Depreciation Calculator
Enter an asset's cost, salvage value and useful life to see its depreciation each year under the straight-line and double-declining-balance methods, with the book value at the end of each year.
Asset
Amounts are in dollars and cents. Each schedule runs in whole years from the start of the asset's useful life.
What the asset cost to buy and get ready to use.
What you expect the asset to be worth at the end of its useful life. Leave empty or enter 0 for none.
A whole number of years from 1 to 100.
Straight-line depreciation per year
$9,600.00
Depreciable base (cost − salvage value): $48,000.00, over 5 years.
Double-declining-balance rate
Each year: the book value at the start of the year × 2 ÷ 5 (40%), rounded to the cent, without taking the book value below the salvage value.
Straight-line schedule (depreciation per year)
- Year 1$9,600.00(book value $48,400.00)
- Year 2$9,600.00(book value $38,800.00)
- Year 3$9,600.00(book value $29,200.00)
- Year 4$9,600.00(book value $19,600.00)
- Year 5$9,600.00(book value $10,000.00)
Double-declining-balance schedule (depreciation per year)
- Year 1$23,200.00(book value $34,800.00)
- Year 2$13,920.00(book value $20,880.00)
- Year 3$8,352.00(book value $12,528.00)
- Year 4$2,528.00(book value $10,000.00)
- Year 5$0.00(book value $10,000.00)
How depreciation is worked out
Straight-line depreciation per year = (cost − salvage value) ÷ useful life.
Double-declining-balance depreciation = book value at the start of the year × straight-line rate × 2, where the straight-line rate is 100% ÷ useful life. It can't take the book value below the salvage value.
Book value = cost − depreciation taken so far.
These formulas and the example come from section 11.3 of OpenStax Principles of Accounting, Volume 1: Financial Accounting (opened October 29, 2026), which defines salvage value as “the price the asset will sell for or be worth as a trade-in when its useful life expires.” Rounding to the cent is this calculator's own step: straight-line years are rounded down and the final year takes the cents left over, and each double-declining-balance year is rounded to the nearest cent.
In the example, an asset costs 58,000.00, has a salvage value of 10,000.00 and a useful life of 5 years. Straight-line depreciation is 48,000.00 ÷ 5 = 9,600.00 a year. The double-declining-balance rate is 40%, so the years are 23,200.00, 13,920.00 and 8,352.00. In year 4, 40% of 12,528.00 would take the book value below 10,000.00, so the depreciation is 2,528.00, and year 5 is 0.00. Both methods depreciate 48,000.00 in total.
These are accounting methods, not tax rules. For US federal income tax, see IRS Publication 946 (2025), How To Depreciate Property (opened October 29, 2026), which covers MACRS, the section 179 deduction and the special depreciation allowance. Its glossary says salvage value is “Not used under MACRS.”
For related guides, see what is amortization and what is capital expenditure. If you're paying for an asset with a loan, try the loan payment calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
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