amortization period – n: the period of time over which a large expense item is amortized on the company’s income statement. The amortization period for a given expense item it typically determined based on that item’s useful life; tax authorities such as the IRS and/or accounting bodies such as FASB will often stipulate the maximum allowable useful life over which a given category of expense can be legally amortized or spread out.

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Adapted from "The CompanyCrafters Entrepreneur's Dictionary"
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