This question is very common and raises doubts in who controls the fixed assets in the company.

In the first place, we must bear in mind that to write off an item of fixed assets, we only have two options.

· By issuing an outgoing invoice (for sale, scrapping, donation, or even theft or loss);

· Adjustment arising from the inventory of fixed assets

If one of the above conditions is not met, it is not possible to write off the asset. And if eventually the company proceeds with a write-off, carrying out the accounting entry, this will not be adequately based.

To write off an item, there is, however, a previous step to be analyzed. The reason for the drop. If the intention is only to write off an item that has been replaced, or is no longer useful to the company, but remains physically under its care, it must be initially transferred to items made available for sale, until it is effectively disposed of and the non-operating result is determined. of that sale.

However, the write-off of an item, just because it is fully depreciated, is not correct and cannot be carried out in accordance with accounting standards (CPC 01, 27). Even with a residual value equal to zero, if it is in use in the company’s operations, it will be kept under fixed assets. Recently, in one of our projects, we identified an item that in the asset base had the date of acquisition in the year 1967 – and, incredible as it may seem, during the physical inventory, the item was identified, and correctly reconciled with the base.