The disposal of assets involves eliminating assets from the accounting records. This is needed to completely remove all traces of an asset from the balance sheet (known as derecognition). An asset disposal may require the recording of a gain or loss on the transaction in the reporting period when the disposal occurs. For the purposes of this discussion, we will assume that the asset being disposed of is a fixed asset.

When to Record an Asset Disposal

There are two circumstances under which it will be necessary to record the disposal of an asset. One is when the business sells, donates, or otherwise intentionally disposes of an asset. This may involve the receipt of a payment from a third party, and may involve the recognition of a gain or loss. A second scenario is when the loss is unintentional, such as when an asset is stolen or lost in a fire. In this case, the disposal accounting is much more likely to result in a recognized loss, since the assumption is that the asset still had some of its useful life left when it was lost.

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Fixed Asset Accounting

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Accounting for an Asset Disposal

The overall concept for the accounting for asset disposals is to reverse both the recorded cost of the fixed asset and the corresponding amount of accumulated depreciation. Any remaining difference between the two is recognized as either a gain or a loss. The gain or loss is calculated as the net disposal proceeds, minus the asset’s carrying value.

The options for accounting for the disposal of assets are noted below. A proper fixed asset disposal is of some importance from the perspective of maintaining a clean balance sheet, so that the recorded balances of fixed assets and accumulated depreciation properly reflect the assets actually owned by a business.

No Proceeds, Fully Depreciated

When there are no proceeds from the sale of a fixed asset and the asset is fully depreciated, debit all accumulated depreciation and credit the fixed asset.

Loss on Sale

When there is a loss on the sale of a fixed asset, debit cash for the amount received, debit all accumulated depreciation, debit the loss on sale of asset account, and credit the fixed asset.

Gain on Sale

When there is a gain on the sale of a fixed asset, debit cash for the amount received, debit all accumulated depreciation, credit the fixed asset, and credit the gain on sale of asset account.

Example of Asset Disposal

For example, ABC International buys a machine for $50,000 and recognizes $5,000 of depreciation per year over the following ten years. At that time, the machine is fully depreciated, ABC gives it away, and records the following entry.

	Debit	Credit
Accumulated depreciation	50,000
Machine asset		50,000

ABC International sells a $100,000 machine for $35,000 in cash, after having compiled $70,000 of accumulated depreciation. The entry is:

	Debit	Credit
Cash	35,000
Accumulated depreciation	70,000
Gain on asset disposal		5,000
Machine asset		100,000

ABC International sells another machine that had originally cost it $40,000 for $25,000 in cash. The company had compiled $10,000 of accumulated depreciation on the machine. The entry is: