What is Sage Fixed Assets? Features, benefits, and capabilities
Managing fixed assets can become more complex as organizations grow, particularly when finance teams rely on manual processes to manage depreciation, capital projects, and physical asset records.
Sage Fixed Assets is a modular suite that can help organizations manage assets throughout their lifecycle, with solutions for depreciation, construction in progress (CIP), physical asset tracking, and advanced reporting. The suite can also integrate with ERP and accounting systems such as Sage 100 and Sage Intacct, depending on the products and licensing in use.
Sage Fixed Assets at a glance
Sage Fixed Assets is a modular fixed asset management suite designed to help organizations manage the financial and physical lifecycle of their assets. Sage Fixed Assets—Depreciation provides the core asset database, depreciation calculations, tax tools, and standard reporting, while additional modules extend the solution with construction in progress (CIP), physical asset tracking, and customizable reporting. Organizations can select the modules that align with their fixed asset requirements rather than implementing every capability described in this guide.
What is Sage Fixed Assets?
Sage Fixed Assets is a modular software suite for managing fixed assets throughout their lifecycle, with available capabilities spanning capital project management and acquisition through depreciation, physical tracking, maintenance, transfer, and disposal.
Sage Fixed Assets is a separate product from the fixed asset functionality available within ERP and accounting solutions such as Sage 100 and Sage Intacct. It provides dedicated capabilities for organizations that need more comprehensive depreciation, asset tracking, capital planning, maintenance, and reporting. Sage Fixed Assets can also integrate with Sage ERP solutions to connect asset management with broader financial processes.
How is Sage Fixed Assets structured?
Sage Fixed Assets is a modular suite, so the capabilities available to an organization depend on the products and modules it licenses. The suite includes:
- Sage Fixed Assets—Depreciation: The core fixed asset application for maintaining asset records, calculating depreciation, managing tax and financial books, and producing standard reports.
- Sage Fixed Assets—CIP: Formerly known as Sage Fixed Assets Planning, this module supports construction in progress and capital projects by capturing costs and budgets before completed projects become fixed assets.
- Sage Fixed Assets—Tracking: Adds physical inventory capabilities, including barcode scanning, asset check-in/check-out, location tracking, and inventory reconciliation.
- Sage Fixed Assets—Reporting: An optional reporting solution for organizations that need greater control over report layouts and custom report creation.
Organizations can select the modules that fit their fixed asset management requirements, so not every capability discussed below is included with every Sage Fixed Assets configuration.
Fixed assets are long-term tangible assets that organizations purchase and use to support their operations rather than resell. Depending on the organization, these may include:
- Buildings and property
- Machinery and manufacturing equipment
- Vehicles
- Computers and technology
- Furniture and fixtures
- Other operational equipment
Managing these assets involves much more than recording their original cost. Organizations need to determine how assets should be depreciated, where they are located, who is responsible for them, whether they require maintenance, and when they are transferred, sold, or retired.
Sage Fixed Assets brings these processes together in a dedicated asset management system.
How does Sage Fixed Assets work?
Sage Fixed Assets supports the different stages of the asset lifecycle:
Plan → Acquire → Place in service → Depreciate → Track → Maintain → Transfer or dispose
For example, an organization using Sage Fixed Assets—CIP can accumulate costs for a capital project before an asset is placed in service. Once the project is complete, those costs can become the acquisition value of one or more assets in Sage Fixed Assets—Depreciation. Organizations that license additional modules can also manage physical inventory and extend their reporting capabilities.
Sage Fixed Assets modules and capabilities
Sage Fixed Assets includes specialized modules for different aspects of fixed asset management. The capabilities available depend on the modules and configuration an organization licenses.
Sage Fixed Assets – Depreciation
Sage Fixed Assets—Depreciation is the core application in the Sage Fixed Assets suite. It maintains fixed asset records and helps organizations calculate and manage depreciation without relying on manually maintained spreadsheets and formulas.
Sage Fixed Assets includes more than 50 depreciation methods and supports different property types and depreciation requirements.
