How to account for an increase in the useful life of a fixed asset

Asset classes can be split into two groups which are: Tangible and Intangible. Tangible assets include: cash, inventory and fixed assets. Tangible assets last for an appreciable period of time. Intangible assets include: goodwill, patents and trademarks. Intangible assets last for a very long period of time. An increase in the useful life of a fixed asset is the increase in the useful life of the fixed asset from the initial date of acquisition.

Fixed assets are an important component of the business accounting system. In order to use the accounting information on fixed assets, the owner must be able to determine the useful life of the fixed assets or the length of time it will take to recover their capitalized cost. The accounting for fixed assets is based on the residual value of an asset, which is the amount of money left after any other expense has been deducted from the original cost of the asset. For example, if you purchased a lamp for $100, but it only cost $50 to manufacture the lamp, the lamp has a residual value of $50.

Home » Bookkeeping » How to account for an increase in the useful life of a fixed asset

Oct 30, 2020
Bookkeeping by Adam Hill

Learn How to Determine a Tangible Asset’s Useful Life

You can deduct only a portion of the cost based on the percentage of miles driven for business purposes. Three popular methods for calculating the depreciation deduction are bonus depreciation, MACRS, and Section 179. Finally, management might be less optimistic in estimating the useful life when fixed assets are purchased. This would allow the management to increase the useful life of fixed assets later on.

For example, altering a useful life from two years to four years doubles the time over which depreciation is recognized, which cuts the amount of depreciation expense recognized per period in half. A business isn’t required to get rid of an asset just because it reaches the end of its useful life — that is, when it has been fully depreciated. If an asset is still in working order, the company is free to keep using it as long as it wants.

You can claim car depreciation of $20,000 using Section 179 and carry forward the remaining $30,000 to future tax years. There are three methods of car depreciation, which are special depreciation allowance for cars, MACRS, depreciation for cars, and Section 179 deduction for car depreciation. The useful life of an asset is an accounting estimate of the number of years it is likely to remain in service for the purpose of cost-effective revenue generation. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employs useful life estimates to determine the amount of time during which an asset can be depreciated.

Second, we compare this amount to the maximum limit, which is $10,000 for cars and light trucks or $25,000 for certain heavy trucks and SUVs. When driving a car for business purposes, you can deduct the purchase price of the car over one to five years.

The MACRS method is available if more than 50% of the miles you drive are for business purposes. MACRS is calculated after taking the special depreciation allowance or Section 179 deduction. The useful life of an asset is an estimation of the length of time the asset can reasonably be used to generate income and be of benefit to the company. Useful life does not refer to the length of time the asset will last. The useful life of identical assets varies by user, and that life depends on the asset’s age, frequency of use, condition of the business environment, and repair policy.

An asset’s net book value is the original purchase cost subtracted by the asset’s accumulated depreciation, the total depreciation expense from all previous periods. The Section 179 deduction is further limited by business income for the year.

• Three methods for calculating car depreciation are the special depreciation allowance, modified accelerated cost recovery system (MACRS) depreciation, and the Section 179 deduction.
• The purchase price is typically deducted over one to five years using a process called depreciation.
• Entrepreneurs who drive cars, trucks, vans, or SUVs for business can deduct part of the vehicle purchase price from their taxes.

What is useful life equipment?

Useful life is the estimated lifespan of a depreciable fixed asset, during which it can be expected to contribute to company operations. This is an important concept in accounting, since a fixed asset is depreciated over its useful life.

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At most, the Section 179 deduction you can reduce your taxable business income to zero. In other words, if your car depreciation is done using a Section 179 deduction, it cannot generate a loss. However, any excess Section 179 deduction carries forward to the following tax year.

The special depreciation allowance and the Section 179 deduction are optional methods of calculation and can only be utilized in the first year that a car is used for business purposes. MACRS depreciation is the standard method for calculating depreciation recognized by the IRS. Depreciation is how the costs of tangible and intangible assets are allocated over time and use. Both public and private companies use depreciation methods according to generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, to expense their assets. Depreciation expense provides a way for recovering the purchase cost of an asset.

