BYTETOOLS

Depreciation Calculator

Build a year-by-year depreciation schedule using straight line, declining balance, double declining, sum of years digits, units of production or MACRS.

$9,000.00
First-year depreciation
$45,000.00
Depreciable base
$45,000.00
Total depreciation
$5,000.00
Ending book value

Schedule — 5 years

Depreciation expense, accumulated depreciation and book value by year
YearRateDepreciationAccumulatedBook value
1 · 202520.000%$9,000.00$9,000.00$41,000.00
2 · 202620.000%$9,000.00$18,000.00$32,000.00
3 · 202720.000%$9,000.00$27,000.00$23,000.00
4 · 202820.000%$9,000.00$36,000.00$14,000.00
5 · 202920.000%$9,000.00$45,000.00$5,000.00

Straight line, declining balance, sum of the years’ digits and units of production all stop at the salvage floor. MACRS ignores salvage value and recovers the full basis; the seeded percentages are computed from the declining-balance method with the switch to straight line under the convention you pick, and match IRS Publication 946 Tables A-1 to A-7 to within 0.01 percentage points (the published tables are rounded so each column totals exactly 100%). Paste the official figures into the box if you need an exact match. Book depreciation and tax depreciation are different things — check with your accountant.

What is the Depreciation Calculator?

The ByteTools Depreciation Calculator turns an asset's cost, salvage value and useful life into a complete year-by-year schedule.

  • Six methods including MACRS with half-year, mid-quarter and mid-month conventions
  • Double declining balance switches to straight line automatically at the crossover year
  • Every method stops at the salvage floor so book value never goes below it
  • Editable MACRS percentage table — paste official IRS figures to override
  • Expense, accumulated depreciation and book value for every year
  • One-click CSV export of the full schedule

How to use the Depreciation Calculator

  1. 1

    Pick a depreciation method and currency, then enter the asset cost, salvage value and useful life.

  2. 2

    For declining balance, set the factor — 150 for 150% DB or 200 for double declining.

  3. 3

    For units of production, enter the total lifetime units and the units produced in each year.

  4. 4

    For MACRS, choose the property class and convention; the recovery percentages appear in a box you can edit.

  5. 5

    Read the schedule and download it as a CSV for your fixed-asset register.

About the Depreciation Calculator

The ByteTools Depreciation Calculator turns an asset's cost, salvage value and useful life into a complete year-by-year schedule. Pick a method and it shows the expense, accumulated depreciation and book value for every year, then lets you download the whole schedule as a CSV for your fixed-asset register.

Six methods are covered: straight line, declining balance at any factor, double declining with an automatic switch to straight line, sum of the years' digits, units of production, and MACRS for US tax depreciation with half-year, mid-quarter and mid-month conventions. The MACRS recovery percentages appear in an editable box so you can paste the official IRS figures if a table changes.

Everything is computed locally in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Book depreciation and tax depreciation follow different rules, so treat this as a planning estimate and confirm the treatment with your accountant.

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate straight line depreciation?

Subtract the salvage value from the cost and divide by the useful life in years. An asset costing 50,000 with a 5,000 salvage value over five years depreciates at (50,000 − 5,000) ÷ 5 = 9,000 a year, every year, until the book value reaches the salvage figure.

What is the difference between declining balance and double declining balance?

Both apply a fixed rate to the shrinking book value rather than to the original cost. Double declining uses twice the straight-line rate and switches to straight line over the remaining life once that gives a bigger deduction, which is what guarantees the asset is fully depreciated.

What are the MACRS depreciation percentages?

For five-year property under the half-year convention they are 20.00%, 32.00%, 19.20%, 11.52%, 11.52% and 5.76% of the original basis. This calculator derives them from the declining-balance method with the switch to straight line, matching the published IRS tables to within a hundredth of a percentage point.

Does MACRS use salvage value?

No. MACRS recovers the entire depreciable basis and ignores salvage value completely, which is one of the main differences from book depreciation. The calculator disables the salvage figure in MACRS mode and always brings the book value down to zero.

Which depreciation method should I use?

Straight line is the default for financial reporting because it is simple and spreads the cost evenly. Accelerated methods suit assets that lose most of their value early, and units of production suits machinery whose wear tracks output rather than time. Tax depreciation is usually prescribed rather than chosen.

Is my asset data uploaded anywhere?

No. The whole schedule is built inside your browser and the CSV is generated on your device, so nothing about your assets is transmitted or stored.

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