What to do when a business asset is stolen or broken beyond repair: A complete guide

Business assets such as cars, laptops, machinery, or other equipment often represent a significant investment in your company. But what happens when such an asset is stolen or damaged beyond repair? How do you record this correctly in Accountable? And how do you handle an insurance payout?
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In this article, we walk you through the entire process step by step: how to register the loss, how depreciation is affected, how to record the insurance payout, and what the fiscal impact may be. Clear examples are included throughout.

The first step is to mark the asset as lost or broken in Accountable. You do this by following these steps:

You cannot directly link the documents to the asset entry, but you must store them in your document archive:

These documents are crucial, especially if the tax authorities request clarification during an audit. They prove that the asset is no longer available for business use.

Your company car is stolen on 12 November 2025.
You mark the car as “lost” with this date and store the police report in your documentation.

No, depreciation stops on the date the asset is stolen or becomes unusable.
A business asset must be available for economic use in order to depreciate it. Once it is lost, this requirement is no longer met.

Your company car is being depreciated over 5 years.
The theft occurs on 12 November 2025.

This rule applies regardless of how long the insurance company takes to handle the claim.

Yes, it matters. The payout date determines the financial year in which the income has to be recorded.

This affects your profit for the relevant year.

The insured residual value of the stolen vehicle is €28,000.

The theft date does not determine the year of recognition; the payment date does.

An insurance payout for a stolen or lost asset is not sales revenue. It is a non-invoice revenue item.

In the app, you add:

➡️ Non-invoice revenue

➡️ Category: Insurance payouts → Insurance payout for lost asset
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The insurance document confirming the reimbursed amount (e.g., €28000) serves as your proof.

You receive the insurance payment of €28,000 on 15 January 2026.

The payout is then properly reflected in your accounts.

Let’s bring all steps together in one complete scenario.

You purchase a business vehicle in 2023 for €40,000.
In 2025, the vehicle is stolen.
The insurer reimburses €28,000.

Depreciation stops as of the loss date.

➡️ Recorded in 2026.