Recall that the asset’s book value declines each time that depreciation is credited to the related contra asset account Accumulated Depreciation. Using the actual miles, we multiply by the factor to determine depreciation expense. Net Book Value is calculated by taking the cost of the asset and subtracted the accumulated depreciation. The units-of-activity depreciation method is also called the units of production method.

Thus,
when a change is made (1) there is no correction of previously recorded
depreciation expense, and (2) depreciation expense for current and future years
is revised. ¨ The IRS allows corporate taxpayers to deduct
depreciation expense when computing taxable income. This method can be used either in case an entity desires to register low depreciation during periods of low productivity or in case it seeks high depreciation during high productivity times.

Activity Depreciation

In the first accounting year that the asset is used, the 20% will be multiplied times the asset’s cost since there is no accumulated depreciation. In the following accounting years, the 20% is multiplied times the asset’s book value at the beginning of the accounting year. This differs from other depreciation methods where an asset’s depreciable cost is used. To introduce the concept of the units-of-activity method, let’s assume that a service business purchases unique equipment at a cost of $20,000.

• The components of service that must be provided, the rate per unit of service, the maximum number of units available, and other negotiated conditions are all set out in this contract.
• It is really hard to estimate, as we need to make assumptions over another assumption.
• If the asset has no salvage value, the Net Book Value will be zero when the asset is fully depreciated.

The depreciation amount per month will depend on the actual output, so it will not be fixed from month to month. In the high season, the production increase as well as the depreciation expense. The unit-of-activity method is a little different method for calculating depreciation. What it does is, it takes a total number of units a plant or asset is expected to produce during its lifetime for the depreciation purpose. Assume that a company acquires a robot that is expected to be useful for performing a simple operation on 100,000 units of product.

of Depreciation

¨ During the useful life of a plant asset, a
company may incur costs for ordinary repairs, additions, and improvements. ¨ The computation of annual depreciation expense
is based on estimates. ¨ Depreciation
is the process of allocating to expense the cost of a plant asset over its
useful (service) life in a rational and systemic manner. By dividing the amount of inventory sold off during the calculation period by the price to produce each unit individually, calculate the number of units sold by total valuation. For a unit that costs $100 to produce, for example, $250,000 in sales would equal 2500 units sold in total during the sales period. This is due to the fact that output levels can vary significantly from year to year, making it difficult to create an accurate estimate.

• Activities Based Depreciation will be calculated base on the production output of the machinery.
• ¨ The retirement of an asset is recorded by
  decreasing Accumulated Depreciation for the full amount of depreciation taken
  over the life of the asset.
• ¨ Intangibles do not usually use a contra asset
  account like the contra asset account Accumulated Depreciation used for plant
  assets.
• In either case, the objective is to determine the correct measure for the asset’s useful life.

This method assigns a depreciation expense to each unit of activity that the asset is used for. This expense is based on the amount of revenue that the asset helped generate and the amount of time it was used. This allows businesses to more accurately track the depreciation of their assets. Depreciation of units of activity is one of a variety of depreciation methods.

What Does the Unit of Production Method Tell You?

The MUP depreciation method involves selecting a measure for the asset’s use. In either case, the objective is to determine the correct measure for the asset’s useful life. Choosing the right measure can be difficult if the asset is used in many different production processes. To use this method, the owner must elect exclusion from MACRS by the return due date for the tax year the property is initially placed into service. The “double” or “200%” means two times straight-line rate of depreciation.

The robot has a cost of $225,000 and is expected to have a salvage value of $25,000 at the end of the 100,000 operations. Under the units-of-activity method, the company will record $2 of depreciation for every robot operation. (Cost of $225,000 – $25,000 of expected salvage value divided by the expected 100,000 operations.) In an accounting year when 8,000 robot operations occur, the depreciation will be $16,000. In a year when 23,000 operations occur, the depreciation will be $46,000. The robot depreciation will continue until a total of $200,000 of depreciation has been taken (and the book value will be $25,000). By the total number of units produced by the asset over its estimated useful life Then you multiply the unit cost rate by the number of units produced during the period.

Appendix – Calculation of Depreciation Using

The units of activity method of depreciation matches an asset’s expense with its revenue. Hence, the activity method of depreciation is suitable for machines and vehicles that depreciate at a high rate during the productive year. But it is not ideal for assets that depreciate with the passage of time. The units of activity method of depreciation is a way to calculate how much of an asset’s value has been lost through use and age.

Activity-Based Depreciation expense is suitable for the assets which produce countable output. It is very popular for the plant and machinery in manufacturing as they are easily linked with production. For a piece of equipment, units could be how many products the equipment can be expected to produce. Ü Compute periodic depreciation using the straight-line
method assuming a cost of $10,000, zero salvage value, and a 5-year useful
life.

It can be used for long-lived plant assets

Over the equipment’s useful life, the business estimates that the equipment will produce 5,000 valuable items. Assuming there is no salvage value for the equipment, the business will report $4 ($20,000/5,000 items) of depreciation expense for each item produced. If expensing vs capitalizing in finance 80 items were produced during the first month of the equipment’s use, the depreciation expense for the month will be $320 (80 items X $4). If in the next month only 10 items are produced by the equipment, only $40 (10 items X $4) of depreciation will be reported.

¨ Straight-line depreciation is the most widely
used method of depreciation. ¨ The
revenue-producing ability of a depreciable asset declines during its useful
life because of wear and tear. ¨ It is important for companies to (1) keep assets
in good operating condition, (2) replace worn-out or outdated https://online-accounting.net/ assets, and (3)
expand its productive assets as needed. ¨ Plant
assets are resources that have physical substance (a definite size and
shape), are used in the operations of a business, and are not intended for sale
to customers. V     
Indicate how long-lived assets are reported on
the balance sheet.