Organizations can use the software to manage:
- Financial and tax depreciation
- Multiple depreciation books
- Asset additions
- Cost adjustments
- Full and partial disposals
- Asset transfers
- Depreciation calculations
- Tax forms and worksheets
- General ledger information
Sage Fixed Assets—Depreciation includes standard reports for analyzing depreciation and asset information. Users can filter, sort, and select reporting dates for these reports. Organizations that need to modify report layouts or create custom reports can add Sage Fixed Assets—Reporting, which provides expanded report design capabilities.
Built-in tax and audit support
Accurate fixed asset records play an important role in tax reporting and audit preparation. Sage Fixed Assets includes rules-based calculations and tools designed to help organizations identify potential issues before completing depreciation and tax reporting.
Sage Audit Advisor reviews asset information for potential exceptions and can help users:
- Review information about a potential resolution
- Review assets for Section 179 limits and requirements
- Identify assets with less than 100% business use
- Flag potential exceptions for further review
- Understand the issue associated with an exception
Sage Fixed Assets – CIP
Not every asset begins its lifecycle as a completed piece of equipment or property. Organizations may spend months or years accumulating costs before a capital project is ready to be placed in service.
Sage Fixed Assets—CIP, formerly known as Sage Fixed Assets Planning, is a separate module for managing construction-in-progress and capital project costs before they become depreciable assets.
Organizations can:
- Create capital projects and individual line items
- Designate project costs as capitalized or expensed
- Capture transactions and project expenditures
- Compare actual spending with projected spending
- Track original and revised budgets
- Monitor remaining project costs
- Convert completed project items into fixed assets
For capitalized line items, accumulated transactions can ultimately establish the acquisition value of the asset. Once spending is complete, organizations can create one or multiple assets from those project costs and move the information into depreciation.
This creates continuity between capital project management and ongoing fixed asset accounting.
Sage Fixed Assets – Tracking
Maintaining accurate accounting records is only part of fixed asset management. Organizations may also need to know where assets physically are and who is responsible for them.
Sage Fixed Assets—Tracking is a separate module that adds physical inventory and asset tracking capabilities to the Sage Fixed Assets environment. Organizations using Tracking can:
- Conduct physical asset inventories
- Track assets across multiple locations
- Use barcode scanning and the Sage Fixed Assets Scanner app
- Maintain asset descriptions and identifying information
- Assign assets to employees
- Check assets in and out
- Reconcile physical inventory with asset records
Asset data can be shared between Depreciation and Tracking, helping maintain consistency between the accounting record and physical inventory.
The check-in/check-out functionality can be particularly useful for assets such as laptops, vehicles, tools, and other equipment assigned to employees. Organizations can record who has an asset, when it was checked out, its expected return date, and additional information about its use. Overdue assets can then be identified through reporting.
Track assets that are not depreciated
Not every physical asset an organization wants to track necessarily meets its capitalization threshold.
For example, a business might establish a $5,000 capitalization threshold while still owning hundreds of laptops, monitors, printers, and other lower-cost items. Those assets may still need to be tracked for insurance, accountability, IT lifecycle management, and physical inventory purposes.
During Rand Group’s webinar, the Sage Fixed Assets specialist recommended considering these tangible items for inclusion in the system even when they are not depreciated. An organization can maintain information such as the asset’s cost, location, and assigned employee without calculating depreciation on it.
For organizations using Sage Fixed Assets—Tracking, this can extend asset management beyond the depreciation register by providing greater visibility into lower-cost equipment and other physical assets that still need to be inventoried or assigned.
Asset maintenance capabilities
Sage Fixed Assets can also maintain information related to ongoing asset maintenance, helping organizations keep service activity connected with the broader asset record.
Maintenance capabilities can help teams:
- Establish maintenance schedules
- Manage work orders
- Identify overdue maintenance
- Maintain asset maintenance information
- Coordinate maintenance requirements across departments
- Support repair-versus-replace decisions
Connecting maintenance information with the broader asset record can provide a more complete view of an asset throughout its useful life.
Sage Fixed Assets – Reporting
Sage Fixed Assets—Depreciation includes standard reports for common fixed asset accounting and depreciation needs. Organizations that require more advanced report customization can add Sage Fixed Assets—Reporting, an optional reporting module powered by SAP Crystal Reports.
With the Reporting module, organizations can create and modify report layouts, add or remove fields, and develop reports around their specific business requirements.
