Is Depreciation Expense Debit or Credit?

Accumulated depreciation is a repository for depreciation expenses since the asset was placed in service. Depreciation expense gets closed, or reduced to zero, at the end of the year with other income statement accounts. Since accumulated depreciation is a balance sheet account, it remains on your books until the asset is trashed or sold.

Accumulated depreciation is nested under the long-term assets section of a balance sheet and reduces the net book value of a capital asset. Since accumulated depreciation is a credit entry, the balance sheet can show the cost of the fixed asset as well as how much has been depreciated. From there, we can calculate the net book value of the asset, which in this example is $400,000. Accumulated depreciation is the cumulative depreciation of an asset that has been recorded. Depreciation expenses a portion of the cost of the asset in the year it was purchased and each year for the rest of the asset’s useful life.

Example of a Decrease in Accumulated Depreciation

Hence, the amount of accumulated depreciation at the end of the third year is $3,000 which will be included in the balance sheet as the contra account for the cost of equipment. Likewise, the net book value of the equipment is $2,000 at the end of the third year. The amount of accumulated depreciation for an asset will increase over time, as depreciation continues to be charged against the asset.

• In Year 1, Company ABC would recognize $2,000 ($10,000 x 20%) of depreciation and accumulated depreciation.
• The first step is to record this year’s depreciation for the equipment being sold.
• Now, that we have an understanding of depreciation expense, is it recorded as a debit or credit?
• Although it is reported on the balance sheet under the asset section, accumulated depreciation reduces the total value of assets recognized on the financial statement since assets are natural debit accounts.

When the asset was originally purchased, the company had a net cash outflow in the entire amount of the purchased asset, so over time, there is no further cash-related activity. Hence, as an expense, depreciation is recorded on the income statement to represent how much of an asset’s value has been used up for that year. A depreciation journal entry records the current depreciation amount as a debit to a Depreciation expense account and a credit to an Accumulated Depreciation contra-asset account. Accumulated depreciation appears on the balance sheet as a reduction from the gross amount of fixed assets reported. It is usually reported as a single line item, but a more detailed balance sheet might list several accumulated depreciation accounts, one for each fixed asset type. Accumulated depreciation is recorded as a contra asset via the credit portion of a journal entry.

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Annual Depreciation Expense Calculation Example

For the purposes of this discussion, we will assume that the asset being disposed of is a fixed asset. In other words, the depreciated amount in the formula above is the beginning balance of the accumulated depreciation on the balance sheet of the company. Likewise, the accumulated depreciation in the formula represents the accumulated depreciation at the end of the accounting period which is the cutoff period that the company prepares the financial statements. Accumulated Depreciation is a contra asset account that normally has a credit balance and is credited when increased, which is the exact opposite of its parent Asset account that normally has a debit balance and is debited when increased. Calculating accumulated depreciation is a simple matter of running the depreciation calculation for a fixed asset from its acquisition date to the current date. Each period in which the depreciation expense is recorded, the carrying value of the fixed asset, i.e. the property, plant and equipment (PP&E) line item on the balance sheet, is gradually reduced.

According to the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), each expense must be recognized under the rules of accrual accounting—whether they are cash or noncash—if they are involved in the production of revenue. Financial analysts will create a depreciation schedule when performing financial modeling to track the total depreciation over an asset’s life. Accumulated depreciation is a real account (a general ledger account that is not listed on the income statement). The balance rolls year-over-year, while nominal accounts like depreciation expense are closed out at year end. Since the asset has a useful life of 5 years, the sum of year digits is 15 (5+4+3+2+1). Divided over 20 years, the company would recognize $20,000 of accumulated depreciation every year.

Each year, the depreciation expense account is debited by the calculated depreciation amount, expensing a portion of the asset for that year, while the accumulated depreciation account is credited for the same amount. Over the years, as the depreciation expense is charged against the value of the fixed asset, the accumulated depreciation increases. The journal entry for depreciation expense is a debit entry because it is an expense. As earlier said the offset to the depreciation expense debit entry would be a credit to the accumulated depreciation account (which is a contra-asset account). A contra-asset account has a contrary entry to the natural debit balance of the asset account.

Accumulated depreciation is recorded as well, allowing investors to see how much of the fixed asset has been depreciated. The net difference or remaining amount that has yet to be depreciated is the asset’s net book value. Assume that ABC company had paid $480,000 for its office building (excluding land). Say this building has an estimated useful life of 40 years (which is 480 months) with no salvage value. Using the straight-line method of depreciation, calculate the depreciation expense to be reported on each of the company’s monthly income statements and show the journal entry for this.

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Accounting Adjustments and Changes in Estimate

Under the double-declining balance (also called accelerated depreciation), a company calculates what its depreciation would be under the straight-line method. Then, the company doubles the depreciation rate, keeps this rate the same across all years the asset is depreciated and continues to accumulate depreciation until the salvage value is reached. The percentage can simply be calculated as twice of 100% divided by the number of years of useful life. In this article, we will discuss debit and credit and why accumulated depreciation is not reported as a debit but as a credit.

This strategy is employed to fairly allocate depreciation expense and accumulated depreciation in years when an asset may only be used for part of a year. The balance sheet would reflect the fixed asset’s original price and the total of accumulated depreciation. The straight-line method is the easiest way to calculate accumulated depreciation. With the straight-line method, you depreciate assets at an equal closing entries closing procedure amount over each year for the rest of its useful life. At the end of the year, Company A uses the straight-line method to calculate the depreciation for the van, arriving at an annual expense of $2,000 ($20,000 purchase price / 10 years of useful life). While the depreciation expense is the amount recognized each period, the accumulated depreciation is the sum of all depreciation to date since purchase.

Understanding Accumulated Depreciation

A liability is a future financial obligation (i.e. debt) that the company has to pay. Accumulation depreciation is not a cash outlay; the cash obligation has already been satisfied when the asset is purchased or financed. Instead, accumulated depreciation is the way of recognizing depreciation over the life of the asset instead of recognizing the expense all at once.

A debit entry, on the other hand, will increase expense or asset accounts while reducing equity, revenue or liability. In double-entry accounting, the debits and credit entries record changes in value resulting from business transactions. As a result, a debit entry in an account would basically mean a transfer of value to that account, whereas a credit entry would mean a transfer of value from the account. By having accumulated depreciation recorded as a credit balance, the fixed asset can be offset. In other words, accumulated depreciation is a contra-asset account, meaning it offsets the value of the asset that it is depreciating. As a result, accumulated depreciation is a negative balance reported on the balance sheet under the long-term assets section.

What is the Accounting Entry for Depreciation?

The accumulated depreciation for an asset or group of assets increases over time as depreciation expenses are credited against the assets. Assume that a company purchased a delivery vehicle for $50,000 and determined that the depreciation expense should be $9,000 for 5 years. Therefore, after three years the balance in Accumulated Depreciation will be a credit balance of $27,000 and the vehicle’s book value will be $23,000 ($50,000 minus $27,000).

Hence, it appears on the balance sheet as a reduction from the gross amount of fixed assets reported. For accounting purposes, the depreciation expense account is debited, and the accumulated depreciation is credited when recording depreciation. That is, when recording depreciation in the general ledger, a company has to debit depreciation expense and credit accumulated depreciation.