Calculate Straight-Line Depreciation

The Calculate Straight-Line Depreciation tool helps you instantly figure out how much value an asset loses each year using the simplest depreciation method. Enter the asset’s cost, salvage value, and useful life, and you’ll see the annual depreciation amount along with a year-by-year breakdown if you want it.

This tool gives fast, clean results with no spreadsheets or formulas needed. Just type in your numbers and it does the math right on the page.

Options
Show Yearly Breakdown
Round Values
Maximize Output

How to Use:

  1. Enter the Asset Cost what you paid for it.
  2. Enter the Salvage Value what you expect it to be worth at the end.
  3. Enter the Useful Life in years.
  4. Use the Options to:
    • Show or hide the year-by-year breakdown
    • Toggle whether values should be rounded to the nearest dollar
  5. The output updates live as you type and flashes to show it changed.
  6. Use Export, Copy, or Clear All at the bottom as needed.

What Calculate Straight-Line Depreciation can do:

The Calculate Straight-Line Depreciation tool simplifies your accounting or tax prep by breaking depreciation into even yearly chunks. With the breakdown toggle, you can see how much value is lost each year. The rounding switch makes it easy to format values if you’re reporting on paper or estimating rough totals.

It’s useful whether you’re tracking a single laptop or an entire list of company equipment. Instant updates mean you can adjust salvage value or useful life and immediately see the impact on your yearly figures.

Example:

Settings:Asset Cost: 10000, Salvage Value: 1000, Useful Life: 5Show Breakdown: ON, Round Values: OFF

Output:

Annual Depreciation: 1800
Year 1: 1800
Year 2: 1800
Year 3: 1800
Year 4: 1800
Year 5: 1800
Total Depreciation: 9000.00

Common Use Cases:

Use this for equipment write-offs, tax calculations, or simple business reporting. It’s great for freelancers, accountants, students, or anyone managing assets who just wants a clear, instant answer without touching a calculator.

Useful Tools & Suggestions:

If you’re using straight-line depreciation, the Double Declining Balance Depreciation Tool is worth a look it’s more aggressive early on, so it’s helpful to compare the two side by side. You might also try the Depreciation Calculator for Real Estate if you’re dealing with property, since straight-line is the go-to method for that category.

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