RJ 210 Intangible fixed assets: capitalising, amortising and explaining
RJ 210 determines which non-physical expenditure may go on the balance sheet and how long you amortise it. The difference between research and development often decides hundreds of thousands in result.
The short answer
RJ 210 allows an intangible asset on the balance sheet if it is identifiable, you control it, it is probable to yield a benefit and the cost can be measured reliably. Research is always an expense. Development you capitalise as soon as six conditions are demonstrably met. You amortise over the useful life, with twenty years as a rebuttable upper limit. Micro and small entities follow RJk B1.
Updated 30 October 2026
Key facts
| Guideline | RJ 210 (amended 2025), in force for financial years beginning on or after 1 January 2026; goodwill from an acquisition falls under RJ 216 |
| Micro and small | RJk B1 (amended 2020); the micro entity applies the valuation rules of the RJk (RJk M1.301) |
| Law | art. 2:365 DCC (items and reserve), art. 2:385(4) DCC, art. 2:386(3) DCC, Decree on current value art. 6 and 7 |
| Financial years | 2025: RJ 210 (amended 2023). 2026 and 2027: only a clarification of the disclosure of research and development costs (RJ 210.506) |
What RJ 210 covers, and what it does not
RJ 210 is about assets without physical form that you use to produce, supply, rent out or manage: software, licences, patents, concessions, purchased customer contracts and capitalised development. Goodwill from an acquisition is in RJ 216, deferred tax assets in RJ 272 (RJ 210.101).
An expenditure becomes an asset only when three characteristics come together. The asset is identifiable: you can sell or license it separately, or it arises from a contractual or legal right (RJ 210.110–111). You have control over it, usually through an enforceable right; a well-trained team or loyal customers without a contract rarely meet that (RJ 210.114–115). And it is probable to yield future benefit, with the cost reliably determinable (RJ 210.201).
Software that is an integral part of a machine counts as a tangible fixed asset (RJ 210.107; see RJ 212). Costs of incorporation and share issue may be capitalised under the law, but the RJ advises against it because they are not a real asset (RJ 210.103).
Research or development: where the line lies
You split an own project into a research phase and a development phase. Everything that falls in the research phase you take as an expense (RJ 210.221). If you cannot separate the two phases, you treat the whole project as research (RJ 210.220).
Development expenditure goes on the balance sheet from the moment you can show six things (RJ 210.224): the project can technically be completed, you intend to complete it, you can use or sell it, there is a market or internal usefulness, there are enough resources to complete it, and you reliably record the expenditure per project. Expenditure from before that moment remains an expense; capitalising it later is not allowed (RJ 210.231 and 210.237).
At this point the sets of rules differ. For medium-sized and large entities capitalising is an obligation: what meets the criteria "must be capitalised" (RJ 210.224). The RJk gives micro and small entities a choice, development costs "may be capitalised" (RJk B1.105), except where own development is the main activity; then it is mandatory there too.
Internally built brands, logos, publishing rights and customer bases never go on the balance sheet (RJ 210.229). A customer base you buy, or a customer contract you acquire in an acquisition, can be an asset.
Insofar as the legal entity capitalises the costs referred to in parts a and b of paragraph 1, it must explain them and must keep a reserve to that amount.
Amortising: twenty years, ten years and a residual value of zero
- Start and pace. You amortise from the moment the asset is ready for use, following the pattern in which the benefit arrives. If that pattern cannot be reliably determined, straight-line (RJ 210.401 and 210.411). A method that amortises more slowly than straight-line is almost never defensible for intangible assets (RJ 210.412).
- Twenty years. The RJ assumes a useful life of at most twenty years. Anyone amortising longer tests the recoverable amount every year and explains in the notes why (RJ 210.406, 210.419 and 210.505).
- Ten years. If, in an exceptional case, the useful life of development costs cannot be reliably estimated, the statutory upper limit of ten years applies (art. 2:386(3) DCC; RJ 210.402).
