Capital Purchases and Depreciation Register

Who this is for

A register of the things the business buys to keep. Each item gets a row with its cost, the share used for the business and the number of years you have chosen to spread it over, and the sheet works out this year's charge and what is left to write off.

Sole traders and freelancers who buy laptops, tools, vehicles or machinery and need one place that shows what they own, what it cost and how much has been charged against profit so far.

What this helps you track

• Every capital item bought, when and from whom
• The business-use share of each item, in your own percentage
• An even yearly charge over the years you have chosen
• This year's charge and the written-down value left
• Which items have been sold, scrapped or given away

How to use it

1. Write the business name, the year end the register is for and your currency at the top.
2. Add a row for each item as you buy it: the date, what it is and the supplier, and the cost from the invoice.
3. Enter the business-use percentage and the number of years you want to spread the cost over. Both are your own figures; check the rules where you are, or ask your accountant, before settling on them.
4. Each year, enter what has already been charged in earlier years. The browser and workbook work out the yearly charge, this year's charge and the written-down value.
5. When an item is sold or scrapped, write the date in the disposed column and note what you received for it.
6. Print the register at the year end and keep it with the receipts for the items on it.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How does the sheet work out the yearly charge?

It takes the cost, multiplies it by your business-use percentage and divides by the number of years you entered. That spreads the business share evenly. It does not choose a method or a period for you.

Is this the same as what my tax return allows?

Not necessarily. Tax rules on equipment often differ from the charge in your own accounts, and they vary by country. Use the register to record the facts, then check the rules where you are or ask an accountant.

What goes in the charged before column?

The total charged against this item in earlier years. For a new item it is blank. Next year, add this year's charge to it, so the written-down value keeps falling until it reaches nothing.

What happens when I sell an item?

Enter the date in the disposed column and note the sale price in your notes. Whether a gain or loss on the sale needs recording depends on your rules, so keep the figures for whoever prepares your accounts.