Accounting

    Depreciation Schedule Generator

    Generates depreciation schedules for fixed assets using straight-line and declining balance methods. Shows annual depreciation expense, accumulated depreciation, and net book value for each asset over its useful life.

    Accounting - Depreciation Schedule Generator.xlsx

    Excel (.xlsx) — No macros — Works in Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice

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    What This Spreadsheet Solves

    • Producing compliant depreciation schedules for financial reporting
    • Comparing straight-line vs. accelerated depreciation methods
    • Tracking net book value of each asset at any point in time
    • Planning capital expenditure replacement based on remaining useful life
    • Calculating total depreciation expense for income tax deductions

    Who This Is For

    • Accountants preparing fixed asset registers
    • Controllers managing capital asset records
    • Tax preparers calculating depreciation deductions
    • Business owners tracking equipment and property values

    Inputs

    • textAsset name
    • $Purchase cost
    • $Salvage value
    • #Useful life
    • dateAcquisition date
    • textDepreciation method

    Outputs

    • Annual depreciation expense per asset
    • Accumulated depreciation per year
    • Net book value at end of each year
    • Total depreciation expense across all assets
    • Remaining useful life per asset

    How Calculations Work

    For straight-line, annual depreciation equals the purchase cost minus salvage value divided by useful life in years. For declining balance, depreciation is a fixed percentage of the remaining book value each year, typically double the straight-line rate. The schedule runs year by year until the asset reaches salvage value or the useful life ends. Accumulated depreciation and net book value are updated at each step.

    Example Use Case

    Scenario: A delivery van costs $45,000, has a salvage value of $5,000, and a useful life of 8 years using straight-line depreciation.

    Result: Annual depreciation is $5,000. After year 3, accumulated depreciation is $15,000 and net book value is $30,000. The asset fully depreciates to $5,000 salvage value at the end of year 8.

    What You Get — 5 Sheets

    READMEDefines depreciation methods, explains the difference between straight-line and declining balance, and notes rounding conventions.
    INPUTAccepts asset details including name, cost, salvage value, useful life, acquisition date, and selected depreciation method.
    LOGICComputes annual depreciation for each method, builds the year-by-year schedule, and enforces the salvage value floor.
    OUTPUTDisplays the depreciation schedule per asset in a table with annual expense, accumulated depreciation, and book value columns.
    CONFIGSets the declining balance rate multiplier, fiscal year start month, and whether to apply partial-year depreciation in the acquisition year.

    Technical Details

    File Format:.xlsx (Open XML)
    Macros:None — pure formulas
    Compatibility:Excel 2016+, Google Sheets, LibreOffice
    Input Cells:Clearly marked with blue background
    Formulas:All outputs are live Excel formulas
    Protection:LOGIC sheet formulas protected, INPUT cells editable

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can I depreciate an asset for a partial first year?

    Yes. Enable partial-year depreciation in CONFIG. The template pro-rates the first year based on the acquisition date relative to the fiscal year start.

    What is the declining balance rate?

    By default it uses double-declining balance (2x the straight-line rate). You can change the multiplier in the CONFIG sheet to 1.5x or any other factor.

    How many assets can I track?

    The INPUT sheet supports up to 50 assets. Each gets its own schedule row set on the LOGIC and OUTPUT sheets.

    Does it switch from declining balance to straight-line?

    Not automatically. Some tax rules require switching methods when straight-line produces a larger deduction. You would need to manually adjust the method in the year of switchover.

    Can I use this for intangible assets like software?

    Yes, if the intangible has a finite useful life. Enter it as you would any other asset. The calculation is identical; only the accounting classification differs.

    Download Depreciation Schedule Generator

    Ready to use immediately. Enter your data in the INPUT sheet, see results in OUTPUT.