Explanation of the Topic...Depreciation
|
Featured Testimonial (View All)"This site is a blessing. Thank you for having the spirit of a teacher and not a salesman." – C. from Colorado |
| Part 1 | Introduction to Depreciation, Book vs. Tax Depreciation, Book Depreciation Illustrated, Journal Entries for Depreciation |
| Part 2 | Use of Estimates, Accelerated Depreciation |
| 05/02 | How does the purchase of a new machine affect the profit and loss stat.. The purchase of a new machine that will be used in a business will affect the profit.. |
| 04/25 | How much do you depreciate an asset and when? Depreciation begins when you place an asset in service and it ends when you take an .. |
| 04/23 | Why would the cost behavior change outside of the relevant range of ac.. Cost behavior often changes outside of the relevant range of activity due to a chang.. |
| 04/11 | Is it acceptable for companies to use two methods of depreciation? Yes, many companies use two or more methods of depreciation. It is acceptable and .. |

View All Depreciation Q&A
Buildings, machinery, equipment, furniture, fixtures, computers, outdoor lighting, parking lots, cars, and trucks are examples of assets that will last for more than one year, but will not last indefinitely. During each accounting period (year, quarter, month, etc.) a portion of the cost of these assets is being used up. The portion being used up is reported as Depreciation Expense on the income statement. In effect depreciation is the transfer of a portion of the asset's cost from the balance sheet to the income statement during each year of the asset's life.
The calculation and reporting of depreciation is based upon two accounting principles:
There are several depreciation methods allowed for achieving the matching principle. The depreciation methods can be grouped into two categories: straight line depreciation and accelerated depreciation.
The assets mentioned above are often referred to as fixed assets, plant assets, depreciable assets, constructed assets, and property, plant and equipment. It is important to note that the asset land is not depreciated, because land is assumed to last indefinitely.
AccountingCoach.com's discussion of depreciation is limited to the depreciation entered into the company's general ledger (or books) and reported on the company's financial statements. These amounts are based on accounting principles. The amounts resulting from the accounting principles are often different from the amounts based on the Internal Revenue Service code and regulations. Hence the depreciation on the financial statements will likely be legitimately different from the depreciation on the company's tax returns. [To learn about the depreciation for income tax purposes, you should review the Internal Revenue Service publications (available via the Internet) and/or consult a tax professional.]
Assumptions
To illustrate depreciation used in the accounting records and on the financial statements, let's assume the following facts:
Calculation of Straight-line Depreciation
The most common method of depreciating assets for financial statement purposes (as opposed to the method used for income tax purposes) is the straight-line method. Under this depreciation method, the depreciation for each full year is the same amount.
The depreciation expense for a full year when computed under the straight-line method is illustrated here:
|
If a company's accounting year ends on December 31, the company will report the depreciation expense on the company's income statement as shown in the following depreciation schedule:
| Depreciation Expense: |
The actual cash paid by the company for this equipment will occur as follows:
| Cash Paid: |
As you can see, the company paid $10,500 in 2007, but the 2007 income statement reports Depreciation Expense of only $1,000. (Because the asset was acquired on July 1, 2007, only half of the annual depreciation expense amount is recorded in 2007 and 2012.) In each of the years 2008 through 2011 the company's income statements will report $2,000 of Depreciation Expense, thereby matching $2,000 of Depreciation Expense with the revenues earned in each of those years. However, the company will not pay out any cash for this expense during those years. The company's net income before income taxes will be reduced in each of the years 2008 – 2011 by $2,000—but the Cash account will not be reduced. This explains why Depreciation Expense is sometimes referred to as a noncash expense.
| Special Feature: | ||
Review what you are learning by working the three interactive crossword puzzles dedicated to this topic. They are completely free. Click here for the Depreciation Puzzles
| ||
The depreciation for the financial statements is entered into the accounts via a general journal entry. Assuming that the company prepares only annual financial statements the journal entries can be prepared as of the last day of each year:
| Date | Account Name | Debit | Credit | |
| December 31, 2007 | Depreciation Expense | 1,000 | ||
| Accumulated Depreciation | 1,000 | |||
| December 31, 2008 | Depreciation Expense | 2,000 | ||
| Accumulated Depreciation | 2,000 | |||
| December 31, 2009 | Depreciation Expense | 2,000 | ||
| Accumulated Depreciation | 2,000 | |||
| December 31, 2010 | Depreciation Expense | 2,000 | ||
| Accumulated Depreciation | 2,000 | |||
| December 31, 2011 | Depreciation Expense | 2,000 | ||
| Accumulated Depreciation | 2,000 | |||
| December 31, 2012 | Depreciation Expense | 1,000 | ||
| Accumulated Depreciation | 1,000 | |||
If monthly financial statements were prepared, 1/12 of the annual amounts would be entered monthly.
Note that the account credited in the journal entries is not the asset account Equipment. Instead, the credit is entered in the contra asset account Accumulated Depreciation. The use of this contra account will allow the asset Equipment to continue to report the equipment's cost, while also reporting in the account Accumulated Depreciation the amount that has been charged to Depreciation Expense since the asset was acquired. For example, as of December 31, 2008 the Equipment account will have a debit balance of $10,500. On the same day, the account Accumulated Depreciation will have a credit balance of $3,000. In T-account form, it looks like this:
Debit |
Credit | |||||
| July 1, 2006 ENTRY | 10,500 | |||||
Debit |
Credit | |||||
| 1,000 | ENTRY Dec. 31, 2006 | |||||
| 2,000 | ENTRY Dec. 31, 2007 | |||||
| 3,000 | Balance Dec. 31, 2007 | |||||
The $10,500 debit balance in Equipment minus the $3,000 credit balance in Accumulated Depreciation equals $7,500. This net amount of $7,500 is referred to as the book value or as the carrying value of the equipment.
|
![]() Now you can highlight, make notes, and study away
|
![]() | Interactive Drills for Depreciation |
![]() | Crossword Puzzles for Depreciation |
![]() | Word Scramble for Depreciation |
