To calculate depreciation subtract the asset’s salvage value from its cost to determine the amount that can be depreciated. Divide this amount by the number of years in the asset’s useful lifespan. Divide by 12 to tell you the monthly depreciation for the asset.

There are four methods for depreciation: straight line, declining balance, sum-of-the-years’ digits, and units of production.

Depreciation represents how much of an asset’s value has been used up. Depreciating assets helps companies earn revenue from an asset while expensing a portion of its cost each year the asset is in use. If not taken into account, it can greatly affect profits.

How To Calculate Straight Line Depreciation (Formula)

1. Straight-line depreciation.
2. To calculate the straight-line depreciation rate for your asset, simply subtract the salvage value from the asset cost to get total depreciation, then divide that by useful life to get annual depreciation:
3. annual depreciation = (purchase price – salvage value) / useful life.

Also known as straight line depreciation, it is the simplest way to work out the loss of value of an asset over time. Straight line basis is calculated by dividing the difference between an asset’s cost and its expected salvage value by the number of years it is expected to be used.

It uses a fixed rate to calculate the depreciation values. The DB function performs the following calculations. Fixed rate = 1 – ((salvage / cost) ^ (1 / life)) = 1 – (^(1/10) = 1 – 0.= 0

Excel offers the SLN function to calculate straight-line depreciation. Use =SLN(Cost,Salvage, Life). Column B of Figure 1 illustrates the use of the SLN function. The formula in B6 is =SLN($B$1,$B$2,$B$3).

The straight-line method is the simplest and most commonly used way to calculate depreciation under generally accepted accounting principles. Subtract the salvage value from the asset’s purchase price, then divide that figure by the projected useful life of the asset.

Look up the original value of the car in your lease terms or in the Kelley Blue Book. Subtract the calculated depreciation value for the car from the original value of the vehicle. This new result is the total residual value of the car.

A higher residual value means the car is expected to hold its value well (depreciate less) over the lease term. Remember, most of your lease payment covers the cost of depreciation. So less depreciation (or higher residual value) can mean lower monthly payments over the lease term.

An excellent residual would be 55%-65% of MSRP. The third factor that is important in a lease deal is MONEY FACTOR. Money factor is an expression of the finance rate, similar to interest rate in a loan. The lower the money factor, the lower the lease payment, and the better the deal.

What is the difference between resale value and residual value? Resale value is a similar concept that applies to a vehicle you buy rather than lease. It refers to the vehicle’s worth after depreciation, mileage, and damage. The residual value in a lease is static, leaving you with a fixed cost per year.

Why Trade-In Values Are Lower Basically the difference is because there was a dealer in the middle of the sale that needs to make some money, too. A direct person-to-person transaction would have brought the seller more money. In many states, local laws designed to benefit car owners also keep trade-in prices low.

If you opt for a lease buyout when your lease is up, the price will be based on the car’s residual value — the purchase amount set at lease signing, based on the predicted value of the vehicle at the end of the lease. This amount may also be called the buyout amount or purchase option price.

Your lease contract gives you the option to buy the car at the residual value. If the car is worth more than the residual value, you can sell the car and keep the difference. The lease residual value is the anticipated wholesale value of the car.

How to Calculate a Lease Buyout

1. Determine the residual value of the vehicle. This information will be found in your lease contract, and is calculated from the beginning of your lease.
2. Determine the actual value of the vehicle.
3. Compare the residual value and the actual value.
4. Account for license and registration fees.
5. Account for sales tax.

If you take excellent care of your leased car and put far fewer miles on it than you’re allotted in your lease agreement, it may be worth more than the residual value stated in your lease contract when you go to return it. That’s how you “get money back” at the end of a car lease.

Buying your leased car saves the leasing company shipping and auction fees. To negotiate a reduced buyout price, you’ll need to talk to a lease-end manager at the leasing company who has the power to approve lower prices. Banks writing leases may be more likely to negotiate than automakers’ finance companies.

4 tips for negotiating the best price on a car lease

1. Know the terminology.
2. Research prices and deals.
3. Shop multiple dealerships.
4. Be open to other car models to find the best deal.
5. Capitalized cost.
6. Rent charge or money factor.
7. Mileage allowance.

If you can acquire the automobile for less than its current market value and you like the car, buying it from the leasing company probably makes financial sense. But even if it looks like you’d be overpaying slightly at first glance, buying the car can still be a good idea.

In a lease, your payment goes toward the use of the vehicle plus the finance charge. You never pay off any principal. If the purchase price of the vehicle was $25,000 and your lease term is 3 years, you will be paying interest on the full $25,000 for that entire term.

You want the $50,000 car and have negotiated the price down to $45,000. It will be worth $30,000 at the end of the lease, so your lease cost, before interest, taxes, and fees, will be $15,000 divided into equal monthly payments. If you put $2,000 down, the amount you make payments on drops to $13,000.