- Contract term. You amortise a right for a fixed period no longer than that period, unless renewal is almost certain (RJ 210.408).
- Residual value. In principle nil. Only a commitment from a buyer or an active market that will still exist at the end justifies anything else (RJ 210.413).
- Every year again. You review useful life and method at the end of each financial year (RJ 210.416). An asset not yet in use you test annually for recoverable amount, even without an indication of impairment (RJ 210.419).
The capitalised costs relating to incorporation and the issue of shares are amortised over at most five years. The costs of development, insofar as capitalised, and the capitalised costs of goodwill are amortised according to the expected useful life. In exceptional cases in which the useful life of costs of development and goodwill cannot be reliably estimated, these costs are amortised over a period of at most ten years. In such cases the reasons for the amortisation period of the costs of goodwill are stated in the notes.
Valuing intangible assets at current value is almost never possible: it is allowed only if the asset was on the balance sheet at cost from acquisition and a liquid market exists for it (art. 6 Decree on current value; RJ 210.301). For purchased goodwill and prepayments it is excluded (art. 2:385(4) DCC).
Case: a licence, an app and a customer base
Ventoro BV (medium-sized, financial year equal to the calendar year) does three things in 2026. On 1 January it buys for € 90.000 a three-year licence for routing software, with no right to renewal. From January to April it investigates whether its own planning app is feasible (€ 40.000). On 1 May the board approves the project plan and the financing; from then on the six conditions are demonstrably met. From May to December it spends € 130.000 on own hours and € 30.000 on an external developer. The app goes live on 1 January 2027 and is expected to last five years. In addition, the marketing department puts € 25.000 into its own customer base.
| Expenditure 2026 | Treatment under RJ 210 | Expense 2026 | Balance sheet 31-12-2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence € 90.000 | Capitalise, amortise over the contract term of three years | € 30.000 | € 60.000 |
| Feasibility study € 40.000 | Research phase: expense (RJ 210.221) | € 40.000 | – |
| Development May–December € 160.000 | Capitalise (RJ 210.224); not yet in use, so no amortisation | – | € 160.000 |
| Own customer base € 25.000 | Expense (RJ 210.229) | € 25.000 | – |
| Total | € 95.000 | € 220.000 |
In equity, Ventoro moves € 160.000 from other reserves to a legal reserve for development costs. Because the app is not yet in use at the balance sheet date, it determines the recoverable amount at the end of 2026, even without a signal of impairment. From 2027 it amortises € 32.000 a year and the reserve falls at the same pace. In the notes it states as the total of research and development costs charged to 2026 € 40.000 (RJ 210.506).
If Ventoro were small and applied the RJk, it could also take the € 160.000 as an expense, because making software is not its main activity. The expense for 2026 then becomes € 255.000, intangible fixed assets € 60.000 and there is no legal reserve. If Ventoro were a software house, it would have to capitalise even as a small BV. As a micro entity it follows the same RJk choice, but shows only the total of fixed assets.
RJ 210 per size class
| Class | Capitalising development | Balance sheet and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Micro | May; must if own development is the main activity (RJk B1.105 via M1.301) | One line for fixed assets, capitalised incorporation and issue costs separately (art. 2:395a(4) DCC); no notes. You do keep the reserve for capitalised development; it is absorbed into the single equity amount |
| Small (RJk) | As for micro | Intangible fixed assets as one line, incorporation costs separately (art. 2:396(3) DCC). Mandatory: security, amortisation methods and, for goodwill with an unestimable life, the reason for the term (RJk B1.119). Useful lives and the reason for more than twenty years are a consideration, not an obligation |
| Small with the full RJ | Must (RJ 210.224) | The notes of RJ 210.5 insofar as the statutory exemptions for small entities do not allow otherwise |
| Medium-sized | Must | Per category policies, useful lives, methods, movement schedule (art. 2:368 DCC), large individual assets, security and the total of R&D costs. Exempt from the split between internally developed and purchased (RJ 210.501) |
| Large | Must | As medium-sized, with that split |
What changes per financial year
For financial years beginning in 2025, RJ 210 (amended 2023) applies. For 2026 and 2027, RJ 210 (amended 2025) applies. The only difference is a clarification of which amortisation counts in the total of research and development costs that must be apparent from the annual accounts (RJ 210.506; RJ Publication 2025-3A). The rules for capitalising and amortising are the same in these three years. RJk B1 has not changed in substance since 2021.
