How to dispose of an asset
Disposal is the terminal step in an asset's life. It records how the asset left, what you got for it, and the financial position at that moment.
When to use this
Record a disposal when an asset is sold, scrapped, donated, written off, transferred out, or lost.
If you simply want an asset out of your active lists, archive it instead. Disposal is a financial act, not a tidy-up.
Requirements
- Available on: Odyssey, Cosmos
- Roles: Owner, Admin, Manager
Disposal accounting sits behind a plan capability, enforced both in the interface and on the server, because recording a disposal computes a financial figure. Organizations below Odyssey archive assets instead — no data is lost, there is simply no gain-or-loss calculation.
Steps
- Go to Dashboard → Assets (Individual) and open the asset.
- Choose Dispose.
- Complete the form:
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Disposal Date | Yes | When it actually left |
| Disposal Method | Yes | Sold, Scrapped, Donated, Written Off, Transferred, or Lost |
| Proceeds Received | No | What you got for it, if anything |
| Notes | No | Buyer, reference, circumstances |
- Confirm.
What happens next
- UniAsset computes the gain or loss against net book value at the disposal date.
- The disposal record is written and the asset is archived in the same operation — so there is no window where a disposed asset is still generating alerts.
- The asset leaves active lists, reporting, and alert evaluation immediately.
- Its full history is preserved.
- It remains available to the Fixed Asset Register for audit.
One disposal per asset. It is terminal.
Gain or loss
The gain or loss is proceeds minus net book value at the disposal date.
- Sold for more than book value → a gain
- Sold for less, scrapped, or lost → a loss
This needs the asset to have a book value, which needs a purchase cost, a purchase date, a category, and depreciation configured on that category. Without those, there is nothing to compare the proceeds against.
Choosing the method
| Method | Use when |
|---|---|
| Sold | It was sold, with proceeds |
| Scrapped | It was destroyed or recycled |
| Donated | It was given away |
| Written Off | It was removed from the books with no disposal route |
| Transferred | It went to another entity |
| Lost | It cannot be found |
The method matters for reporting and for auditors, so pick the accurate one rather than the convenient one.
Common mistakes
Deleting instead of disposing. Assets are never hard-deleted. Disposal is the correct terminal record.
Disposing before the sale completes. Use the actual date the asset left.
Leaving proceeds blank on a sale. The gain calculation then shows a loss.
Using Lost for something that was scrapped. Lost implies it may still exist somewhere. Auditors read these.
Troubleshooting
The Dispose option is missing or locked. Disposal accounting needs Odyssey or above. Below that, archive the asset — the history is preserved either way.
I can't dispose of it. Disposal needs Manager or above.
The gain or loss is blank or looks wrong. Check the asset has a purchase cost, purchase date, and a category with depreciation configured. Without a book value there is nothing to compute against.
The asset vanished after disposal. It was archived automatically, by design. It is still in the Fixed Asset Register, which can include disposed assets.
I disposed of the wrong asset. One disposal per asset, and history is not editable. Contact support.
Alerts are still firing for a disposed asset. They should not be — disposal archives the asset immediately, removing it from alert evaluation. Reload the page.
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