Fixed asset register template
A list of the equipment, vehicles and furniture the business owns, one row per item: what it is and who sold it, when it was bought and for how much, how to identify it, where it is kept, and when it left the business and for what amount.
- By Book Keeping Pros
- Sources checked 15 Oct 2026
business.gov.au's glossary describes a fixed asset as a physical asset the business uses to operate, and gives machinery, vehicles, computers, tools, furniture and fit-out as examples of plant and equipment. Items like these stay in the business long after the purchase is paid for, and they are easy to lose sight of. A fixed asset register keeps a row for each one, from the day it is bought until the day it is sold, scrapped or given away.
The register holds facts about each item rather than accounting entries: its category and description, the supplier, the purchase date and cost, a serial number or tag to identify it, where it is kept, and the date and amount when it leaves the business. How each asset is treated in the accounts is a question for your accountant, and the register gives them the purchase and disposal details to work from.
business.gov.au lists records of expenses related to your assets among the records a business must keep. It puts the keeping period for most business records at 5 years, running from the later of when you got the record and when the transaction it covers was completed, and gives 7 years for company records. The template is a CSV file, which opens in a spreadsheet program.
Download the template
The template as a CSV file, which opens in any spreadsheet program.
Download the CSV fileWhat's in the template
| Asset | Date bought | Cost (AUD) | Serial or identifier | Location | Disposal date | Disposal amount (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment: label printer, from Supplier E | 5 May 2021 | 640.00 | Serial LP-30981 | Dispatch bench | 12 Sep 2025 | 0.00 |
| Equipment: laptop, from Supplier B | 9 Mar 2022 | 1,890.00 | Serial LT5J0047 | Office | 20 Jan 2026 | 300.00 |
| Furniture and fittings: reception desk, from Supplier D | 20 Nov 2023 | 3,260.00 | Tag FA-0012 | Reception | ||
| Motor vehicles: delivery van, from Supplier C | 1 Jul 2024 | 42,500.00 | VIN ending 4417 | Rear car park | ||
| Equipment: laptop, from Supplier B | 3 Feb 2025 | 2,150.00 | Serial LT8K2291 | Issued to Staff member A | ||
| Furniture and fittings: storeroom shelving, from Supplier G | 11 Jun 2025 | 2,780.00 | Tag FA-0017 | Storeroom | ||
| Equipment: pallet jack, from Supplier F | 18 Oct 2025 | 1,180.00 | Tag FA-0019 | Warehouse |
Illustrative example only: these rows show the method and are not sourced data.
What goes in each column
- Asset: The asset's category, matching an account in your chart of accounts such as Equipment or Motor vehicles, then a short description and the supplier it came from.
- Date bought: The purchase date shown on the supplier's invoice.
- Cost (AUD): The purchase price on the supplier's invoice; ask your accountant whether costs such as delivery or installation form part of it.
- Serial or identifier: The manufacturer's serial number, the vehicle identification number or a numbered tag you attach, so each listed item can be matched to the real one.
- Location: Where the asset is kept or who has it, such as a room, a vehicle bay or a staff member.
- Disposal date: The date the asset was sold, scrapped or given away, left blank while the business still holds it.
- Disposal amount (AUD): The amount received when it left the business, or zero if nothing was received, left blank while it is still held.
How to use it
- Ask your accountant which purchases belong in the register, including whether leased items do: business.gov.au explains that leased equipment is owned by the leasing company.
- Start from the supplier invoices for the equipment, vehicles and furniture the business holds, and give each item a row with its category, supplier, purchase date and cost.
- Record a way to identify each item, such as its serial number or a numbered tag, and where it is kept. Add a row the day a new asset arrives and file its invoice where the register can lead you back to it.
- Check the register against what is actually there from time to time, and at the end of each financial year. Follow up any listed item you can't find and any item you find that isn't listed.
- When an asset is sold, scrapped or given away, fill in the disposal date and the amount received, and keep the row. Pass the paperwork to your accountant, because how a disposal is treated in the accounts is a question for them.
Related terms
Sources
- Key financial terms
business.gov.au, Australian Government. Current at 15 October 2026, released 9 July 2024. Checked 15 October 2026.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2020, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU. Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.
- Record keeping
business.gov.au, Australian Government. Current at 15 October 2026, released 7 November 2024. Checked 15 October 2026.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2020, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU. Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.
- Leasing or buying vehicles and equipment
business.gov.au, Australian Government. Current at 16 October 2026, released 23 October 2024. Checked 16 October 2026.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2020, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU. Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.
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