Q.M/s Nishit printing press bought a printing machine for ₹6,80,000 on April 01, 2015. Depreciation was provided on straight line basis at the rate of 20% on original cost. On April 01, 2017 a modification was made in the machine to increase its technical reliability for ₹70,000. On the same date, an important component of the machine was replaced for ₹20,000 due to excessive wear and tear. Routine maintenance expenses during the year are ₹5,000. Prepare Machinery account, Provision for depreciation account. Show the working notes accordingly for the year ending March 31, 2018.
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🔒 Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Concept understanding — Depreciation Accounting
Depreciation Accounting — A First Look
Think about a new smartphone you buy for ₹50,000. After two years, if you try to sell it, you'll be lucky to get ₹20,000. The phone hasn't changed physically — it still works, it still makes calls — but its value has fallen. That fall in value is depreciation.
Now scale that up. A business buys a delivery van for ₹8,00,000. The van will be used for five years. At the end of five years, it might be sold as scrap for ₹50,000. The business knows, right from day one, that the van is losing value every year it is used. Depreciation accounting is simply the systematic way of recording that loss of value each year.
The precise meaning
Depreciation is the permanent, continuous, and gradual reduction in the book value of a fixed asset. It applies to tangible fixed assets — machinery, buildings, furniture, vehicles, computers — that have a useful life of more than one accounting period. Land is the major exception: land does not depreciate (unless it is a mine or quarry).
Three things cause depreciation:
- Wear and tear from use (a machine running 16 hours a day wears out faster)
- Passage of time even if unused (a car parked in a garage still loses value)
- Obsolescence (a computer becomes outdated long before it physically breaks)
Why does it matter?
If a business does not record depreciation, its profit will be overstated. Imagine a transport company that earns ₹10,00,000 in a year and spends ₹6,00,000 on fuel, salaries, and repairs. If it ignores the fact that its buses lost ₹2,00,000 in value, it will report a profit of ₹4,00,000. But the true profit — after accounting for the wearing out of buses — is only ₹2,00,000. The business is actually poorer than it looks.
Depreciation also ensures that the asset's cost is spread over the years it helps generate revenue. This is the matching principle in action: expenses should be recorded in the same period as the revenue they help earn.
The accounting treatment
There are two accounts involved in every depreciation entry:
- Depreciation Account — an expense account (nominal account)
- Asset Account — the fixed asset account (real account)
The journal entry is:
| Date | Particulars | L.F. | Debit (₹) | Credit (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depreciation A/c ……… Dr. | xxx | |||
| To Asset A/c | xxx | |||
| (Being depreciation charged on asset) |
Why this entry? Depreciation is an expense, so we debit the Depreciation Account (increase in expense). The asset's value is falling, so we credit the Asset Account (decrease in asset).
At the end of the year, the Depreciation Account is closed by transferring it to the Profit & Loss Account:
| Date | Particulars | L.F. | Debit (₹) | Credit (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit & Loss A/c ……… Dr. | xxx | |||
| To Depreciation A/c | xxx | |||
| (Being depreciation transferred to P&L) |
The Asset Account now shows a reduced balance — this is called the book value or written down value of the asset.
Depreciation is not a cash expense. No money leaves the business when depreciation is recorded. It is a non-cash charge that reduces profit but does not affect cash flow.
The two main methods
Straight Line Method (SLM)
Under this method, an equal amount of depreciation is charged every year over the asset's useful life.
Formula:
Depreciation per year = (Cost of asset – Estimated scrap value) ÷ Estimated useful life
Example: A machine costs ₹1,00,000, scrap value ₹10,000, useful life 5 years.
Depreciation per year = (1,00,000 – 10,000) ÷ 5 = ₹18,000 each year.
The asset's book value falls by a fixed amount every year — a straight line on a graph.
Written Down Value Method (WDV)
Under this method, depreciation is charged at a fixed rate on the reducing balance of the asset each year.
