How to use the fixed asset depreciation register
- List each asset with its cost, salvage value, life in whole years, first year in service and the months it was in service in that first year.
- Choose straight line or declining balance for each asset. In the advanced section set the declining balance rate; 200 is the double declining balance rate.
- Read the table for each asset, then the table that adds all assets up by calendar year.
- Download the CSV for every asset and every year, with depreciation, accumulated depreciation and net book value.
Formula
straight line: depreciation to date = (cost - salvage) x months used / (life x 12)
declining balance: depreciation for a period = opening net book value x (rate / life) x months / 12
final year: take whatever remains above salvage value
net book value = cost - accumulated depreciation
Amounts are rounded to whole cents. Straight line rounds the running total each time, so the yearly amounts always add up to cost minus salvage value. Declining balance never goes below salvage because the final year takes the remainder.
Three assets
The sample register holds a van of $42,000 with $6,000 salvage over 5 years starting in 2026 with 4 months of use, a packing line of $18,500 with $1,500 salvage over 8 years using double declining balance, and computers of $7,200 starting in 2027 with 6 months over 3 years.
In 2026 the van takes $36,000 x 4 / 60 = $2,400 and the packing line takes 25% of $18,500 = $4,625, so the year totals $7,025.00. In 2027 the van takes $7,200, the packing line 25% of $13,875 = $3,468.75, and the computers $1,200, for $11,868.75. Total depreciation over the schedule is $60,200, which is cost of $67,700 less salvage of $7,500.
Part years and the last year
An asset rarely starts on the first day of the year. The months in the first year set how much is taken in that year, and the remaining months of its life fall in later years. A van with 4 months in 2026 and a life of 5 years finishes with 8 months in 2031, which is why the register can run one year past the life.
In the final year the register takes exactly what is left above salvage, so the books end at the salvage value. This removes any leftover cents and keeps the balance exact.
Choosing the inputs
The method, life, salvage value and months in service are your decisions, based on how you use each asset and the rules you follow. Tax depreciation often uses fixed tables and conventions that are not modeled here, so a register from this page is a bookkeeping schedule and not a tax computation.
To study a single asset with other methods use the Depreciation Calculator or the Units of Production Depreciation Calculator.
Assumptions and limits
- Lives are whole years from 1 to 60, and cost must be above zero. Salvage value cannot exceed cost.
- Up to 30 assets are read. The first year can be any year from 1900 to 2200.
- Declining balance uses the rate you set divided by the life, applied to the opening net book value and scaled by the months in the period.
- Tax rules and tables are not applied. The schedule is only as correct as your inputs.
- Nothing typed here leaves your browser.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the schedule run past the life in years?
A part first year means the last year holds the leftover months. An asset with a 5 year life that starts in April covers 9 months in its first year and ends in the sixth calendar year.
What if my asset has no salvage value?
Enter 0. The full cost is then depreciated, and net book value ends at zero in the final year.
Why is declining balance not exactly one rate each year?
The first and last periods can be part years, and the last period takes the remainder above salvage. The years in between use the rate on the opening net book value, rounded to cents.
Does the total by year include assets not yet bought?
No. An asset is left out of the yearly table until its first year, and after its life ends it stays in the table at its salvage value.