Common mistakes
- Capitalising hours from before the moment the six conditions were demonstrably met.
- Capitalising a website that only promotes your own products. According to the RJ, such a site yields no demonstrable benefit of its own; a web shop in which customers order can (RJ 210.117 with appendix).
- Forgetting the legal reserve, or not letting it fall with the amortisation.
- Amortising a three-year licence over five years because the software technically lasts longer.
- For a project still in progress, skipping the annual test of the recoverable amount.
How it works in Jaarrekening.io
The Capitalisation module (beta) goes through the six conditions of RJ 210.224 per project and calculates the legal reserve, equal to the carrying amount at the end of each year. In the notes the app asks for the useful life of intangible assets; for medium-sized and large entities that is a mandatory answer. Whether a project is technically feasible remains your judgement. More on the module at capitalising development costs.
Sources
- Art. 2:365 DCC: intangible fixed assets and the reserve (wetten.overheid.nl, in Dutch)
- Art. 2:386 DCC: amortisation, with the terms for development costs and goodwill (in Dutch)
- Art. 2:385 DCC: goodwill and prepayments at most at expenditure incurred (in Dutch)
- Decree on current value, art. 6 and 7 (wetten.overheid.nl, in Dutch)
- RJ Publication 2025-3A: amendments to the RJ set for financial year 2026, including RJ 210.506 (rjnet.nl, in Dutch)
- Guidelines for annual reporting: sets and editions (rjnet.nl, in Dutch)
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to capitalise development costs?
That depends on the set of rules you apply. If you follow the RJ (medium-sized, large, or small applying the full RJ), you must capitalise development expenditure as soon as you can demonstrate all six conditions of RJ 210.224. If you apply the RJk as a micro or small entity, you may choose, except where own development is your main activity (RJk B1.105). If you capitalise, you keep a legal reserve equal to the capitalised amount (art. 2:365(2) DCC).
May I amortise an intangible asset over more than twenty years?
Only if you can rebut the presumption of RJ 210.401. You then test the recoverable amount every year, even without an indication of impairment, and explain in the notes which factors justify the longer useful life (RJ 210.406 and 210.505). For development costs and goodwill whose useful life cannot be reliably estimated, a statutory maximum of ten years applies (art. 2:386(3) DCC).
May I capitalise the costs of my website?
Sometimes. The RJ regards a website as an internally developed intangible asset. The planning phase is always an expense. Expenditure on building the application, infrastructure and design can be capitalised if the site demonstrably yields a benefit, such as orders through a web shop. A site that only promotes your products does not clear that bar; photos and texts for promotion are expenses (appendix to RJ 210.117).
Is a purchased customer base an intangible fixed asset?
Yes, if it is identifiable, you control it and it is probable to yield a benefit. A customer base that you build yourself may never go on the balance sheet; that expenditure is an expense (RJ 210.229). In an acquisition you value acquired customer contracts at fair value, separately from goodwill (RJ 210.207 and RJ 216).
Does a micro BV have to form a legal reserve for capitalised development costs?
The obligation to keep a reserve is in art. 2:365(2) DCC and also applies to a micro entity that capitalises development costs. It is not visible, because the micro balance sheet shows equity as a single amount (art. 2:395a(4) DCC). For the distribution test the reserve does count: the amount is not freely distributable.
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