- Depreciation accounts reduce the value of assets over time by allocating costs to different periods. Accumulated depreciation accounts track total depreciation taken on an asset to date to calculate its current book value.
- When depreciation is posted, the depreciation account debits accumulated depreciation and credits the depreciation expense account. The depreciation expense is then posted to the profit and loss account to calculate net income.
- In the balance sheet, assets are reported at their historical acquisition cost less any accumulated depreciation to date to show their current value.