HDbeammachineBeam Machine Docs
Help Center

Working in Fixed Assets

Use Beam Machine Fixed Assets to register assets, review depreciation, manage disposals, and reconcile the asset book.

publicusers

Working in Fixed Assets

This page shows you how to control the fixed asset register, depreciation, disposals, and reconciliation work in Beam Machine.

Product: Beam Machine
Module: Fixed Assets
Role: Accountant, Asset Controller, Finance Lead, Reviewer
Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate
Time: 10 minutes first read
Last Updated: 2026-03-10
Version: Current Beam Machine app build in this repo

Before You Start

  • You should know the active entity.
  • You should know whether you are adding a new asset, reviewing depreciation, or checking reconciliation.
  • You should keep ../14-asset-rental-stock-and-fleet.md open if you are learning the wider operations flow.

What is Fixed Assets?

This is the digital asset register for things the business owns for long-term use, not day-to-day stock. On paper, this would be the asset register spreadsheet, depreciation file, and disposal log all living in one controlled place.

In Beam Machine, this is the Fixed Assets module.

When do you use this?

Use this module when:

  • a new asset is purchased,
  • depreciation must be reviewed,
  • an asset is sold, scrapped, or written off,
  • or finance needs to prove the asset book matches the underlying records.

If you do not keep this module current, depreciation, net book value, and audit support drift apart.

Where do you find it?

Primary path: Finance -> Fixed Assets
Detailed routes:

  • /dashboard/fixed-assets
  • /dashboard/fixed-assets/register
  • /dashboard/fixed-assets/register/new
  • /dashboard/fixed-assets/depreciation
  • /dashboard/fixed-assets/disposals
  • /dashboard/fixed-assets/reconciliation

Alternative: Use ../98-screen-map.md if you need the full BM route list.

How to work in Fixed Assets

Review the module home

  1. Open Fixed Assets.
  2. Review the summary cards for total assets, total cost, and net book value.
  3. Confirm the figures make sense for the current entity before drilling deeper.

Review the asset register

  1. Open Fixed Assets -> Register.
  2. Review the asset rows.
  3. Check the key fields the table exposes:
    • asset number
    • name
    • category
    • acquisition date
    • cost
    • accumulated depreciation
    • current value
    • status
    • make, model, and serial number
    • location
    • depreciation method
    • tax class

āœ… Checkpoint: You should now be looking at the real asset list for the current entity. If assets are missing, confirm you are in the correct entity first.

Add a new asset

  1. Open Fixed Assets -> Register -> Add Asset.
  2. Enter the asset details exactly as they appear on the purchase and internal asset record.
  3. Review category, cost, acquisition date, location, and depreciation method carefully.
  4. Save the asset.

Review depreciation

  1. Open Fixed Assets -> Depreciation.
  2. Review the depreciation schedule or calculation view.
  3. Confirm the movement makes sense before you rely on it in reporting or month-end work.

Manage disposals

  1. Open Fixed Assets -> Disposals.
  2. Select the asset being disposed.
  3. Confirm you are not disposing the wrong record.
  4. Record the disposal in the system before using the result in reporting.

Reconcile the asset book

  1. Open Fixed Assets -> Reconciliation.
  2. Compare the register and related balances.
  3. Investigate differences before signoff.

āœ… Checkpoint: You should now know whether the asset book is aligned or whether it needs cleanup.

Common Questions & Issues

"I cannot see the asset I just bought"

Why this happens: The asset may not have been added yet, or you may be in the wrong entity.

Fix: Confirm the active entity, then go to Register and add the asset if it does not exist.

"The values do not match my spreadsheet"

Why this happens: Your spreadsheet may be stale, or the Beam Machine record may be incomplete.

Fix: Review the register fields, then compare against the acquisition record, depreciation view, and reconciliation page.

"Can I trust this as the only source of truth?"

Why this happens: Users often keep private asset lists when they do not trust the system.

Fix: Keep the system record current and use Reconciliation regularly. If a wider process gap exists, note it in ../99-functionality-gap-map.md.

What's Next

Related Pages

SA Compliance Reference

  • Use your firm asset, tax, and finance policy for depreciation and disposal treatment. This page does not replace your accounting standard or tax advice.

Still Stuck?

Was this page helpful?

[Yes] [No]