#fixed-assets
Fixed Assets
Accounting for long-term tangible assets including equipment, vehicles, furniture, and property
Return on Net Assets (RONA): How to Tell If Your Equipment and Inventory Are Earning Their Keep
Return on Net Assets (RONA = Net Income ÷ Fixed Assets + Net Working Capital) measures whether the equipment, vehicles, and inventory a business owns are actually generating profit. Includes a worked example, rough benchmarks (above 5% acceptable, above 20% outstanding), and how RONA differs from ROA and ROE for capital-intensive small businesses.
Towing Company Bookkeeping: Tow Truck Depreciation, Impound Lot Revenue, and the Compliance Costs Most Owners Underprice
A tow truck over 14,000 lbs GVWR can often be fully expensed under Section 179 the year it's placed in service — but only if the depreciation schedule starts that year. How towing companies should separate tow, impound, and lien-sale revenue, reconcile lot logs monthly, and price compliance costs into every job.
Bookkeeping for Paragliding and Hang Gliding Schools: Ratings, Gear, and Weather-Delayed Revenue
How to set up bookkeeping for a paragliding or hang gliding school — split tandem vs. solo revenue by USHPA rating level, capitalize $4,500–$9,000 wing/harness/reserve setups as depreciating fixed assets, track PASA certification and site insurance as recurring compliance costs, and hold weather-delayed tandem deposits as unearned revenue until the flight is flown.
Tuxedo and Formalwear Rental Shop Bookkeeping: Why the Real Profit Is in the Tenth Rental, Not the First
A $1,000 tuxedo rented at $196 a night needs five-plus rentals just to cover its cost — which is why formalwear rental bookkeeping treats garments as depreciating fixed assets, damage deposits as liabilities rather than revenue, and seasonal cash reserves as a line item. Here's the chart of accounts and depreciation method that make cost per wear visible.
UK VAT Capital Goods Scheme Simplified: Computers Dropped, Property Threshold Rises to £600,000
From July 29, 2026, HMRC removes computers from the VAT Capital Goods Scheme entirely and raises the land and property threshold from £250,000 to £600,000 — the first increase since 1990. Expenditure incurred before that date stays under the old rules for its full adjustment period, so mid-project businesses must check when their first qualifying spend landed.
Component Depreciation: Required Under IFRS, Optional Under GAAP — and When It's Worth It
Component depreciation splits a building or machine into parts with separate useful lives — mandatory under IFRS (IAS 16) for significant components, merely permitted under US GAAP. Here's how it prevents phantom depreciation after a roof or HVAC replacement, and how cost segregation studies and the partial asset disposition election capture similar benefits on the tax side.
Australia's Instant Asset Write-Off: The $20,000 'Permanent' Threshold That Isn't Law Yet
Australia's May 2026 Budget proposed making the $20,000 instant asset write-off permanent from 1 July 2026, but until the enabling Bill passes Parliament the legislated threshold reverts to $1,000 per asset. What qualifies, the car-limit and capital-works exclusions, and how to time purchases while the law is still pending.
Helicopter Sightseeing Tour Bookkeeping: Part 91 vs. Part 135, Insurance Costs, and the 2029 Fleet Deadline
How a sightseeing helicopter operator's books differ from other small businesses — Part 91.147 vs. Part 135 certificates drive $5–25M liability premiums, helicopters depreciate over 5 years under MACRS only if business use stays above 50%, weather cancellations complicate ASC 606 deferred revenue, and NYC's December 2029 Stage 3 noise ban turns non-compliant airframes into an asset-impairment problem today.
John Deere's $1M Right-to-Repair Settlement: What It Means for Small Businesses With Dealer-Locked Equipment
Minnesota AG Keith Ellison and four other states settled with John Deere on July 8, 2026, forcing 10 years of dealer-equivalent repair access for farmers and independent shops. Here's what dealer-locked equipment costs small businesses beyond agriculture, and how to budget preventive maintenance instead of absorbing emergency repair markups.
Fixed Asset Turnover Ratio, Explained: Is That New Equipment Actually Pulling Its Weight?
The fixed asset turnover ratio — net sales divided by average net fixed assets — measures revenue generated per dollar of PP&E. Capital-intensive businesses typically run 1–3, asset-light ones 5+, and the trend matters more than the level. Here's how to calculate it, benchmark it, and avoid the bookkeeping errors that distort it.
Self-Serve Dog Wash Station Bookkeeping: Reconciling Unattended Revenue, Costing Per Wash, and Depreciating Equipment
A bookkeeping guide for unattended self-serve dog wash stations: how to reconcile coin and card revenue against machine counters, calculate a true cost per wash (roughly $3.50 against an $18–20 session price), classify shampoo and consumables as COGS, and depreciate $20,000–$30,000-per-bay equipment — including Section 179 timing and separating payment terminals from wash tubs in your fixed-asset register.
Depreciation Recapture Explained: The Tax Bill Waiting When You Sell Depreciated Equipment or Real Estate
Depreciation recapture taxes the deductions you already took when you sell a business asset at a gain — Section 1245 equipment gains are recaptured as ordinary income at rates up to 37%, while Section 1250 real estate depreciation is capped at 25%. With 100% bonus depreciation restored and the Section 179 limit at $2,560,000 for 2026, a fully expensed asset has a $0 basis from day one, so nearly the entire sale price becomes taxable. Here's how the rules split, a worked example, and five strategies owners use to manage the bill.