Reporting capabilities vary by report type. Regulatory and statutory tax reports have restrictions on customization to preserve required formats, so organizations should evaluate their reporting requirements when determining whether the Reporting module is needed.
Across the Sage Fixed Assets suite, reporting may include information related to:
- Depreciation
- Asset additions
- Transfers and disposals
- General ledger activity
- Capital projects and CIP
- Physical inventory and location
- Maintenance activity
The reports available depend on the Sage Fixed Assets modules and configuration in use.
What are the benefits of Sage Fixed Assets?
The value of dedicated fixed asset management software extends beyond automating depreciation. Sage Fixed Assets can help organizations improve asset accuracy, visibility, and management throughout the asset lifecycle.
- Reduce manual asset management: Centralize asset information to reduce duplicate data entry, spreadsheet maintenance, manual reconciliations, and disconnected records.
- Improve depreciation accuracy and consistency: Use built-in depreciation methods and rules-based calculations to standardize depreciation across assets, companies, and locations.
- Strengthen tax and audit readiness: Maintain detailed asset histories and depreciation records while using tools such as Sage Audit Advisor to identify potential exceptions for review.
- Improve visibility into physical assets: With Sage Fixed Assets—Tracking, connect financial records with asset locations, assigned employees, serial numbers, and other identifying information.
- Improve capital project visibility: With Sage Fixed Assets—CIP, track project spending, compare budgets with actual expenditures, and maintain the cost history behind assets before they are placed in service.
- Connect finance and operational asset management: Depending on the modules in use, finance, IT, operations, and facilities teams can gain greater visibility into asset location, responsibility, and maintenance activity.
Sage Fixed Assets vs. spreadsheets
Spreadsheets may be sufficient for organizations with a small number of straightforward assets. However, they become harder to maintain as asset portfolios and depreciation requirements become more complex.
Capabilities vary by Sage Fixed Assets module and configuration. Organizations should evaluate which modules are required for their specific asset management processes.
The point at which dedicated software becomes necessary depends on the organization. Asset volume, tax requirements, locations, capital projects, reporting needs, and the amount of manual work required to maintain the asset register are all important considerations.
How does Sage Fixed Assets integrate with your ERP?
Sage Fixed Assets can operate as a standalone application or connect with other business systems. Integration can reduce duplicate data entry and connect fixed asset activity with broader financial processes.
Depending on the ERP environment, organizations can:
- Connect with Sage solutions: Sage Fixed Assets supports integrations with Sage ERP and accounting solutions, including Sage 100 and Sage Intacct. Direct Sage Intacct integration requires a subscription version of Sage Fixed Assets. Integration availability and requirements can vary by product, edition, and deployment.
- Connect asset and financial processes: Integration can help move information between asset purchasing, depreciation, and general ledger workflows.
- Export general ledger information: GL information can be exported for use with other ERP systems when a direct integration is not available.
How does Sage Fixed Assets integrate with Sage 100?
Sage 100 integration can connect asset purchases, depreciation, and general ledger activity, reducing manual steps between the two systems.
When properly configured, the process can include:
- Create assets from purchases: An asset purchase entered through Sage 100 Accounts Payable or Purchase Order can initiate creation of the corresponding asset in Sage Fixed Assets.
- Apply asset templates: Fixed asset accounts and templates determine how new assets are created and categorized.
- Maintain the normal purchasing workflow: For example, a laptop invoice can be entered through Sage 100 AP using the appropriate fixed asset account and template, with the corresponding asset then created in Sage Fixed Assets.
- Calculate depreciation: Depreciation is calculated and maintained within Sage Fixed Assets.
- Post depreciation to the general ledger: During period-end processing, Sage 100 can retrieve depreciation information from Sage Fixed Assets and create the associated general ledger entries.
This integration creates a more connected workflow from asset acquisition through depreciation and GL posting while reducing duplicate entry between Sage 100 and Sage Fixed Assets.
Integration requirements can vary by Sage 100 edition and Sage Fixed Assets configuration. For example, certain Sage 100 Advanced and Premium integrations have specific server and client installation requirements. A Sage partner can help confirm compatibility and technical requirements before implementation.
See Sage Fixed Assets and Sage 100 in action
Learn how Sage Fixed Assets integrates with Sage 100 to streamline asset creation and depreciation and see additional capabilities for managing CIP projects and fixed asset reporting. Watch the on-demand webinar to see the solutions in action and learn how they can reduce manual fixed asset processes for your finance team.
