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Depreciation

What is Depreciation?

Depreciation is a financial accounting concept that refers to the allocation of the cost of a fixed asset, such as a piece of machinery or equipment, over its useful life. This process is used to reflect the decline in value of the asset due to factors such as wear and tear, obsolescence, and other depreciation causes.

In business, depreciation is recorded as a non-cash expense on the income statement. This means that it does not affect the company's cash flow, but it does impact the net income. There are various methods for calculating depreciation, including straight-line depreciation, declining balance depreciation, and sum-of-the-years'-digits depreciation. The choice of method may depend on the asset type and the company's accounting policies.

For example, if a company purchases a machine for $100,000 and expects it to have a useful life of 10 years, it may choose to allocate the cost of the machine over those 10 years using the straight-line depreciation method. This would result in a depreciation expense of $10,000 per year for 10 years. At the end of the 10-year period, the company would have recorded a total depreciation expense of $100,000, which represents the original cost of the machine.

Depreciation is an important concept in accounting because it allows companies to spread the cost of long-term assets over the period of time during which they are used, rather than recognizing the entire cost in the year the asset is purchased. This helps provide a more accurate representation of the company's financial performance and financial position.


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