Formula:
Depreciation for the year = Book value at the beginning of the year × Rate of depreciation
Example: Same machine ₹1,00,000, rate 20% p.a.
Year 1: 1,00,000 × 20% = ₹20,000
Year 2: (1,00,000 – 20,000) × 20% = 80,000 × 20% = ₹16,000
Year 3: (80,000 – 16,000) × 20% = 64,000 × 20% = ₹12,800
The depreciation amount keeps falling each year, but the rate stays constant.
| Feature | Straight Line Method | Written Down Value Method |
|---------|---------------------|--------------------------|
| Annual charge | Equal every year | Declines over time | …
Both the ₹70,000 modification and the ₹20,000 component replacement are capitalised (total addition ₹90,000, raising the Machinery account to ₹7,70,000); the ₹5,000 routine maintenance is revenue expenditure. Depreciation for 2017-18 is ₹1,54,000. …
Additions ₹70,000 + ₹20,000 = ₹90,000 capitalised (Machinery → ₹7,70,000); ₹5,000 maintenance is revenue. Depreciation 2017-18 = ₹1,36,000 + ₹18,000 = ₹1,54,000.
Concept
Both a reliability-increasing modification and a component replacement due to wear and tear improve or restore the asset's efficiency, so both are capitalised and depreciated at the asset's rate. Routine maintenance stays revenue expenditure.
Machinery Account
| Date | Particulars | J.F. | Amount (₹) | Date | Particulars | J.F. | Amount (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Apr. 01 | Balance b/d | 6,80,000 | 2018 Mar. 31 | Balance c/d | 7,70,000 | ||
| 2017 Apr. 01 | Bank (Modification) | 70,000 | |||||
| 2017 Apr. 01 | Bank (Component replacement) | 20,000 | |||||
| Total | 7,70,000 | Total | 7,70,000 |
Provision for Depreciation Account
| Date | Particulars | J.F. | Amount (₹) | Date | Particulars | J.F. | Amount (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Mar. 31 | Balance c/d | 4,26,000 | 2017 Apr. 01 | Balance b/d | 2,72,000 |
- COHSEM Manipur Higher Secondary 1st Year (Commerce) 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Depreciation for business is –(a) Expenses(b) Income(c) Gain(d) Liability
›Reveal solutionSolution
The correct option is (a) Expenses.
Depreciation is the gradual, permanent and continuing fall in the value/usefulness of a fixed asset on account of use, wear and tear, efflux of time or obsolescence. Since it represents the cost of the asset's benefit consumed during the accounting period, it is treated as a **busines …
- COHSEM Manipur Higher Secondary 1st Year (Commerce) 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Profit or loss on realization of depreciation fund investment is transferred to –(a) Profit & Loss A/c(b) The Asset A/c(c) Depreciation Fund A/c(d) Trading A/c
›Reveal solutionSolution
The correct option is (c) Depreciation Fund A/c.
Under the Depreciation Fund (Sinking Fund) Method, the firm invests an amount equal to the annual depreciation charge in outside securities (Depreciation Fund Investments). When these investments are realised (sold) at the time the original asset needs replacement, any profit or loss arising on their sale is transferred to the Depreciation Fund Account itself (increasing or decreasing the fund that will be used to …
- COHSEM Manipur Higher Secondary 1st Year (Commerce) 2026Set ANNUAL1 markQ.How is the profit on sales of fixed asset transferred ?
›Reveal solutionSolution
Profit on sale of a fixed asset is shown as an income/gain in the Profit and Loss Account.
When a fixed asset is sold for more than its book value (written down value), the excess is a profit on sale of asset. Since it is not an operating/trading profit but still increases the net result of the business for the period, it is transferred to and shown on the **credit side of the Profit and …
- COHSEM Manipur Higher Secondary 1st Year (Commerce) 2024Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Amortisation refers to writing off : (A) Depleting Assets (B) Wasting Assets (C) Intangible Assets (D) Fictitious Assets
›Reveal solutionSolution
'Amortisation' is the term used for the systematic write-off of Intangible Assets (patents, copyrights, goodwill, trademarks), just as 'Depreciation' is used for tangible fixed assets.
