How do you write off dead stock?

Asked by: Prof. Cary Beatty MD  |  Last update: February 11, 2026
Score: 4.5/5 (46 votes)

On your balance sheet, debit your cost of goods sold (COGS) and credit your inventory write-off expense account. If the amount of loss is material, it should be identified separately in the income statement. Add comments justifying the write-off (e.g., explaining that the inventory was damaged, stolen, spoiled, etc.).

How do you write-off worthless stock?

You must determine the holding period to determine if the capital loss is short term (one year or less) or long term (more than one year). Report losses due to worthless securities on Schedule D of Form 1040 and fill out Part I or Part II of Form 8949.

Can you write-off expired inventory?

Key Takeaways. An inventory write-off is the formal recognition of a portion of a company's inventory that no longer has value. Write-offs typically happen when inventory becomes obsolete, spoils, becomes damaged, or is stolen or lost.

How to treat damaged stock in accounting?

Make a journal entry that credits the inventory asset account with the value of the write-off. Then, debit the inventory write-off expense account the same value. The change to the expense account reduces your company's net income on its income statement and decreases shareholder equity in the balance sheet.

What is the journal entry for Dead stock?

A journal entry is created to write off dead stock by debiting the dead stock account and crediting the inventory account for the same amount.

Buying Too Much Inventory Can Cost You Tax Write-Offs

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How to write-off dead stock?

How to Write Off Inventory?
  1. Identify the Obsolete Inventory Items with No Value.
  2. Appraise the Value Attributed to the Inventory Accounts (i.e., Removal of Recorded Value)
  3. Record Journal Entry Adjustments in Accounting Ledger (Debit to Inventory Account; Credit to Cost of Goods Sold Account)

How do you liquidate dead stocks?

There are a few ways to get rid of dead stock, such as bundling a dead stock item with a high-demand product for free, returning it to the manufacturer or supplier, or donating it to a non-profit organization.

How do you write-off a bad stock?

On your balance sheet, debit your cost of goods sold (COGS) and credit your inventory write-off expense account. If the amount of loss is material, it should be identified separately in the income statement. Add comments justifying the write-off (e.g., explaining that the inventory was damaged, stolen, spoiled, etc.).

What is the journal entry for obsolete inventory?

Obsolete inventory is written-down by debiting expenses and crediting a contra asset account, such as allowance for obsolete inventory. The contra asset account is netted against the full inventory asset account to arrive at the current market value or book value.

How do you record damage stock?

When inventory is damaged, the company must recognize the cost of that inventory in cost of goods sold (assuming that some level of damage is normal). The journal entry would be to debit cost of good sold (a specific damage account) and the credit would be to inventory (reduce the inventory).

How to write-off stock losses?

To deduct stock losses on your taxes, you'll need to fill out IRS Form 8949 and Schedule D. First, calculate your net short-term capital gain or loss by subtracting short-term losses from short-term gains. Then, calculate your net long-term capital gain or loss by subtracting long-term losses from long-term gains.

How to write-off damaged inventory in QuickBooks?

By setting up a specific write-off account, you can better manage the impact of inventory losses on your financial statements. Navigate to the Chart of Accounts and select 'New' to create a new account. Then, choose the account type as 'Expense' and name it accordingly, such as 'Inventory Write-Offs'.

What is obsolete stock written off?

An inventory write-off is the process of removing inventory items from your stock on hand list. This is done when items are no longer saleable due to being damaged, spoiled, stolen or becoming otherwise obsolete.

How do you prove a stock is worthless?

To prove a stock is worthless and take the worthless stock deduction, you must show that the stock is no longer traded, has declared bankruptcy, has no market value (if not publicly traded), or is in the process of liquidation. This can include public records, news articles, or correspondence from the company itself.

How much stock can you write-off?

Your maximum net capital loss in any tax year is $3,000. The IRS limits your net loss to $3,000 (for individuals and married filing jointly) or $1,500 (for married filing separately). You can reduce any amount of taxable capital gains as long as you have gross losses to offset them.

How do you write out of stock?

Out-of-stock email template
  1. Hello [use the customer's name]!
  2. Thank you for your order! Unfortunately, one of the items you purchased is out of stock. ...
  3. We expect the item to be back in stock in 1 to 2 weeks. ...
  4. Please accept our sincere apology for this inconvenience. ...
  5. Thank you!

Can I write-off unsold inventory?

In regards to GAAP, once you have identified inventory that you cannot sell, you must write this inventory off as an expense. Assuming no receipt of payment for the inventory, you will debit a cost of goods sold account and credit either inventory directly or your inventory reserve account.

What is the dead stock accounting treatment?

For accounting purposes, any inventory that doesn't turn over after a year is typically considered dead stock and becomes a liability.

What are the GAAP rules for obsolete inventory?

What are the GAAP rules for obsolete inventory? GAAP requires that obsolete inventory be accounted for as soon as it's identified. This typically involves either writing down the inventory to its net realizable value or writing it off entirely if it has no value.

How do you write-off bad stock?

Follow these five steps to conduct an inventory write-off:
  • Track and identify damaged inventory. ...
  • Document each item. ...
  • Calculate the value of spoiled inventory. ...
  • Set up an expense account for write-offs. ...
  • Record the write-off in financial statements.

How do you deduct worthless stock?

Here's what you need to do to report your loss: Report any worthless securities on Form 8949. You'll need to explain to the IRS that your loss totals differ from those presented by your broker on your Form 1099-B and why. You need to treat securities as if they were sold or exchanged on the last day of the tax year.

How to account for scrap inventory?

How you account for scrap depends on how you have logged your initial manufactures. Suppose in your manufacture you have included both the used material and the scrap as part of the total material usage. In that case, this will already be accounted for in your inventory, and you will not need to make any adjustments.

What is the formula for dead stock?

The Dead Stock Value Method involves determining the total value of dead stock inventory in a warehouse. To calculate, subtract the inventory that's still sellable from the total inventory. The difference provides the value of dead stock.

How to get rid of inventory that won't sell?

Ten Ways to Deal with Excess Inventory
  1. Return for a refund or credit. ...
  2. Divert the inventory to new products. ...
  3. Trade with industry partners. ...
  4. Sell to customers. ...
  5. Consign your product. ...
  6. Liquidate excess inventory. ...
  7. Auction it yourself. ...
  8. Scrap it.

What to do with dead shares?

Shares form part of the estate of the deceased shareholder. If there is a will, the executors or personal representatives would administer the shares. If there is no will, the administrators would administer the shares.