Scribd
Upload
5K views7 pages

Depreciation Types and Examples

The document discusses four main types of depreciation methods used in accounting: 1) Straight-line depreciation calculates equal expense amounts each year; 2) Double declining balance depreciation results in larger expenses in earlier years; 3) Units of production depreciation bases expense on units produced; 4) Sum-of-years digits depreciation uses an accelerated method where more expense is incurred in early years. Depreciation allocates the cost of an asset over its useful life. The examples demonstrate how to calculate expense for each method.

Uploaded by

Shimelis Tesema
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
5K views7 pages

Depreciation Types and Examples

The document discusses four main types of depreciation methods used in accounting: 1) Straight-line depreciation calculates equal expense amounts each year; 2) Double declining balance depreciation results in larger expenses in earlier years; 3) Units of production depreciation bases expense on units produced; 4) Sum-of-years digits depreciation uses an accelerated method where more expense is incurred in early years. Depreciation allocates the cost of an asset over its useful life. The examples demonstrate how to calculate expense for each method.

Uploaded by

Shimelis Tesema
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 7

What Are the Main Types of Depreciation Methods?

There are several types of depreciation expense and different formulas for determining
the book value of an asset. The most common depreciation methods include:

1. Straight-line
2. Double declining balance
3. Units of production
4. Sum of years digits

Depreciation expense is used in accounting to allocate the cost of a tangible asset over its
useful life. In other words, it is the reduction of value in an asset over time due to usage,
wear and tear, or obsolescence. The four main depreciation methods mentioned are
explained in detail below.

#1 Straight-Line Depreciation Method

Straight-line depreciation is a very common and simple method of calculating the expense.
In straight-line depreciation, the expense amount is the same every year over the useful life
of the asset.

Depreciation Formula for the Straight Line Method:

Depreciation Expense = (Cost – Salvage value) / Useful life

Example

Consider a piece of equipment that costs $25,000 with an estimated useful life of 8 years and
a $0 salvage value. The depreciation expense per year for this equipment would be as
follows:

Depreciation Expense = ($25,000 – $0) / 8 = $3,125 per year


#2 Double Declining Balance Depreciation Method

Compared to other depreciation methods, double-declining-balance depreciation results in


larger expense in the earlier years as opposed to the later years of an asset’s useful life. The
method reflects the fact that assets are more productive in its early years than in its later
years. With the double-declining-balance method, the depreciation factor is 2x that of a
straight line expense method.

Depreciation formula for the double declining balance method:

Periodic Depreciation Expense = Beginning book value x Rate of depreciation

Example

Consider a piece of property, plant, and equipment (PP&E) that costs $250,000 with an
estimated useful life of 8 years and a $2,500 salvage value. To calculate the double declining
balance depreciation, set up a schedule:
The information on the schedule is explained below:

1. The beginning book value of the asset is filled in at the beginning of year 1 and the
salvage value is filled in at the end of year 8.
2. The rate of depreciation (Rate) is calculated as follows:

Expense = (100% / Useful life of asset) x 2

Expense = (100% / 8) x 2 = 25%

Note: Since this is a double declining method, we multiply the rate of depreciation by 2.

3. Multiply the rate of depreciation by the beginning book value to determine the expense
for that year. For example, $25,000 x 25% = $6,250 depreciation expense.

4. Subtract the expense from the beginning book value to arrive at the ending book value.
For example, $25,000 – $6,250 = $18,750 ending book value.

5. The ending book value for that year is the beginning book value for the following year. For
example, the year 1 ending book value of $18,750 would be the year 2 beginning book value.
Repeat this until the last year of useful life.

Learn more in CFI’s Accounting Courses.


#3 Units of Production Depreciation Method

Units-of-production depreciation method depreciates assets based on the total number of


hours used or the total number of units to be produced over its useful life.

The formula for the units-of-production method:

Depreciation Expense = (Number of units produced / Life in number of units) x (Cost –


Salvage value)

Example

Consider a machine that costs $25,000 with an estimated total unit production of 100 million
and a $0 salvage value. During the first quarter of activity, the machine produced 4 million
units.

To calculate the depreciation expense using the formula above:

Depreciation Expense = (4 million / 100 million) x ($25,000 – $0) = $1,000


#4 Sum-of-the-Years-Digits Depreciation Method

Sum-of-the-years-digits method is one of the accelerated depreciation methods. A higher


expense is incurred in the early years while lower expense is incurred in the latter years of the
asset.

In sum-of-the-years digits depreciation method, the remaining life of an asset is divided by


the sum of the years and then multiplied by the depreciating base to determine the expense.

The depreciation formula for the sum-of-the-years-digits method:

Depreciation Expense = (Remaining life / Sum of the years digits) x (Cost – Salvage
value)

Consider the following example to more easily understand the concept of the sum-of-the-
years-digits depreciation method.

Example

Consider a piece of equipment that costs $25,000 with an estimated useful life of 8 years and
a $0 salvage value. To calculate the sum-of-the-years-digits depreciation method, set up a
schedule:

The information in the schedule is explained below:

1. The depreciation base is constant throughout the years and is calculated as follows:

Depreciation Base = Cost – Salvage value


Depreciation Base = $25,000 – $0 = $25,000

2. The remaining life is simply the remaining life of the asset. For example, at the beginning
of the year, the asset has a remaining life of 8 years. The following year, the asset has a
remaining life of 7 years, etc.

3. RL / SYD is “remaining life divided by sum of the years.” In this example, the asset has a
useful life of 8 years. Therefore, the sum of the years would be 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8
= 36 years. The remaining life in the beginning of year 1 is 8. Therefore, the RM / SYD = 8 /
36 = 0.2222.

4. The RL / SYD number is multiplied by the depreciating base to determine the expense for
that year.

5. The same is done for the following years. In the beginning of year 2, RL / SYD would be 7 /
36 = 0.1944. 0.1944 x $25,000 = $4,861 expense for year 2.

Learn more in CFI’s Accounting Courses.

Summary of Depreciation Methods

Below is the summary of all four depreciation methods from the examples above.

You might also like