Unit of Production Depreciation Definition

Unit of production depreciation, also called the activity method, calculates depreciation based on the unit of production and ignores the passage of time over the useful life of an asset; in other words, a unit of production depreciation is directly proportional to production. It is mainly used in the manufacturing sector.

The value of the same asset may be different due to its usage. For example, one asset, X, produces ten units, and another asset, Y, produces 20 units. Both are the same asset, but the depreciation of Y will be higher as compared to the X asset because of more units produced.

Unit of Production Depreciation Formula

We will segregate the unit of production depreciation formula into two parts to understand it in a better way.

Step #1: The depreciation per unit formula is represented as below,

Depreciation per Unit = ( Cost- Salvage Value) / Total Estimated Production Unit

Step #2: The depreciation Expense formula is represented as below,

Depreciation Expense = Depreciation Rate per Unit × unit Produced in a Particular Year.

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Cost: It includes purchased price, installation, delivery charge, incidental expensesIncidental ExpensesIncidental expenses are minor, non-budgeted expenses unrelated to primary service and do not arise during the normal course. Examples include employee business trip expenses such as food, lodging, hotel staff, tips to baggage carrier, gifts given to customers, newspapers, laundry services, etc.read more.

Salvage Value: It is the value that will receive at the end of the life of an asset.

Estimated Unit of Production: It estimates the unit produced by the asset over its useful life.

Example of Unit of Production Depreciation Method

Let’s discuss an example of a unit of production depreciation methodDepreciation MethodDepreciation is a systematic allocation method used to account for the costs of any physical or tangible asset throughout its useful life. Its value indicates how much of an asset’s worth has been utilized. Depreciation enables companies to generate revenue from their assets while only charging a fraction of the cost of the asset in use each year. read more.

Suppose an item of asset acquired on 5th Jan at the cost of $ 50000 has estimated the use of 20000 hours. During the first year, the said equipment was used for 4000 hours. Therefore, the estimated salvage valueSalvage ValueSalvage value or scrap value is the estimated value of an asset after its useful life is over. For example, if a company’s machinery has a 5-year life and is only valued $5000 at the end of that time, the salvage value is $5000.read more is $ 4000.

Solution:

Step #1: First, we need to calculate the depreciation rate per unit; the calculation will be as below.

  • Depreciation per Unit = ($50000 – $4000) / 20000 HoursRate per Unit = $ 2.3 per Hour

Step #2: Then, we need to calculate depreciation for the particular year based on the monthly depreciation rate; the calculation will be as below.

  • Depreciation Expense = 4000 Hours × 2.3 per HourDepreciation Expense (Total Depreciation) = $ 9200Value of Asset after Depreciation = ($ 50000-$9200) = $ 40800Suppose in 2nd year the said equipment used 8000 hours then the depreciation amount will be –Total Depreciation = 8000 hours × 2.3 per Hour = $ 18400Value of Asset after Depreciation = ($40800-$18400) = $22400As we can see, the depreciation amount is increasing due to an increase in the production unit.

Change in Unit of Production Depreciation Method

  • As per old accounting standards change in depreciation method is treated as a change in accounting policyAccounting PolicyAccounting policies refer to the framework or procedure followed by the management for bookkeeping and preparation of the financial statements. It involves accounting methods and practices determined at the corporate level.read more,  and depreciation is charged retrospectively;As per the new accounting standard, a change in the depreciation method will be treated as a change in accounting estimateA Change In Accounting EstimateA change in accounting estimate occurs when there is the appearance of new information, which replaces the current data based on which the company had taken an earlier decision, resulting in two things – changing the carrying amount of an existing asset or liability and alteration of subsequent accounting for recognition of future assets and liabilities.read more and depreciation charge prospectively over the useful life of an asset.The difference arising due to change in the unit of production method charges to profit and loss a/c. Suppose, as per the old method, the depreciation amount is $ 1000, but as per the new method, the depreciation amount is 2000.In this case, extra depreciation arises due to a change in a new method, and we will debit ($2000-$1000) $ 1000 additional amount to profit and loss a/c.Suppose the old method depreciation amount is $ 4000, but the new method depreciation amount is $ 3000.In this case($4000-$3000), $ 1000 will be credited to profit and loss a/c.

