Question

what is depreciation? ​

Answer 1

Definition: The monetary value of an asset decreases over time due to use, wear and tear or obsolescence. This decrease is measured as depreciation. Machinery, equipment, currency are some examples of assets that are likely to depreciate over a specific period of time.

Answer 2

Explanation:

Depreciation is the process of deducting the total cost of something expensive you bought for your business. But instead of doing it all in one tax year, you write off parts of it over time. When you depreciate assets, you can plan how much money is written off each year, giving you more control over your finances.

The number of years over which you depreciate something is determined by its useful life (e.g., a laptop is useful for about five years). For tax depreciation, different assets are sorted into different classes, and each class has its own useful life. If your business uses a different method of depreciation for your financial statements, you can decide on the asset’s useful life based on how long you expect to use the asset in your business.

For example, the IRS might require that a piece of computer equipment be depreciated for five years, but if you know it will be useless in three years, you can depreciate the equipment over a shorter time.