A company purchased a delivery van for $30,000 with a salvage value of $6,000 on January one, Year 1. It has an estimated useful life of 6 years or 60,000 miles. The van was driven 13,000 miles in the first year. Using the units of production method, how much depreciation expense should the company recognize on December 31, Year 1

The depreciation expense for Year 1 under units of production method is $5200.

Explanation:

The units of production method of depreciation charges the depreciation expense based on the activity level for which the asset was used during a period. There is an estimated useful life of the asset in terms of how many units it is expected to produce through out its useful life. The formula for units of production method of depreciation is,

Depreciation charge per unit = (Cost - Salvage value)  /  Total estimated useful  of asset in units

Thus, per unit depreciation is =  (30000 - 6000) / 60000    =  $0.4 per mile

In the first year, the asset is used for 13000 miles so depreciation expense for the year is,

Depreciation expense Year 1 = 0.4 * 13000  =  $5200