Register and depreciate fixed assets

1. Overview & Business Value#

This comprehensive operational guide details the architecture, business workflows, configuration parameters, and execution steps for Register and depreciate fixed assets within SmartERP.

This guide is for Asset Accountants and Controllers managing property, plant, and equipment (PPE).

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2. Prerequisites & Security Access Groups#

• Required Modules: account, smarterp_finance, smarterp_ethiopian_payroll
• Security Groups:
  • Show Full Accounting Features (Technical ID: account.group_account_user)
  • Billing Administrator / Financial Controller (Technical ID: account.group_account_manager)
  • Chief Financial Officer / Auditor (Technical ID: account.group_account_readonly)
• Master Data Dependencies: Chart of accounts, statutory tax definitions (VAT 15%, WHT 2%/30%), payment terms, and open fiscal periods for Company 1 (Ashewa Technology Solutions S.C.).

3. Step-by-Step Configuration & Execution#

Step 1: Navigating to the Module Interface#

1. Log into your SmartERP instance at https://smarterp.et/odoo.
2. Open the main App Switcher (grid icon in the top-left corner).
3. Select the Accounting app icon.
4. From the top navigation bar, open Accounting → Customers / Vendors / Accounting / Configuration.

{screenshot:register-and-depreciate-fixed-assets-app-switcher-navigation}

Step 2: Creating and Parameterizing Records#

1. Click the New button in the top-left control panel.
2. Complete the mandatory fields in the record form:
   • Name / Reference (Mandatory): Unique identifier or auto-generated voucher sequence number
   • Accounting Date (Mandatory): Effective posting date falling within an open fiscal period
   • Journal (Mandatory): Designated financial journal (Cash, Bank, Customer Invoices, Vendor Bills, Miscellaneous)
   • Partner / Entity (Mandatory): Registered customer, vendor, or employee partner record (res.partner)
3. Configure optional operational parameters and localized tags as required:
   • Analytic Distribution (Optional): Cost center or project allocation percentage
   • Tax Treatment (Optional): Statutory withholding tax or VAT exemption certificate
   • Payment Reference (Optional): Commercial bank transaction reference or cheque number
4. Click the Save icon in the control bar to commit the record.

{screenshot:register-and-depreciate-fixed-assets-record-creation-form}

Step 3: Validating and Processing Transactions#

• State Transitions: Execute operational state progression (Draft → In Payment / Confirmed → Posted / Reconciled).
• Ledger & System Impact: Generates immutable double-entry journal items (account.move.line) updating general ledger balances, trial balance, and statutory tax registers.
• Audit Verification: Automated recording of author ID, timestamp, and immutable revision history.

{screenshot:register-and-depreciate-fixed-assets-transaction-processing-state}

Asset classification and Ethiopian tax depreciation pools#

Ethiopian tax regulations categorize fixed assets into statutory depreciation pooling categories:

Register a new asset from a vendor bill#

1. Open Accounting → Vendors → Bills and confirm an asset purchase bill.
2. On the invoice line for equipment, select the matching Asset Model (e.g. Computers & IT Equipment).
3. Press Confirm Bill. The system automatically generates a draft asset record in Accounting → Accounting → Assets.
4. Open the asset record:
   • Original Value: ETB 240,000.00
   • Acquisition Date: 2026-10-30
   • Depreciation Method: Straight Line or Declining Balance
   • Number of Depreciations: 48 Months (4 Years)
5. Press Compute Depreciation. The system renders the complete month-by-month depreciation amortization schedule.
6. Press Confirm Asset.

Post monthly depreciation#

1. Every month, a scheduled cron action identifies all active depreciation lines due.
2. Press Generate Depreciation Entries to post journal entries:
   • Debit: 640100 - Depreciation Expense
   • Credit: 150900 - Accumulated Depreciation

4. Advanced Configuration Points#

• Automated Actions & Scheduled Tasks (Crons):
  • Account: Automatic reconciliation (account.ir_cron_auto_reconcile): Runs nightly to match open ledger transactions
  • Asset: Compute depreciation lines (account_asset.ir_cron_compute_depreciation): Runs monthly on the 30th to compute fixed asset depreciation schedules
  • Tax: Generate VAT and WHT schedules (smarterp_finance.ir_cron_tax_schedules): Runs monthly to prepare MOR tax return summaries
• Custom Print Templates & Reports:
  • Official Cash Receipt Voucher (CRV)
  • Bank Payment Voucher (BPV) & Cheque Payment Voucher (CPV)
  • Withholding Tax Certificate (Form 3.4)
  • General Ledger & Trial Balance Audit Schedules
• Multi-Company Rules: Record-level security isolation under Company 1 (Ashewa Technology Solutions S.C.), preventing cross-company ledger leakage across parent and subsidiary legal entities.

5. Comprehensive Troubleshooting Matrix#

Next#

• Dispose assets: Dispose and revalue fixed assets.
• Financial reporting: Financial dashboards and reporting.