Asset value and depreciation

How assets lose value over time and how that is treated for tax and accounting.

28 terms in this topic

Accelerated depreciation

Accelerated depreciation is any depreciation method that front-loads deductions, so a business claims more of an asset's cost in the early years of its life and less later.

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Aggregate trailer mass (ATM)

Aggregate trailer mass (ATM) is the maximum a fully loaded trailer or caravan may weigh when uncoupled, tow ball weight included, as set by its manufacturer.

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ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program)

ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program) is the independent body that crash-tests new vehicles sold in Australia and New Zealand and publishes safety ratings from zero to five stars.

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Asset

An asset is anything a business or person owns or controls that is expected to produce future economic benefit, such as cash, equipment, vehicles, property or receivables.

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Asset disposal

Asset disposal is the sale, trade-in, scrapping or retirement of a business asset, which takes it off the asset register and triggers accounting and tax adjustments.

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BEV

A BEV is a battery electric vehicle: a car driven entirely by an electric motor and a rechargeable battery, with no petrol or diesel engine on board.

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Capital allowances

Capital allowances are the tax deductions you can claim for the decline in value of depreciating assets, such as plant and equipment, that you hold to produce assessable income.

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Capital expenditure (CapEx)

Capital expenditure (CapEx) is money a business spends to buy or improve fixed assets such as buildings, plant and vehicles, rather than on day-to-day running costs.

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Depreciation

Depreciation is the fall in an asset's value over time, spread across the years the asset is used so the cost can be claimed as a tax deduction.

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Depreciation schedule

A depreciation schedule is a report that lists an asset's cost, its effective life and the depreciation you can claim against income each year.

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Economic life

Economic life is the period during which an asset keeps earning enough to justify running it, after allowing for maintenance costs, lost efficiency, new technology and market demand.

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Gross combination mass (GCM)

Gross combination mass (GCM) is the maximum a vehicle and everything it is towing can legally weigh together, as set by the vehicle's manufacturer.

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Gross trailer mass (GTM)

Gross trailer mass (GTM) is the maximum weight a loaded trailer or caravan may place on its own axles while hitched to the tow vehicle, set by the trailer manufacturer.

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Gross vehicle mass (GVM)

Gross vehicle mass (GVM) is the maximum a vehicle can legally weigh when fully loaded, including fuel, passengers, accessories and cargo, as set by the manufacturer.

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Hull identification number (HIN)

A hull identification number (HIN) is the unique 14-character code on a boat's hull that identifies the vessel for registration, insurance and PPSR finance checks.

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Instant asset write-off

The instant asset write-off is a tax concession that lets eligible businesses deduct the full cost of a depreciating asset in the year of first use, up to a threshold.

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PHEV

A PHEV is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle: a car with a petrol engine and a battery you charge from a socket, giving a limited electric-only range.

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Reducing balance depreciation

Reducing balance depreciation is a depreciation method that charges a fixed percentage of an asset's written-down value each year, so the deduction starts high and falls over time.

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Residual value

Residual value is the amount a leased car or asset is expected to be worth when the lease ends, set at the start and used to calculate the rentals.

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Salvage value

Salvage value is the informal name for what AASB 116 calls an asset's residual value: what it will fetch at the end of its useful life.

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Straight-line depreciation

Straight-line depreciation is a method that spreads an asset's cost, less its expected salvage value, evenly over its useful life so the same amount is deducted each year.

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Technological obsolescence

Technological obsolescence is the loss of an asset's usefulness, value or resale market because newer technology, standards or business models have superseded it, even though it may still work.

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Temporary full expensing

Temporary full expensing is a time-limited tax concession that let eligible businesses deduct a qualifying asset's full cost in its first year of use instead of over its effective life.

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Total cost of ownership (TCO)

Total cost of ownership (TCO) is the full cost of buying, financing, running and disposing of an asset over a set period, not just its purchase price.

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Useful life

Useful life is the period an asset is expected to be available for use by a business, and the number of years over which its cost is depreciated.

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Vehicle identification number (VIN)

A vehicle identification number (VIN) is the unique 17-character code a manufacturer stamps on a vehicle, used to identify it on registration, insurance and finance records.

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Write-off

A write-off is an accounting entry that removes an asset or unpaid customer invoice from the books because it no longer has recoverable value, recording the loss against profit.

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Written-down value (WDV)

Written-down value (WDV) is a depreciating asset's cost less the depreciation claimed so far, and the base for future deductions and for gains or losses on disposal.

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