible assets may be depreciable or not depreciable:

• Depreciable and therefore subject to write-off may only be certain assets and only if they have been acquired in return for payment, for example,
• goodwill of a company or a doctor's office acquired against payment,
• trademarks (brands), rights of use, software acquired against payment.

Such assets can only be depreciated on a straight-line basis. In addition, exceptional depreciation may be considered. Internally created or acquired intangible assets may not be capitalised and therefore not amortised. Rather, the expenses incurred are immediately deductible as business expenses.

• Not depreciable are, for example,

• transport concessions acquired against payment,
• domain name acquired against payment,
• for doctors: admission to the statutory health insurance registered doctors acquired against payment.

The acquisition costs cannot be depreciated but can be deducted as business expenses within the scope of the net income method only at the time of their sale or withdrawal.