In this section, we concentrate on the major characteristics of determining capitalized costs and some of the options for allocating these costs on an annual basis using the depreciation process. In the determination of capitalized costs, we do not consider just the initial cost of the asset; instead, we determine all of the costs necessary to place the asset into service. For example, if our company purchased a drill press for $22,000, and spent $2,500 on sales taxes and $800 for delivery and setup, the depreciation calculation would be based on a cost of $22,000 plus $2,500 plus $800, for a total cost of $25,300.

We also address some of the terminology used in depreciation determination that you want to familiarize yourself with. Finally, in terms of allocating the costs, there are alternatives that are available to the company. We consider three of the most popular options, the straight-line method, the units-of-production method, and the double-declining-balance method.