Try Washington Brown's proprietary
Property Depreciation Calculator
This is the first calculator to draw on real properties to determine an accurate estimate. It allows you to work out the likely tax depreciation deduction on your investment property.
Calculator FAQs
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What does this Tax Depreciation Calculator do?
The Tax Depreciation Calculator aims to provide you - the investor - with an estimate of the likely tax depreciation deductions available on certain properties.
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How does it work?
Our calculator searches for similar properties across our extensive database and creates an estimate based on these actual properties.
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Why is this information useful?
Most investors don’t think about depreciation until after they have purchased a property. Having this information up front helps you make a more informed decision as to which property to buy.
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What is so special about this Tax Depreciation Calculator?
Washington Brown’s proprietary Tax Depreciation Calculator is the first calculator to draw on real properties to determine an accurate estimate. It allows you to work out the likely tax depreciation deduction on your next investment property. By factoring this amount into your decision-making, the Tax Depreciation Calculator provides the “missing link” in the property investment equation.
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How accurate is this Tax Depreciation Calculator?
As all properties are different, it is difficult to obtain a result that is 100% accurate. However, we believe this calculator is as good as it gets based on current available data on thousands of properties we’ve inspected. As our database expands, so will the amount of properties we have access to. All results in this calculator have been rounded to the nearest thousand.
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What types of properties are excluded from the Tax Depreciation Calculator?
The Tax Depreciation Calculator does not include properties that are renovated or ones that are fully furnished as this would lead to an inaccurate result.
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How much does it cost to use the Tax Depreciation Calculator?
Our calculator is completely free to use.
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This is exactly what I need on my website, how can I organise a link to my site?
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Can I use this estimate within my tax return?
No, In order to satisfy the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors guidelines, the property MUST be evaluated by a qualified quantity surveyor. A complete breakdown of plant and equipment must be provided and the capital allowance must be assessed for your individual property.
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What does it mean if I press the “Calculate” button and nothing happens?
This means that no properties were found that were similar to your criteria. Contact us for a verbal estimate or alternatively, we can prepare a report on your actual property.
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The numbers don’t seem to be correct, what do I do?
Whilst we have tried our best to ensure this data is as accurate as possible, there may be occasional discrepancies when cross-referencing our extensive database. Please send an email to info('at')washingtonbrown.com.au and we will address your issue as soon as possible.
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How have you defined each property category?
Properties have been defined according to the following broad definitions:
- House: Any freestanding residential property
- Unit: A residential strata titled unit in a building with no lift
- Highrise: A residential strata titled unit in a building with a lift
Commercial suite: A strata titled office within a commercial complex of many suites
- Industrial suite: A strata titled industrial unit within a complex of many industrial units
- Industrial building: A wholly owned freestanding industrial building on one title
- Commercial building: A wholly owned freestanding commercial building on one title
- Townhouse: A strata titled residential building up to two levels above ground, the property may be adjoining other units within the complex.
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What does the “years” column represent?
Each year represents a full financial year. This calculator provides an estimate of the likely allowances on the basis you are going to settle on that property today. For example, Year 1 represents the amount you can claim over the next 365 days if you purchased a similar property to data you have already entered.
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What do the terms Diminishing Value method and Prime Cost method mean?
Both terms refer to the way in which Plant and Equipment is depreciated in accordance with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) guidelines. The Diminishing Value method accelerates the allowances in the earlier years, where as the Prime Cost method evenly spreads the allowances out.
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How do I know the age of the property?
In this field we need to know the year construction commenced for your property. If you do not have this information, contact the relevant local council for assistance.
What Is Property Depreciation Calculator?
A depreciation calculator is merely an accounting tool that helps investors save money by claiming the wear and tear of a property on their tax return.
The Washington Brown, a property depreciation calculator, is unique because it enables property investors to estimate the depreciation by simply inputting a purchase price.
It is the only calculator on the internet that enables you to do that.
Of course, we would advise you to get in touch with our quantity surveyors for a detailed depreciation report or tax depreciation schedule. A highly qualified professional will know how to integrate every critical feature and acquire the maximum amount that decreases your taxable income.
Get a free depreciation quote from Washington Brown today!
Let us explain the features of the Washington Brown depreciation calculator so that it’s easier for you, the property owner, to input the correct information. Moreover, our depreciation calculator works on already gathered data, meaning when you input the data, we search the properties in our extensive database to find the ones similar to yours. Once we do that, you’re getting accurate estimates, which can be valuable to you in more ways than one.
Short Step-by-Step Instruction Manual
- You need to enter the purchase price of the property in AUD (always input the amount specified in the Contract of sale of real estate — it’s usually stated in the Particulars of sale section of the contract)
- The purchase date of the property (this is necessary information because of the new ATO depreciation guidelines)
- The year in which the building was built (relevant for calculating the depreciation and if you are actually entitled to it)
- Property type (click on the info button for further details or check the Contract of sale of real estate)
- Standard of finish (click on the info button for additional information)
- Location
The only thing you have to do now is click “calculate” and wait for the results. The process only takes a couple of seconds, after which you get the estimated depreciation claims over the first ten years of your property ownership.
What are depreciating assets, according to ATO guidelines?
According to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), a depreciating asset
“… is one that has a limited effective life and can reasonably be expected to decline in value over the time it’s used. Land, trading stock and some intangible assets are not depreciating assets.”
Depreciating assets include usable items such as computers, electric tools, furniture and motor vehicles that are losing value and functionality over time. On the other hand, land and items of trading stock are expressly excluded from the definition of depreciating asset because the nature of the asset is not subjected to wear and tear.
ATO publishes a list of depreciating assets available online for preview. According to ATO guidelines, most intangible assets are also excluded from the definition of depreciating assets. There are only rare exceptions to that rule, and most of them are in the intellectual property area.
However, if you improve the land or build fixtures on land, such as a fence, the fence would also be considered a depreciating asset. Even though it might sound a bit confusing, every asset which is not an integral part of the land itself can be depreciated, removable or not.
Use a Tax Depreciation Calculator
Suppose you need to calculate the depreciation of your property. In that case, you should use an investment property depreciation calculator to get at least a general idea about the tax deductions you can claim in your tax return. Therefore, according to the Australian tax law, you can claim tax deductions on:
Thus, it becomes clear as to why it is prudent to use a calculator to find out the rough estimate of the tax deduction. Additionally, most of the time, when you’re signing the Contract of sale of real estate, the depreciation deduction is already calculated into the total price.
Use a House Depreciation Calculator
Another option is to use a house depreciation calculator. For example, the Washington Brown calculator features each of the alternatives mentioned here in one place. However, that is not the case with all depreciation calculators you’ll find on the internet.
The depreciation for the cost of building the investment property is spread over 40 financial years. According to ATO, that’s the approximate length of time a building lasts before it needs replacing. You claim depreciation each year over an extended period of time.
Capital Works Deductions for Old Buildings
If the property has been built after September 15, 1987, you’d be able to claim 2.5 per cent depreciation on the original construction cost. That’s each year until the property is 40 years old. As you can see, it’s evident that you can claim more capital deductions for a new building instead of an old one.
Take advantage of the massive Washington Brown database, and use the depreciation calculator to determine your tax reductions in the next ten years.
Get a free depreciation quote from Washington Brown today!