Advantages of the Unit of Production Depreciation Method

The different advantages related to the unit of production depreciation method are as follows:

  • It is charged based on usage of the asset and avoids charging unnecessary depreciation. For example, machinery produced 5000 units in 340 days. Under this method, depreciation will be charged based on 5000 units for 340 days rather than full-year hence it provides a matching concept of revenue and cost.It is beneficial in determining the efficiency of an asset.Under this method, cost, i.e., depreciation, matches with revenue, i.e., production.Under this method, the business can track its profit and loss more accurately than the straight-line methodStraight-line MethodStraight Line Depreciation Method is one of the most popular methods of depreciation where the asset uniformly depreciates over its useful life and the cost of the asset is evenly spread over its useful and functional life. read more. For example, 1000 units were produced by the machinery in 320 days, and in the remaining days, the machinery was idle.Under this method, depreciation is charged based on 320 instead of the full year. But under the straight-line method, depreciation will charge for the full year; therefore, as you can see, the unit production method is more accurate in deriving profit and loss than the straight line.Larger depreciation in most productive years can help offset the higher costs associated with higher production levels because depreciation is directly proportional to unit production. More the production, the higher the depreciation.For example, suppose in the first-year assets produced 1000 units and 2nd year 2000 units, then production cost in 2nd year will be higher, and the amount depreciation will also be higher as compared to 1 year.This method is useful in manufacturing because depreciation is charged based on units produced instead of full-year or part-year.

Disadvantages of Unit of Production Depreciation

The different disadvantages related to the unit of production depreciation are as follows:

  • This method provided depreciation based only on usage, but in reality, an end number of factors cause a reduction in the value of an asset.For example, depreciation also arises due to the efflux of time. Sometimes manufacturing assets remain idle in a factory. Still, in this method, depreciation can not be charged when a machine is idle in the factory, due to which the asset’s true value can not be derived.It is challenging to calculate depreciation under this method due to its complexity. For example, there are multiple assets, and each asset produces different units in a particular year. Keeping track of each asset is very difficult, primarily when goods are produced in multiple processes.Under this method, the value of the two same assets may differ because of their usage.This method can not be used for tax purposes because, in this case, depreciation is not considered based on the unit produced; instead, they charge depreciation, which is followed under the tax regime.

Limitations

The different limitations related to the unit of production depreciation are as follows:

  • This method can’t apply where the machine remains idle in the factory. For example, an asset produces 1000 units in 350 days and remains idle for 15 days. In this case, depreciation will be calculated based on 1000 units, i.e., only for 350 days. Depreciation for the idle period, i.e., 15 days, will not be calculated; hence it opposes the passage of time.This method can not apply to assets other than manufacturing assets, such as buildings and furniture.It is difficult to derive the correct value of depreciation under this method because it applies only to users and ignores the efflux of time.This method can not be used by all businesses such as trading companies and service industries because, under this business, depreciation is not calculated based on units produced; rather, they follow the straight-line method or WDV methodWDV MethodThe Written Down Value method is a depreciation technique that applies a constant rate of depreciation to the net book value of assets each year, resulting in more depreciation expenses recognized in the early years of the asset’s life and less depreciation recognized in the later years of the asset’s life.read more.

Conclusion

The unit of production depreciation method applies to manufacturing assets where idle time is less and production is efficient. Nowadays, this method is more popular in determining the efficiency of an asset. It provides depreciation for each asset based on its production efficiency. This method’s selection is critical because we need to keep track of each asset and its production. So before selecting this method, please ensure everything is in control; otherwise, it will be challenging to use.

This article has been a guide to what is the unit of production depreciation method. Here we discuss how to calculate depreciation per unit and depreciation expenses using its formula and its advantages and disadvantages. You can learn more from the following articles –

  • Economic Depreciation DefinitionVariable Cost Per UnitEffective Interest MethodAsset Based Financing