Asset accounting
We process all incoming invoices for fixed assets. This includes checking the capitalization requirement, determining the full acquisition and production costs, defining depreciation periods and recording all data in SAP Asset Accounting.
The complete fixed asset inventory is kept in a register and regularly checked as part of the inventory.
As part of the annual financial statements, we determine and post depreciation and prepare the reporting required for the annual financial statements.
© Universität Siegen
FAQ for the area of asset accounting
- When purchasing new assets via procurement, the form
Asset capitalization (see Annex 6 of the Asset Accounting Service Instructions) must be completed at
as part of the procurement process. If you are unsure whether it is a
fixed asset or not, you are welcome to contact us. - Please note: in the case of procurement under customs law, the procurement department
must be involved. - Whether a fixed asset must be inventoried depends (in addition to the useful life,
which must be greater than one year) also on the acquisition costs:- if the asset can be used and valued independently and the
acquisition costs are between EUR 150 and EUR 1,000 net, the
item is capitalized as a low-value asset (GWG). - If the acquisition cost is over EUR 1,000 net, the asset is posted to
the corresponding asset class (e.g. scientific equipment, operating and
office equipment, etc.) and the useful life is entered in accordance with the
official depreciation table.
- if the asset can be used and valued independently and the
- The invoice must be checked for factual and
arithmetical accuracy by the procuring entity and signed off. Furthermore, the
account assignment (cost center or WBS element) must be indicated. If there are special agreements
regarding the terms of payment (special rebate for the use
of cash discount even outside the specified period, etc.), please make a note of this on the
invoice. - If the account assignment involves financing from a BgA (business
of a commercial nature), the percentage of the purchases used there
must be stated (-> BgA stamp). - If the financing account assignment differs from the using account assignment (e.g.
if the Schools finances items for a professorship (pro rata) as in the
equipment renewal program), please specify the inventory cost center/inventory WBS. - If it is known that the useful life of a fixed asset is limited (e.g.
due to a limited project duration), please indicate this on the invoice.
Otherwise, the useful lives from the official depreciation table apply. - If an asset is used at another institution or abroad for teaching and
/or research purposes, please also inform us of this.
- Please fill out the corresponding form "Transfers of material expenses"
(LINK NOCH ERGÄNZEN NEUES SYSTEM) with document number, amount and new account assignment and
then send us the form. - Please note: Invoice transfers are only possible as long as the
financial year is still open (until the end of February of the following year)
- Change notifications are required if
- the location or
- the user or the user account assignment (cost center / WBS) changes permanently.
- If a device should remain with its own cost center / WBS and appear in the report
, although the asset is physically located at another organizational unit
, this can be mapped via the Inventory cost center field. This is
always the case if the financing and using cost center are different
. An e-mail about the change of location is sufficient here. - If, on the other hand, the asset is to be completely transferred to a different cost center, the
master record must be converted or the asset transferred - in this case, please use the
inventory change form.
- Further additions can be noted on the asset cards (room number, possibly other
designations, etc.), which will be updated in the asset accounting system accordingly
. If technically possible, the label must be attached to the
corresponding asset and the signed card returned to us at
. If the label could not be attached, please also note this on the card
. The label can then be disposed of or simply affixed to the asset card
.
- You can view the asset portfolio for your own cost center / WBS via the SAP portal
if you have
access authorization. The asset balance can be found here under Financial reports -
Asset reports. - Here you can find instructions for the asset portal report
- In the case of dispensability: the person responsible fills in the inventory change form
(LINKED WEBSITE), taking into account the various types of disposal
and attaches any relevant documents. It must be ensured
that the item is sent to its final destination (scrapping,
transfer to third parties, etc.). If this does not happen, it makes the
subsequent inventories more difficult to identify the items, as the item
is no longer listed in the inventory in terms of value, but is still present. - When selling: University assets can only be sold if there is no use for the
corresponding asset within the Schools. Please
enquire about this in advance by sending an informal letter within your Schools.
If there is no longer any interest in the asset, it can be sold
. Asset Accounting determines the residual book value of the item to be sold
in the books and uses this value to determine a
sales value from which any sales proceeds can be generated. If
the market value exceeds the residual book value, the latter must be recognized. Please send
the informal letter confirming that there is no longer any
use within the Schools, the inventory change form for the
asset disposal and the details of the acquirer. The excess or shortfall
is attributed to the account assignment from which the original purchase
was paid. - Please note: Computers and laptops must be formatted beforehand by ZIMT for licensing reasons
.
- Definition: Assets under construction are items of property, plant and equipment that are
still in the process of completion, i.e. they are investments that
have not yet been completed as at the balance sheet date. - The following criteria can be helpful in identifying an asset under construction:
- Is the asset being constructed over a longer period of time (> 2 months)?
- Are several components purchased for the system and installed/added?
- Is the system only ready for operation when the last component has been installed?
- Will the system be in operation for at least one year after completion of construction
?
- If all criteria can be answered in the affirmative, this is a
system under construction. Please indicate on all subsequent invoices (all receipts for material,
which is installed, regardless of what it is, any licenses required,
software or services from third parties such as planning, assembly or
construction work...) that these are investments for the system under construction at
with the number XY (you will receive the inventory number after the first invoice for the AIB has been posted to
). When the plant is completed, please inform
of the commissioning date and attach the acceptance report.
The plant under construction is then capitalized and depreciation begins at
.