The terms used for writing off the cost of different classes of assets are:
- Depreciation — for tangible fixed assets (machinery, furniture, building).
- Depletion — for wasting assets such as mines, quarries, oil wells (assets that physically diminish as they are extracted/used). …
- COHSEM Manipur Higher Secondary 1st Year (Commerce) 2022Set ANNUAL1 markQ.What is residual value of an asset ?
›Reveal solutionSolution
Residual value (also called scrap value or salvage value) is the estimated amount that an asset is expected to fetch when sold or disposed of at the end of its useful life, after deducting any expected disposal/removal costs.
Explanation: When a business buys a fixed asset (say machinery), the asset is used for a number of years (its useful life). At the end of that useful life, the asset may still be sold — as scrap, as second-hand equipment, or for its material value. The net amount the business expects to realise at that point (sale value less any costs of removal/disposal) is called the residual value.
Residual value is important because it directly affects the amount of depreciation charged every year:
…
- COHSEM Manipur Higher Secondary 1st Year (Commerce) 2022Set ANNUAL1 markQ.What is Depreciable Cost ?
›Reveal solutionSolution
Depreciable Cost is the total amount of an asset's cost that is to be spread (depreciated) over its useful life.
Explanation: Not the entire cost of a fixed asset is depreciated — only the part of the cost that is actually "used up." This is because, at the end of its useful life, the asset may still have some residual (scrap) value that can be recovered. So:
Depreciable Cost = (Original Cost of Asset + Expenses incurred to put the asset to use, e.g. installation, freight) − Estimated Residual Value
…
- COHSEM Manipur Higher Secondary 1st Year (Commerce) 2021Set ANNUAL1 markQ.What is residual value of an asset ?
›Reveal solutionSolution
Residual value (also called scrap value or salvage value) is the estimated amount a business expects to recover by selling or disposing of a fixed asset at the end of its useful life, after deducting any disposal/removal costs.
When a business estimates depreciation on a fixed asset, it must first estimate what the asset will be worth when it is finally retired from use — this estimated amount is the residual value. For example, a machine bought for ₹1,00,000 with an expected useful life of 10 years might be expected to sell as scrap metal for ₹10,000 at the end of that period; ₹10,000 is its residual value. Residual value is subtracted from the original cost to arrive at the Depreciable Cost, …
- COHSEM Manipur Higher Secondary 1st Year (Commerce) 2021Set ANNUAL1 markQ.What is Depreciable Cost ?
›Reveal solutionSolution
Depreciable Cost is the total amount of an asset's cost that is systematically allocated (written off) as depreciation expense over its estimated useful life.
It is calculated as:
Depreciable Cost = Historical (Acquisition) Cost of the asset − Estimated Residual (Scrap) Value
Here, the acquisition cost includes the purchase price plus any cost incurred to bring the asset to its present location and working condition (freight, installation, taxes, etc.). This Depreciable Cost is the base figure on which a chosen method (Straight Line, Written Down Value, etc.) is applied to determine the periodic depreciation charge. For example, if a machine costs ₹60,000 (including installation) and its estim …
- COHSEM Manipur Higher Secondary 1st Year (Commerce) 2020Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.AS-10 provide the method of accounting for —(a) Inventories(b) Depreciation(c) Fixed Assets(d) Revenue Recognition(a) Inventories(b) Depreciation(c) Fixed Assets(d) Revenue Recognition
›Reveal solutionSolution
AS-10 ('Accounting for Fixed Assets') prescribes the method of accounting for Fixed Assets. The correct option is (C) Fixed Assets.
Accounting Standard 10 (AS-10), issued by the ICAI, lays down the principles for recognising a fixed asset, determining its cost (purchase price, duties, and any cost directly attributable to bringing the asset to its working condition), and deciding how it should be shown and disclosed in the financial statements. It does not deal with Inventories (covered by AS-2), nor does it deal exclusiv …
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