Who should consider Sage Fixed Assets?
Sage Fixed Assets may be worth evaluating when fixed asset management has become too complex for spreadsheets or the basic asset functionality available within an existing accounting system.
Organizations may benefit from dedicated fixed asset software if they:
- Manage a large or growing number of fixed assets
- Rely heavily on spreadsheets for depreciation and asset records
- Need multiple depreciation books, methods, or complex tax calculations
- Manage assets across multiple locations or conduct physical inventories
- Track equipment assigned to employees
- Manage significant capital projects or CIP
- Need stronger ERP integration, maintenance visibility, or reconciliation between physical and accounting records
Because Sage Fixed Assets is modular, these requirements can also help determine which modules an organization needs. A company focused primarily on depreciation may have different licensing requirements than one that also needs CIP management, barcode-based physical inventory, or advanced report customization.
Choosing the right Sage Fixed Assets configuration
Sage Fixed Assets can support different deployment and database requirements, so organizations should evaluate their needs before selecting a configuration.
Important considerations include:
- Number of assets
- Number of companies and databases
- Number of users
- Existing ERP or accounting platform
- Integration requirements
- Reporting requirements
- Alternate accounting periods
- Batch processing requirements
- Deployment preferences
For example, Sage Fixed Assets Premier Depreciation provides capabilities designed for more complex environments, including Microsoft SQL, alternate accounting periods, and the ability to schedule depreciation and reporting tasks across multiple companies and databases.
Working with an experienced Sage partner can help organizations determine which configuration aligns with their asset volume, accounting requirements, and technology environment.
Sage Fixed Assets implementation considerations
Successful fixed asset management depends on more than installing software. Organizations should first understand their existing asset data, accounting policies, and business processes.
Before implementing Sage Fixed Assets, consider:
- Required Sage Fixed Assets modules and licensing
- Existing asset records, historical data, and data quality
- Asset classes, useful lives, and depreciation methods
- Capitalization policies and thresholds
- General ledger accounts and asset templates
- AP, purchasing, and CIP workflows
- Physical inventory and maintenance processes
- Standard versus custom reporting requirements
- ERP integration requirements
- User roles and responsibilities
Evaluating these requirements before implementation can help organizations establish more consistent processes and get greater value from the software.
Is Sage Fixed Assets right for your business?
Choosing the right fixed asset solution starts with understanding your accounting requirements, asset management processes, and ERP environment. Rand Group can help you evaluate whether Sage Fixed Assets fits your needs and develop an implementation strategy that connects the solution with your broader financial processes. Talk to a Rand Group Sage expert to evaluate Sage Fixed Assets and implement with a trusted Sage partner.
Partner with Rand Group for Sage Fixed Assets
Selecting fixed asset management software is only one part of improving how your organization manages its assets. The system also needs to align with your accounting policies, existing ERP, asset data, reporting requirements, and internal processes.
Rand Group’s Sage consultants can help organizations evaluate, implement, integrate, and optimize Sage Fixed Assets based on their specific requirements.
Our team can assist with:
- Solution evaluation: Determine whether Sage Fixed Assets is the right fit and which modules are required for your depreciation, CIP, physical tracking, reporting, and integration needs.
- Implementation and configuration: Configure the appropriate Sage Fixed Assets modules around your asset structure, depreciation requirements, workflows, and accounting processes.
- ERP integration: Connect Sage Fixed Assets with supported Sage solutions and broader financial processes.
- Data migration: Prepare and migrate existing fixed asset records into the new environment.
- Testing and validation: Confirm that depreciation, asset information, integrations, and reporting are functioning as expected.
- Training: Help finance and operational users understand the processes and capabilities relevant to their roles.
- Ongoing support and optimization: Adjust the system as asset portfolios, business requirements, locations, and reporting needs evolve.
Rand Group also works directly with Sage specialists to educate customers about Sage Fixed Assets and its integration with Sage ERP solutions, giving organizations access to both product and implementation expertise.
Key takeaways
- Sage Fixed Assets is a modular suite. Sage Fixed Assets—Depreciation provides core fixed asset accounting and depreciation capabilities, while separate modules extend the solution for CIP, physical tracking, and advanced reporting.
