# Amortization

Amortization gradually writes down the balance of an intangible asset over its useful life, spreading the cost across the periods that benefit from it.

## The accounts

Two accounts handle the process: an **accumulated amortization** account (liability type) that tracks the total amount written down, and an **amortization expense** account (outgoing type) that records the periodic cost.

## Recording amortization transactions

Each period, record a transaction that moves an amount from the accumulated amortization account to the expense account. In this example, an intangible asset worth 5,000.00 is amortized over five months at 1,000.00 per month:

| Date | Amount | From Account | | To Account | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 05/05 | 1,000.00 | Accumulated amortization | >> | Amortization expense | 5 x 1000 corresponding to Intangible asset XYZ |
| 04/06 | 1,000.00 | Accumulated amortization | >> | Amortization expense | - |
| 05/07 | 1,000.00 | Accumulated amortization | >> | Amortization expense | - |
| 05/08 | 1,000.00 | Accumulated amortization | >> | Amortization expense | - |
| 06/09 | 1,000.00 | Accumulated amortization | >> | Amortization expense | - |

> **Tip: Recording in bulk**
> For linear amortization with equal amounts, use the [record multiplier](https://bkper.com/docs/guides/using-bkper/record-guide.md) on the single-entry input to record all transactions at once. Alternatively, prepare entries in a Google Sheet and record them with the [Add-on for Google Sheets](https://bkper.com/docs/guides/google-sheets.md).
## Sample book

Explore a working example: [Amortization](https://app.bkper.com/b/#transactions:bookId=agtzfmJrcGVyLWhyZHITCxIGTGVkZ2VyGICAoPCv0b0LDA).