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The Daily Insight

How do you calculate restaurant depreciation?

Author

Henry Morales

Published May 15, 2026

Calculating Depreciation Using the Straight-Line Method: The balance is the total depreciation you can take over the useful life of the equipment. Divide the balance by the number of years in the useful life. This gives you the yearly depreciation deduction.

How do you calculate new depreciation?

Straight-Line Method

  1. Subtract the asset’s salvage value from its cost to determine the amount that can be depreciated.
  2. Divide this amount by the number of years in the asset’s useful lifespan.
  3. Divide by 12 to tell you the monthly depreciation for the asset.

What is qualified restaurant property for depreciation?

Qualified restaurant property is any property that is a building (new building or existing structure) or an improvement to a building, if more than 50 percent of the building’s square footage is devoted to the preparation of, and seating for on-premises consumption of prepared meals.

How long does it take to depreciate a restaurant?

The National Restaurant Association supports a 15-year depreciation schedule for restaurant equipment. According to the association, restaurant owners are making improvements to their buildings and equipment with increasing frequency. The IRS doesn’t allow business owners to calculate depreciation on every piece of equipment they buy.

Can you use MACR to calculate restaurant depreciation?

You cannot use MACRS to depreciate property you placed in service before 1987. According to the IRS, restaurant owners can calculate depreciation expense using the 200 percent declining balance method, the 150 percent declining balance method or the straight-line method.

How can I calculate depreciation for my business?

Depreciation calculations are complicated and there are many tax restrictions and qualifications that you must meet. Keep good records on your business assets and get help from your tax professional to include depreciation costs in your business tax return. Athabasca University.

How to calculate the valuation of a restaurant?

This can be done by dividing the maintainable earnings by the cap rate (or multiplying the maintainable earnings by the earnings multiple). Here’s an example using restaurant valuation multiple, adapted from RestaurantReport.com: