In: Accounting
On July 1, 2017, Sport Company purchased for $3,600,000 snow-making equipment having an estimated useful life of 5 years with an estimated salvage value of $150,000. Depreciation is taken for the portion of the year the asset is used.
During 2019, the company determined that the equipment would be useful to the company for only one more year beyond 2019. Salvage value is estimated at $200,000. What is the depreciation base of this asset?
Please help me understand how to calculate the depreciation base. I've seen some answers on this forum that calculate a net book value by 2019, but my textbook just uses cost less salvage value without taking into account accumulated depreciation for each year, so I am confused as to which approach is correct. Thanks!
Change in useful life of assets and residual value is considered as a change in accounting estimates, both in IFRS and US GAAP. For change in accounting estimates, the respective standards require the impact of change to be applied on a prospective basis. The application of this is outlined in following steps:
- Consider the book value of the asset as on date of change
- Re-compute the estimated depreciable amount as on the date of change
- Take revised estimate of useful life as on date of change
- Calculated depreciation based on above 2 amounts.
IN the given case, application will be as follows:
Book value as on 31 Dec 2019 (before 2019 depreciation) will be USD 2.565 mn (calculated as below)
Revised salvage value is 200,000. Therefore, the depreciable amount is (2,565,000-200,000=2,365,000)
Now. the asset is expected to be used only for 1 year beyond 2019, i.e. the asset needs to be depreciated by 2020, i.e. including 2019, we have 2 years to write down the asset to salvage value. Therefore, remaining useful life (before 2019 depreciation) is 2 years. Therefore, the depreciable value of USD 2,365,000 will be split equally over 2019 and 2020. Depreciation in 2019 will therefore be (2,365,000/2=1,182,500). Assuming there are no further changes in estimates, the same amount will appear as depreciation in 2020.
Please comment in case any part of the solution is not clear, happy to help.