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Effective life of intangible depreciating assets

Last updated 13 July 2020

The effective life of most intangible depreciating assets is prescribed under the UCA.

Asset

Effective life in years
  1. Standard patent
 

20
  1. Innovation patent
 

8
  1. Petty patent
 

6
  1. Registered design
 

15
  1. Copyright (except copyright in a film)
 

The shorter of 25 years from when you acquire it or the period until the copyright ends
  1. A licence (except one relating to a copyright or in-house software)
 

The term of the licence
  1. A licence relating to a copyright (except copyright in a film)
 

The shorter of 25 years from when you become the licensee or the period until the licence ends
  1. In-house software
 

2 or 4 (see Note)
  1. Spectrum licence
 

The term of the licence
  1. Datacasting transmitter licence
 

15
  1. A mining, quarrying or prospecting right relating to mining operations (except obtaining petroleum or quarry materials)
 

The life of the mine or proposed mine or, if there is more than one, the life of the mine that has the longest estimated life
  1. A mining, quarrying or prospecting right relating to mining operations to obtain petroleum
 

The life of the petroleum field or proposed petroleum field
  1. A mining, quarrying or prospecting right relating to mining operations to obtain quarry materials
 

The life of the quarry or proposed quarry or, if there is more than one, the life of the quarry that has the longest estimated life
  1. Telecommunications site access right
 

The term of the right

Note: see What's new – 2008 Budget for more information

You do not have the choice of either working out the effective life yourself or using an effective life determined by the Commissioner for the intangible depreciating assets in the table above. In addition, the effective life of these depreciating assets cannot be recalculated.

The effective life of an indefeasible right to use a telecommunications cable system is the effective life of the telecommunications cable over which the right is granted.

The effective life of any other intangible depreciating asset cannot be longer than the term of the asset as extended by any reasonably assured extension or renewal of that term.

If you acquire any of the intangible assets listed in the above table (except items 5, 7 or 8) from a former holder and you choose to calculate the asset's decline in value using the prime cost method, in the formula you must use the number of years remaining in that effective life at the start of the income year you acquired the asset, not the effective life shown in the table.

QC27915