- Sage Fixed Assets—Depreciation supports more than 50 depreciation methods and rules-based capabilities for financial and tax depreciation.
- Sage Fixed Assets—CIP helps organizations capture project costs and budgets before completed projects become fixed assets.
- Sage Fixed Assets—Tracking adds physical inventory, barcode scanning, location tracking, and asset check-in/check-out capabilities.
- Sage Fixed Assets—Reporting provides advanced report customization beyond the standard reporting capabilities available in Depreciation.
- Integration requirements vary. Sage Fixed Assets can connect with ERP solutions such as Sage 100 and Sage Intacct, but licensing and technical prerequisites depend on the environment.
- Module and implementation planning are important. Organizations should evaluate their asset data, accounting requirements, workflows, integrations, and reporting needs before deployment.
Sage Fixed Assets frequently asked questions
What is Sage Fixed Assets?
Sage Fixed Assets is a modular fixed asset management suite. Sage Fixed Assets—Depreciation provides the core asset database and depreciation capabilities, while additional modules support construction in progress, physical asset tracking, and advanced report customization.
What does Sage Fixed Assets do?
Sage Fixed Assets helps organizations calculate depreciation, maintain detailed asset records, track physical assets, manage capital projects, monitor maintenance, produce reports, and record asset transfers and disposals. It can operate independently or integrate with ERP and accounting systems.
Is Sage Fixed Assets only for depreciation?
No. Depreciation is a core capability, but Sage Fixed Assets also supports capital planning and construction in progress, physical asset tracking, maintenance, reporting, transfers, and disposals. Together, these capabilities allow organizations to manage more of the complete asset lifecycle.
How many depreciation methods does Sage Fixed Assets support?
Sage Fixed Assets includes more than 50 depreciation methods. Organizations can use these methods to manage different financial and tax depreciation requirements.
Can Sage Fixed Assets track assets that are not depreciated?
Yes. Organizations can maintain records for physical assets even when they do not meet the capitalization threshold or require depreciation. This can be useful for laptops, monitors, printers, tools, and other equipment that still needs to be tracked for location, employee responsibility, insurance, or lifecycle management.
Does Sage Fixed Assets integrate with Sage 100?
Yes. Sage Fixed Assets can integrate with Sage 100 to connect asset purchasing, asset creation, depreciation, and general ledger activity. When properly configured, transactions entered through Accounts Payable or Purchase Order can trigger creation of corresponding fixed asset records.
Does Sage Fixed Assets integrate with Sage Intacct?
Sage Fixed Assets can connect with Sage Intacct. During Rand Group’s Sage Fixed Assets webinar, Sage explained that Sage Intacct integrates with the subscription version of Sage Fixed Assets. Organizations should evaluate their requirements and existing Sage Intacct functionality to determine the appropriate fixed asset approach.
Can Sage Fixed Assets replace fixed asset spreadsheets?
For organizations with complex asset portfolios, Sage Fixed Assets can replace many spreadsheet-based processes used for depreciation, asset tracking, CIP, and reporting. Whether dedicated software is necessary depends on factors such as asset volume, depreciation requirements, number of locations, reporting needs, and the complexity of existing processes.
Can Sage Fixed Assets track physical inventory?
Yes. Sage Fixed Assets Tracking can help organizations conduct physical inventories and maintain information about asset locations and assignments. Tracking and Depreciation can share asset information so physical inventory records remain connected with financial asset records.
Who should use Sage Fixed Assets?
Sage Fixed Assets is designed for organizations that need more structured control over depreciation and asset management. It can be particularly valuable for businesses with numerous assets, multiple locations, complex depreciation requirements, significant capital projects, regular physical inventories, or fixed asset processes that rely heavily on spreadsheets.
Simplify fixed asset management with Sage Fixed Assets
Sage Fixed Assets provides a modular approach to fixed asset management, allowing organizations to combine depreciation with additional capabilities for CIP, physical asset tracking, and advanced reporting based on their requirements. For businesses outgrowing spreadsheets or looking to better connect asset management with their financial processes, the suite provides a more structured approach.
Contact our Sage experts to discuss your fixed asset requirements and determine whether Sage Fixed Assets is the right fit for your organization.
