Depreciation Calculator
Spread the cost of an asset over its useful life using straight-line, double declining balance or sum-of-the-years-digits depreciation, with a full yearly schedule. It runs in your browser.
Also searched as: straight line depreciation calculator · declining balance depreciation calculator · asset depreciation calculator · depreciation schedule
Updated November 9, 2026
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How to use it
- 1
Enter cost and salvage value
Type what the asset cost and what it should be worth at the end.
- 2
Set the useful life
Enter the number of years you will use it.
- 3
Choose a method
Pick a method and read the yearly schedule.
Questions about depreciation calculator
What is salvage value?
What you expect the asset to be worth at the end of its useful life.
Which method should I use?
Straight line spreads the cost evenly. The other two take more in the early years. Use the method your accountant or tax rules require.
Why is the last year adjusted for declining balance?
The declining balance method never reaches the salvage value by itself, so the last year takes the remainder to end exactly at salvage.
Three methods compared
Depreciation spreads the cost of an asset over the years you use it. Take a 25,000 machine with a salvage value of 2,500 and a life of 5 years. Each method writes off the same 22,500 in total, but at a different pace: straight line takes an equal amount every year, while the other two take more in the early years.
| Year | Straight line | Double declining | Sum of the years digits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4,500.00 | 10,000.00 | 7,500.00 |
| 2 | 4,500.00 | 6,000.00 | 6,000.00 |
| 3 | 4,500.00 | 3,600.00 | 4,500.00 |
| 4 | 4,500.00 | 2,160.00 | 3,000.00 |
| 5 | 4,500.00 | 740.00 | 1,500.00 |
| Total | 22,500.00 | 22,500.00 | 22,500.00 |
Choosing a method
Straight line suits assets that give about the same use every year. Double declining balance and the sum of the years digits suit assets that lose value or earn most in their early years, such as vehicles and computers. The book value is the cost less the depreciation so far, and it ends at the salvage value.
Double declining balance takes twice the straight-line rate of the remaining book value each year, and the tool adjusts the last year so the book value ends exactly at salvage. Tax rules often use their own methods, such as capital cost allowance in Canada or MACRS in the US, so use this tool for an accounting schedule and your accountant for the tax return.