Accelerated Cost Recovery System (ACRS)

Published February 2000

ACRS is a standard employed by the Internal Revenue Service to establish useful lives for most depreciable property placed in service after 1980 for the purpose of recovering the property's capital cost through depreciation allowances. This system establishes recovery periods of 3, 5, 10, 15, and 18 years, and various methods of accelerated depreciation depending on the type of property.