Mendrisio Company purchased a piece of machinery for $30,000 on January 1, 2019, and has been depreciating the machine using the sum-of-the-years'-digits method based on a five-year estimated useful life and no salvage value. On January 1, 2021, Mendrisio decided to switch to the straight-line method of depreciation. The salvage value is still zero and the estimated useful life is changed to a total of six years from the date of purchase. Ignore income taxes.

Requirements:

a. Prepare the appropriate journal entry (if any) to record the accounting change (include the account and the dollar amount; no abbreviations!)
b. Prepare the journal entry to record depreciation for 2018.

a. There is no entry required to record the accounting change

b. The journal entry to record depreciation for 2021 would be as follows:

                                         Debit      Credit

Depreciation Expense $3,000

    Accumulated Depreciation $3,000

Explanation:

According to the given data we have the following:

Sum of year digits=5(5+1)/2

Sum of year digits=(5*6)/2

Sum of year digits=15

Depreciation for year 2019=$30,000*5/15

Depreciation for year 2019=$10,000

Depreciation for year 2020=$30,000*4/15

Depreciation for year 2020=$8,000

Therefore, book value as on january 1, 2021=$30,000-$10,000-$8,000

book value as on january 1, 2021=$12,000

Revised useful life=6 years-2 years=4 years

Therefore, Revised depreciation for 2021=$12,000/4

Revised depreciation for 2021=$3,000

a. There is no entry required to record the accounting change

b. The journal entry to record depreciation for 2021 would be as follows:

                                         Debit      Credit

Depreciation Expense $3,000

    Accumulated Depreciation $3,000