Depreciation Calculator

Create a year-by-year depreciation schedule using straight-line, declining-balance or double-declining-balance methods. Enter cost, salvage value and useful life to see opening and closing book values and accumulated depreciation, never going below salvage value.

Finance Runs client-side Free to use

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About the Depreciation Calculator

Depreciation Calculator builds a year-by-year book-value schedule for an asset. Enter its cost, salvage (residual) value and useful life in whole years, and choose straight line, declining balance or double-declining balance. Each row shows the opening book value, the depreciation for the year, accumulated depreciation and the closing book value.

Straight line spreads (cost − salvage) evenly over the useful life. Declining-balance methods apply a fixed rate to each year’s opening book value: double-declining uses 200% ÷ useful life, and declining balance uses 150% ÷ useful life unless you enter your own rate. The book value never goes below salvage, and an option depreciates the remaining amount in the final year. This is a book-value illustration, not a tax or accounting calculation; standards, tax rules and local regulations may require different methods.

How to use

Enter the asset cost, salvage value and useful life.
Choose a depreciation method and, for declining balance, optionally a custom rate.
Optionally enter a start date to label each year’s period.
Click Calculate to see the schedule and the formulas used.
Copy the summary or download it, or download the schedule as CSV.

Key features

Straight-line, declining-balance and double-declining-balance methods.
Optional custom declining-balance rate.
Salvage-value floor in every method.
Optional final-year adjustment down to salvage value.
Year-by-year schedule with optional date periods and CSV download.
Amounts rounded to 2 decimals so columns add up.
Copy Summary, Download Summary, Download CSV, Reset and Back.

Best practices

Use the method and useful life your accounting policy or adviser specifies.
Estimate salvage value realistically; it changes every method’s result.
Compare methods to understand how they shift depreciation between years.
Remember that tax depreciation rules often differ from book depreciation.
Keep the CSV with your records for reference.

Benefits

Clear, auditable schedules in seconds.
Easy comparison of depreciation methods.
Formulas shown so you can check every figure.
Private: nothing is uploaded or stored.

Frequently asked questions

How is straight-line depreciation calculated?

Yearly depreciation = (cost − salvage value) ÷ useful life. For an asset costing 500,000 with salvage 50,000 over 5 years, that is 90,000 a year.

How does double-declining balance work?

Each year, depreciation = opening book value × (200% ÷ useful life), but never more than the amount above salvage value. It front-loads depreciation into the early years.

What rate does declining balance use?

If you leave the rate blank, it uses 150% ÷ useful life. You can enter any rate above 0% and up to 100% instead.

Why does the schedule stop at salvage value?

Salvage value is the amount you expect the asset to be worth at the end of its life, so book value is never depreciated below it.

Can I use this for my tax return?

No. Tax depreciation often uses prescribed rates, asset blocks and conventions that differ from book methods. This tool is not tax, accounting or compliance advice.

Does it handle part-year depreciation?

No. Each year is a full year. The optional start date only labels the periods.

Is my information saved or sent anywhere?

No. Every calculation runs in your browser. The numbers you enter and the results are not uploaded, not looked up online and not saved in browser storage. Reset clears them from the page.