Finance

Depreciation policy

Formal definition

Depreciation policy is a charity finance term for valuing and tracking physical or digital assets over their useful life while accounting for value reduction and ownership.

What this actually means for you

Use Depreciation policy to guide live decisions: record new purchases on the asset register, apply depreciation rates consistently, and check for value loss annually, with ownership and reporting agreed at month-end and before trustee reporting cycles.

Example: In a live quarterly cycle, Depreciation policy is applied like this: the facilities manager updates the asset register after a laptop rollout and finance calculates the monthly depreciation charge. The team then records the decision trail in policy packs, approval logs, and team guidance.

Related guides and whitepapers

Read deeper guidance and implementation detail connected to this term.

Trustees and Finance: What You Must Actually Know - abstract artwork
guide
Governance,  Finance,  Leadership

The financial literacy trustees genuinely need, the questions they must answer, and the patterns that signal a charity board out of its depth on the numbers.

Charity Website Redesign Without Regret - abstract artwork
guide
Digital,  Strategy,  Operations

A practical guide to UK charity website redesigns that move the dial: scope, governance, content, architecture and the decisions that avoid common regrets.

Depreciation policy definition for charities | Charity Platform