Fixed assets and depreciation
What a business buys to use — the computer, the van, the machinery — is not an expense of the month it is paid for: it is an expense spread over several years. And that annual share is deducted in the quarter too, which almost nobody does.
What it does
Not much, but it is one of the things that moves the most money over a year.
The asset's record
What it is, when it was bought, what it cost, over how many years it is depreciated and which activity it is used in.
Depreciation schedule
Each year's charge, the cumulative figure and the net book value, worked out on their own.
On form 130
The year's cumulative depreciation is deducted on every instalment payment, not only on the annual return.
Capital goods and the prorrata
Adjustment over the four years following the year of purchase, or nine if it is a property, when the prorrata moves by more than ten points.
Screenshot of the ERP: What it does
Getting depreciation right changes what you pay each quarter
It is not an accounting question: it is cash flow. An autónomo who does not deduct depreciation on the 130 is lending Hacienda money until the following year's annual return.
- With €2,000 of annual depreciation, every quarter changes by several hundred euros.
- The schedule works itself out from the date the asset was brought into use, not from the invoice date.
- Selling an asset before it is fully depreciated produces its own result, positive or negative.
- And if you apply free depreciation — the €300 per item, capped at €25,000 a year — or accelerated depreciation, it shows up in the schedule.
How many years each thing is depreciated over
There are two tables, and applying the wrong one is the usual mistake. Companies and autónomos on estimación directa normal use the table in article 12 of the Corporation Tax Act. Autónomos on directa simplificada use a table of their own, shorter and with different rates. Each line gives a maximum straight-line rate and a maximum number of years: within that range, you choose.
| What it is | Corporation Tax Act: max. rate · max. years | Directa simplificada: max. rate · max. years |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial, administrative and service buildings, and dwellings | 2 % · 100 | 3% · 68 (all buildings) |
| Industrial buildings | 3 % · 68 | 3 % · 68 |
| Installations | 10 % · 20 | 10% · 20 (with furniture and fittings) |
| Machinery | 12 % · 18 | 12 % · 18 |
| Furniture | 10 % · 20 | 10 % · 20 |
| External transport equipment (van, car) | 16 % · 14 | 16 % · 14 |
| Lorries | 20 % · 10 | 16 % · 14 |
| Data processing equipment (the computer) | 25 % · 8 | 26% · 10 (with software) |
| Computer systems and software | 33 % · 6 | 26 % · 10 |
| Tools and implements | 25 % · 8 | 30 % · 8 |
| Other items | 10 % · 20 | 10 % · 20 |
And before drawing up any schedule: new items with a unit value not over €300 can be depreciated freely, that is, deducted in one go, capped at €25,000 per tax period (art. 12.3.e of Ley 27/2014). That cap is apportioned if the financial year is shorter than a year.
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Frequently asked questions
What you buy in order to work, properly accounted for
And deducted where it belongs: in the quarter, not only in June.
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