Skip to content
OneKitly
Sign up · Sign in

Depreciation calculator (SL / DDB / SYD)

First-year depreciation and the book value it leaves, by any of the three standard methods: straight-line, double-declining-balance and sum-of-years'-digits. Enter cost, salvage value and useful life.

Related tools

All Savings & budgeting tools →
Actual cash value calculatorEstimate an item's actual cash value (ACV) — its depreciated worth for an insurance claim. Enter the replacement cost, age and expected lifespan, choose straight-line or declining-balance depreciation, and it returns the current value, the total depreciation and the percentage of life used.Compound interest calculatorSee how your money grows with compound interest and contributions.Life Insurance Calculator (DIME)Estimate the life insurance coverage you may need using the DIME method (Debt, Income, Mortgage, Education).RD calculator (recurring deposit)The maturity value of a recurring deposit — a fixed amount paid in every month that earns compound interest. Enter the monthly deposit, the annual rate, the compounding (quarterly is the bank standard) and the tenure; it returns the maturity amount, the total you paid in and the interest earned.Compound growth calculatorGrow an initial value at a steady compound rate over a number of periods: final value, total gain and the overall percentage growth. Periods can be years, months or anything consistent.Continuous compounding calculatorCompounding at every instant instead of yearly: FV = P·eʳᵗ. It gives the future value, the interest earned and the effective annual yield — the ceiling that ordinary compounding approaches as it compounds more often.Inflation calculatorSee how inflation changes the value of money over a number of years.Savings calculatorProject your savings from monthly deposits and an interest rate.

Enter Method, Asset cost, Salvage value, Useful life (years) and the Depreciation calculator (SL / DDB / SYD) works out First-year depreciation, Book value after year 1, Total depreciable base straight away. For instance, with Method = Straight-line, Asset cost = $25,000.00, Salvage value = $2,000.00 and Useful life (years) = 5 it returns First-year depreciation = $4,600.00, Book value after year 1 = $20,400.00 and Total depreciable base = $23,000.00.

How to use it

  1. Enter your values: Method, Asset cost, Salvage value, Useful life (years).
  2. Read the result instantly: First-year depreciation, Book value after year 1, Total depreciable base.

Frequently asked questions

How does the Depreciation calculator (SL / DDB / SYD) work?

It takes Method, Asset cost, Salvage value and Useful life (years) and derives First-year depreciation, Book value after year 1 and Total depreciable base from them. The calculation is live as you type, so the result updates on every change.

Which values does the calculator ask for?

4 values: Method, Asset cost ($), Salvage value ($) and Useful life (years). Nothing else is required — no account, no file upload.

What does a typical calculation look like?

With Method = Straight-line, Asset cost = $25,000.00, Salvage value = $2,000.00 and Useful life (years) = 5, the calculator returns First-year depreciation = $4,600.00, Book value after year 1 = $20,400.00 and Total depreciable base = $23,000.00. Those figures come from running this exact tool, so you can reproduce them by entering the same values.

How much does the result change with different inputs?

It moves a lot. Using Method = Double declining, Asset cost = $50,000.00, Salvage value = $4,000.00 and Useful life (years) = 10 instead, First-year depreciation goes from $4,600.00 to $10,000.00 — which is why it is worth testing a few scenarios rather than trusting a single figure.

Which “Method” option should I choose?

You can pick between « Straight-line », « Double declining » and « Sum-of-years'-digits ». Each one changes what the calculator works out, so switch and compare — the default is « Straight-line ».

What does it give for smaller values?

Scaled down to Method = Straight-line, Asset cost = $12,500.00, Salvage value = $1,000.00 and Useful life (years) = 3, First-year depreciation comes out at $3,833.33. The relationship is worth checking at both ends before you rely on a single result.

When would I actually use this?

Planning a deposit, a safety net or a large purchase: how much to put aside each month, and how long a target takes at a given rate.

What is the most common mistake?

Reading a nominal rate as if it were real. Inflation is subtracted from the return, not from the capital, so a 3% account during 4% inflation loses purchasing power every year.

How accurate is it, and what are the limits?

Estimate only — not financial or tax advice.

What is the difference between the Depreciation calculator (SL / DDB / SYD) and the Actual cash value calculator?

This one returns First-year depreciation and Book value after year 1; the Actual cash value calculator returns Actual cash value and Total depreciation. That is the whole difference — open the one whose figure you need.

Further reading

All guides →
ComparisonThree Schedules for One Machine: Straight Line, Declining Balance, Units of ProductionA $50,000 machine with a $5,000 salvage value and a five-year life. Straight line deducts $9,000 in year one, double declining balance $20,000, and MACRS $10,000. The lifetime total is the same; only the timing moves — and the timing is worth about $320.ExplainerActual Cash Value: The Subtraction You Agreed To Before the LossA twelve-year-old roof that costs $20,000 to replace is worth $10,400 on a straight-line schedule. After a $2,000 deductible, an actual cash value policy pays $8,400 and a replacement cost policy pays $18,000 — same roof, same loss, $9,600 apart.ComparisonBuying or Leasing Equipment: Which Number Actually Decides ItThe received wisdom is that the tax treatment of depreciation settles the buy-or-lease question. Modelled on a 60,000-euro machine over five years, it does not: it ranks third, and a long way behind. Here is the ranking, computed, and the conditions under which it flips.ExplainerThe Two Clocks of a Like-Kind Exchange: 45 Days, 180 Days, and What Boot CostsSell at $700,000 with a $300,000 basis and the gain is $400,000. Buy back at $640,000 and the $60,000 you kept is boot — taxed now, at 25 percent, because it is depreciation coming home. The 45 and 180 days start on the same day; they do not run one after the other.How-toHow Much Life Insurance Do You Need? The DIME MethodSkip the vague rules of thumb. The DIME method — Debt, Income, Mortgage, Education — gives you a defensible number for how much life cover your family actually needs.How-toHow Long to Reach a Savings Goal: A Step-by-Step MethodWork out exactly how many months a savings goal will take from your monthly deposit, starting balance and interest rate — with worked examples.