Tangible Asset, Useful Life, and the IRS

This is an important concept in accounting, since a fixed asset is depreciated over its useful life. Thus, altering the useful life has a direct impact on the amount of depreciation expense recognized by a business per period.

There are a variety of factors that can affect useful life estimates, including usage patterns, the age of the asset at the time of purchase and technological advances. Useful life is the estimated lifespan of a depreciable fixed asset, during which it can be expected to contribute to company operations.

Calculating the Section 179 deduction for cars is a two-step process. First, we calculate the business portion of the car’s purchase price, also known as the depreciable basis.

Additional factors that affect an asset’s useful life include anticipated technological improvements, changes in laws, and economic changes. Depreciation using the straight-line method reflects the consumption of the asset over time and is calculated by subtracting the salvage value from the asset’s purchase price. That figure is then divided by the projected useful life of the asset.

Even though the Section 179 deduction goes up to $1 million, it’s limited to your net income. Let’s say your company spends $50,000 on five cars during the year, and your net income is $20,000.

Depreciation expense is a non-cash charge against revenue, which allows companies to set aside part of the revenue as funds for future asset replacement. Without charges of depreciation expense, the portion of revenue might have been inappropriately used for other purposes. If the business use percentage for your car is 50% or less, you can still take a deduction for car depreciation. In this situation, you calculate your car depreciation using the straight-line method over five years. Also, this car would not be eligible for the Section 179 deduction or the special depreciation allowance.

In this article, we outline the basics of depreciation and the best way to calculate this value for tax purposes. Depreciation represents the specific use of a company’s assets in an accounting period. When companies make large purchases, they will record the items as assets.

A company is free to make use of the most appropriate depreciation method for its business operations. Accounting theory suggests that companies should make use of a depreciation method that closely reflects the company’s’ economic circumstances. Thus, companies can choose a method that allocates the asset cost to accounting periods according to benefits received from the use of the asset. Depreciation expense is the periodically allocated cost of an asset’s original purchase value over the service life of the asset. Using depreciation expense helps companies better match asset uses with the benefits provided by an asset.

How is useful life calculated for depreciation?

The useful life is defined as the period of time over which the equipment will depreciate. If the useful life for your equipment is known to be different than the general useful life applied, please let the Capital Asset Accounting team know on the tag report.

For accounting in particular, depreciation concerns allocating the cost of an asset over a period of time, usually its useful life. When a company purchases an asset, such as a piece of equipment, such large purchases can skewer the income statement confusingly. Instead of appearing as a sharp jump in the accounting books, this can be smoothed by expensing the asset over its useful life. There are three methods for calculating the tax deduction for car depreciation.

Entrepreneurs who drive cars, trucks, vans, or SUVs for business can deduct part of the vehicle purchase price from their taxes. The purchase price is typically deducted over one to five years using a process called depreciation. Three methods for calculating car depreciation are the special depreciation allowance, modified accelerated cost recovery system (MACRS) depreciation, and the Section 179 deduction. To claim a deduction for car depreciation, you will need to file Form 4562. This tax form is used to claim the special depreciation allowance, MACRS depreciation, and the Section 179 deduction for assets that you use in your business, including cars.{“@context”:”https://schema.org”,”@type”:”FAQPage”,”mainEntity”:[{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Can you extend the useful life of an asset?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:” Yes, you can extend the useful life of an asset by using it more efficiently.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”How do you account for asset improvements?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:” The company has been able to improve its asset base through the acquisition of new assets and the sale of some older assets.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”How do fixed assets increase value?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:” Fixed assets increase in value when they are used to produce goods or services.”}}]}

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you extend the useful life of an asset?

Yes, you can extend the useful life of an asset by using it more efficiently.

How do you account for asset improvements?

The company has been able to improve its asset base through the acquisition of new assets and the sale of some older assets.

How do fixed assets increase value?

Fixed assets increase in value when they are used to produce goods or services.