Compute asset depreciation with straight-line, declining balance, or sum-of-the-years'-digits in your browser. Estimates only — not tax advice.
Depreciation Calculator Online
Compute asset depreciation with straight-line, declining balance, or sum-of-the-years'-digits in your browser. Estimates only — not tax advice.
The Depreciation Calculator runs entirely in your browser. The asset cost, salvage value, and schedule never leave your device and nothing is uploaded to ArrayKit. Estimates only — not financial or tax advice.
The Depreciation Calculator builds a year-by-year depreciation schedule for a fixed asset from its cost, salvage (residual) value, and useful life. Choose straight-line for an equal charge every year, declining balance for an accelerated method that applies a fixed rate to the remaining book value (with an adjustable factor, 2 for double declining), or sum-of-the-years'-digits (SYD) for a gentler front-loaded schedule. Every method stops exactly at the salvage value, so the book value never goes negative. It is useful for accountants, small-business owners, and students comparing depreciation methods for equipment, vehicles, or other fixed assets before recording them in the books. Results and the full schedule update instantly and never leave your device. Estimates only — not financial or tax advice; actual depreciation rules (including MACRS) vary by jurisdiction and asset class.
Features
Straight-line, declining balance, and sum-of-the-years'-digits (SYD) methods
Full year-by-year schedule showing depreciation and book value
Book value is automatically floored at the salvage value
Total depreciation over the asset's useful life at a glance
One-click copy of the complete schedule as plain text
Clear error guards on invalid cost, salvage, or life values
Runs entirely in your browser with no asset figures uploaded
How to use the Depreciation Calculator
Enter the asset's original cost and estimated salvage value
Enter the useful life in years
Pick a method: Straight-line, Declining balance, or SYD
For declining balance, optionally adjust the factor (default 2)
Review the yearly schedule and copy it for your records
Example
Input
$10,000, $1,000 salvage, 5 yr, SL
Output
$1,800/yr
Common errors & troubleshooting
Result shows 'Salvage value cannot be greater than the asset cost.' — Salvage value is what the asset is worth at the end of its useful life, so it must be less than or equal to the original cost.
Declining balance depreciation looks too small in later years. — That is expected — declining balance applies the rate to the shrinking book value each year, so the dollar amount decreases even though the percentage rate stays fixed.
The schedule ends early with a smaller final-year amount. — The Depreciation Calculator caps depreciation at the salvage value in every method, so the last year or two may charge less than the full formula amount to avoid going below salvage.
SYD and declining balance give different first-year numbers than expected. — Double declining balance uses a fixed rate (factor / life) on book value, while SYD weights the depreciable base by years remaining — they front-load depreciation differently, so compare both before choosing.
Frequently asked questions
What depreciation methods does the Depreciation Calculator support?
Straight-line (an equal amount every year), declining balance (an accelerated method with an adjustable factor, 2 for double declining), and sum-of-the-years'-digits, or SYD (a gentler accelerated method). All three stop at the salvage value.
How does the Depreciation Calculator compute straight-line depreciation?
Straight-line depreciation = (cost − salvage value) / useful life, charged evenly every year. For a $10,000 asset with a $1,000 salvage value over 5 years, that is $1,800 per year.
What is double declining balance in this calculator?
Double declining balance sets the declining-balance factor to 2 and applies a rate of factor / useful life to the asset's current book value each year, which front-loads depreciation. You can change the factor to model other declining-balance rates.
Can this calculator produce a MACRS depreciation schedule?
It computes straight-line, declining balance, and SYD schedules based on the cost, salvage value, and life you enter. MACRS uses fixed IRS percentage tables and half-year conventions that differ by asset class, so treat this as an estimate and confirm exact MACRS figures with a tax professional.
Does the Depreciation Calculator upload my asset figures?
No. The Depreciation Calculator runs entirely in your browser. The cost, salvage value, and life you enter never leave your device and are not uploaded to ArrayKit.
Why does the book value stop exactly at the salvage value?
An asset should never be depreciated below its estimated salvage value. The calculator automatically caps each year's depreciation so the book value lands on, and stays at, the salvage value once the schedule reaches it.
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