Double Declining Balance Method A Complete guide with Explanation

Like in the first year calculation, we will use a time factor for the number of months the asset was in use but multiply it by its carrying value at the start of the period instead of its cost. Since the assets will be used throughout the year, there is no need to reduce the depreciation expense, which is why we use a time factor of 1 in the depreciation schedule (see example below). Enter the straight line depreciation rate in the double declining depreciation formula, along with the book value for this year. If something unforeseen happens down the line—a slow year, a sudden increase in expenses—you may wish you’d stuck to good old straight line depreciation. While double declining balance has its money-up-front appeal, that means your tax bill goes up in the future. Also, in some cases, certain assets are more valuable or usable during the initial year of their lives.

• Even though year five’s total depreciation should have been $5,184, only $4,960 could be depreciated before reaching the salvage value of the asset, which is $8,000.
• Under the double declining balance method the 10% straight line rate is doubled to 20%.
• This may be true with certain computer equipment, mobile devices, and other high-tech items, which are generally useful earlier on but become less so as newer models are brought to market.
• At the beginning of the first year, the fixture’s book value is $100,000 since the fixtures have not yet had any depreciation.

This is unlike the straight-line depreciation method, which spreads the cost evenly over the life of an asset. The double declining balance depreciation method is a form of accelerated depreciation that doubles the regular depreciation approach. It is frequently used to depreciate fixed assets more heavily in the early years, which allows the company to defer income taxes to later years. The double declining balance method of depreciation, also known as the 200% declining balance method of depreciation, is a form of accelerated depreciation. This means that compared to the straight-line method, the depreciation expense will be faster in the early years of the asset’s life but slower in the later years.

Example of DDB Depreciation

Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team. Notice in year 5, the truck is only depreciated by $129 because you’ve reached the salvage value of the truck. While some accounting software applications have fixed asset and depreciation management capability, you’ll likely have to manually record a depreciation journal entry into your software application.

What that means is we are only depreciating the asset to its salvage value. Double declining balance (DDB) depreciation is an accelerated depreciation method. DDB depreciates the asset value at twice the rate of straight line depreciation. If you file estimated quarterly taxes, you’re required to predict your income each year. Since the double declining balance method has you writing off a different amount each year, you may find yourself crunching more numbers to get the right amount. You’ll also need to take into account how each year’s depreciation affects your cash flow.

Depreciation example with first four functions

Firms depreciate assets on their financial statements and for tax purposes in order to better match an asset’s productivity in use to its costs of operation over time. Under the DDB depreciation method, book value is an important part of calculating double declining balance method an asset’s depreciation, as you’ll need to know the asset’s original book value to calculate how it will depreciate over time. However, over the course of an asset’s useful life, its book value will change each year as it depreciates.

It will appear as a depreciation expense on your yearly income statement. Under IRS rules, vehicles are depreciated over a 5 year recovery period. (An example might be an apple tree that produces fewer and fewer apples as the years go by.) Naturally, you have to pay taxes on that income. But you can reduce that tax obligation by writing off more of the asset early on.

What is the double declining depreciation rate?

The total amount of depreciation taken over the entire life of the asset should equal the depreciable cost (cost minus salvage value). You can manually adjust the depreciation expense taken to equal the depreciable cost, or you can include additional formulas to make sure that the total depreciation equals the depreciable cost. If you are interested, these additional formulas are included in the Excel workbook and produce the results shown in the screenshot below. Depreciation is the act of writing off an asset’s value over its expected useful life, and reporting it on IRS Form 4562. The double declining balance method of depreciation is just one way of doing that.

• We can incorporate this adjustment using the time factor, which is the number of months the asset is available in an accounting period divided by 12.
• To calculate the double-declining depreciation expense for Sara, we first need to figure out the depreciation rate.
• This article will serve as a guide to understanding the DDB depreciation method by explaining how it works, why it can be beneficial, and its potential downsides.
• Sara wants to know the amounts of depreciation expense and asset value she needs to show in her financial statements prepared on 31 December each year if the double-declining method is used.
• An asset for a business cost $1,750,000, will have a life of 10 years and the salvage value at the end of 10 years will be $10,000.
• In case of any confusion, you can refer to the step by step explanation of the process below.

However, if the company chose to use the DDB depreciation method for the same asset, that percentage would increase to 20%. The company would deduct $9,000 in the first year, but only $7,200 in the second year. If you’ve ever wondered why your shiny new car takes a huge value hit the first few years you own it, you’re not alone. This form of accelerated depreciation, known as Double Declining Balance (DDB) depreciation, is actually common method companies use to account for the expense of a long-lived asset. This is the fixture’s cost of $100,000 minus its accumulated depreciation of $36,000 ($20,000 + $16,000). The book value of $64,000 multiplied by 20% is $12,800 of depreciation expense for Year 3.

Definition of Double Declining Balance Method

These are just a few of the HR functions accounting firms must provide to stay competitive in the talent game. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts. Some of his most popular published works include his writing about economic terms and research into job classifications. Accountingo.org aims to provide the best accounting and finance education for students, professionals, teachers, and business owners. Don’t worry—these formulas are a lot easier to understand with a step-by-step example. If you’re using the wrong credit or debit card, it could be costing you serious money.

The first four (cost, salvage, life, and period) are required and the same as used in the DB function. The fifth argument, factor, is optional and determines by what factor to multiply the rate of depreciation. If it is left blank, Excel will assume the factor is 2 — the straight-line depreciation rate times two, which is double-declining-balance depreciation. The “double” means 200% of the straight line rate of depreciation, while the “declining balance” refers to the asset’s book value or carrying value at the beginning of the accounting period. On the other hand, with the double declining balance depreciation method, you write off a large depreciation expense in the early years, right after you’ve purchased an asset, and less each year after that.

What Does the Declining Balance Method Tell You?

However, the total amount of depreciation expense during the life of the assets will be the same. The double-declining balance depreciation (DDB) method, also known as the reducing balance method, is one of two common methods a business uses to account for the expense of a long-lived asset. Similarly, compared to the standard declining balance method, the double-declining method depreciates assets twice as quickly.

The book value, or depreciation base, of an asset, declines over time. For reasons of simplicity and brevity, the depreciation methods demonstrated in this article use https://www.bookstime.com/ only the required arguments. Several of the depreciation functions include optional arguments to allow for more complex facts, such as partial-year depreciation.