Basic information about the fixed asset:
- Asset Cost - 36,000
- Salvage Value - 3,000
- Life - 5 years
- Highlighted - Highest depreciation expense that year
| Year | SLN – Straight Line | DB – Declining Balance | DDB – Double Declining Balance | SYD – Sum of the Years Digits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6,600 | 14,112 | 14,400 | 11,000 |
| 2 | 6,600 | 8,580 | 8,640 | 8,800 |
| 3 | 6,600 | 5,217 | 5,184 | 6,600 |
| 4 | 6,600 | 3,172 | 3,110 | 4,400 |
| 5 | 6,600 | 1,928 | 1,666 | 2,200 |
| Total | 33,000 | 33,009 | 33,000 | 33,000 |
The three accelerated methods (DB, DDB, and SYD) calculate more depreciation in the early years, and straight line (SL) returns more depreciation expense in the later years. DDB is slightly faster than DB in this table. However, that difference between the two can be increased or decreased by adjusting the factor used in the DDB formula.
Notice that the declining balance method does not properly sum to the total cost less salvage value of the asset. This could create bookkeeping issues when balancing to your depreciation expense schedules.
Live examples in Sheets
Go to this spreadsheeet for a live version of the above table that you can study and use anywhere you would like.