Set Up Depreciation for an Asset
Once an asset is in your fleet, you can tell Rentablez how it should lose value over time. Set the method, useful life, and starting cost once, and every monthly run works out the depreciation and current book value for you — ready to export to your accountant at year-end. This page walks through setting up depreciation for a single asset unit from the Depreciation Register.
Depreciation defaults follow Schedule II of the Companies Act 2013, and periods align to the Indian Financial Year (1 April – 31 March). If you’d rather apply your org-wide defaults to lots of assets at once, see Bulk-Apply Defaults & Run Depreciation.
Before You Start
- You need the Asset Depreciation — Write permission (
asset_depreciation.write) to add or edit settings. With read-only access you can view the register but the settings gear won’t appear. - Depreciation is tracked per stock unit, so each physical asset gets its own settings — even two units of the same item can depreciate differently.
- You can’t edit settings for an asset that’s already Disposed. The gear and dispose actions disappear once a unit is retired.
Open the Settings Drawer
- Go to Asset Depreciation in the main menu to open the Depreciation Register.
- Find the asset unit you want (use the search box or the status/method filters at the top).
- In that row’s Actions column, click the Settings (gear) icon. The Depreciation settings drawer slides in from the right.
If the asset already has settings, the drawer opens pre-filled and the save button reads Update. For a brand-new setup it reads Create.
Fill In the Settings
The drawer has these fields:
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Method (required) | How value is written down — Straight-line (SLM) or Written-Down Value (WDV). |
| Useful life (months) (required) | How long the asset is expected to be in service. Defaults to 60 (5 years); minimum 1. |
| Capitalized cost | The value you’re depreciating from. Leave blank to default to the asset’s purchase price. |
| Salvage value | The residual value at the end of its life. Defaults to 0. |
| Depreciation rate (% per year) | The annual write-down rate. Only shown — and required — when the method is WDV. |
| Start date | When depreciation begins. Defaults to today. |
| Status | Active to depreciate on each run, or Paused to hold it in place. |
| Notes | Optional free-text note for your own reference. |
Choosing a Method
- Straight-line (SLM) spreads the depreciable amount evenly across the useful life — the same amount every period.
- Written-Down Value (WDV) applies a fixed percentage to the remaining book value each year, so more is written off early and less later.
Pick WDV and a Depreciation rate (% per year) field appears. It’s required — Rentablez won’t save a WDV setup without it. Enter the annual rate as a number, e.g.
15for 15%.
Useful Life, Cost & Salvage
- Useful life is entered in months, not years. So a 5-year life is
60, a 3-year life is36. The register shows this back to you in years. - Capitalized cost is the amount you’re writing down from. If you leave it empty, Rentablez uses the asset’s recorded purchase price.
- Salvage value is what the asset is expected to be worth at the end of its life; depreciation stops once book value reaches it.
Start Date & Status
- Start date decides when the first depreciation period begins. It defaults to today, but you can back-date it to when the asset was actually put into service.
- Set Status to Paused to temporarily stop depreciating a unit (for example, while it’s out of service) without losing its history. Switch it back to Active to resume.
Save
Click Create (or Update for an existing setup) at the bottom of the drawer. Rentablez saves the settings and closes the drawer, and the register row refreshes with the new method, life, and book value.
Depreciation doesn’t post the instant you save. New and updated settings are picked up on the next monthly run. To post right away, use Run depreciation now on the register — see Bulk-Apply Defaults & Run Depreciation.
Check Your Work
After saving, click the Schedule (trend) icon on the same row to see the projected depreciation entries and the book-value chart for that asset. See View an Asset’s Depreciation Schedule.