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The Daily Insight

Can you Capitalise customer lists?

Author

Emma Jordan

Published Feb 21, 2026

The short answer is – YES, in the circumstances described in the question, you actually CAN capitalize the subscriber information – in other words – the customer list.

Are customer lists depreciable?

Customer list #2 is an amortizable Sec. 197 intangible, subject to 15-year amortization, because it is a customer list obtained as part of acquiring a business. As long as it is not a category 3 intangible asset, 10 it would not be capitalized under the INDOPCO regulations.

How is sale of customer list taxed?

The income tax ramifications of the sale of the intangible assets (goodwill, customer list) is capital gains in nature to the seller and is deductible to the purchaser over a 15 year period of time.

Is a customer list an asset?

What is an “Intangible” Asset? “Intangibles” such as customer goodwill, name recognition, and customer lists are valuable non-material assets that can be appraised just like physical equipment, real estate, accounts receivable, and securities.

Does a customer list have a useful life?

An intangible asset is a non-physical asset that has a useful life of greater than one year. Examples of intangible assets are trademarks, customer lists, motion pictures, franchise agreements, and computer software. Its useful life is the period over which it is of value in being withheld from the competition.

What type of gain is sale of goodwill?

A sale of personal goodwill, if respected by the IRS, creates long-term capital gain to the shareholder, taxable at up to 23.8% (maximum capital gain rate of 20%, plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) rather than ordinary income to the target corporation, taxable at up to 35% plus an additional tax of up to 23.8% on …

How do you create a shared customer list?

Click the Customer Lists icon () in the sidebar. Click Customer Lists in the top toolbar, then select Create a list . Enter a Title for your list. (Admins and Enterprise agents with permission to create shared customer lists) Select a Visibility option to determine who can see this list. All agents This list is available to all agents.

Can you sell a customer list template to another business?

Selling a customer list doesn’t apply to all types of businesses. For instance, offering your customer list template to another retail business won’t be a fruitful endeavor. The reason for this is that even the smallest changes in a retail business can cause you to lose a lot of customers.

How to create a client list for your business?

The more names you add to this list, the more your business grows. When creating and using your client list template, there are several things to keep in mind: Use one of the spreadsheets to store all of the details of your current customers.

What should I do with my customer list?

One way you can do this is by sharing one of your customer’s product which complements rather than competes with your own business. Vouching for your customers makes them appreciate you more. In turn, they’ll be more willing to spread the word about your business.