Company asset register template
One row per item, one named holder per row. Fourteen columns that answer the three questions an asset list exists for: what do we own, who has it, and did it come back.
No employment law requires an equipment register, but two rules make one worth keeping. A limited company's accounting records must include details of the assets it owns, kept for six years. And you can only deduct the cost of an unreturned item from someone's pay if they agreed to that in writing beforehand, which means knowing exactly what was issued, to whom and when. The register below is that record.
Download the register CSV · opens in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets
What columns does an asset register need?
The download has these fourteen columns and three example rows to overwrite.
| Column | What to record | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Asset ID | Your own tag number, on a label on the item | Serial numbers are too long to read out over the phone. |
| Category | Laptop, phone, screen, vehicle, key, card, tool | Lets you filter for a leaver or an audit. |
| Make and model | As printed on the item | Needed for insurance and replacement. |
| Serial number or IMEI | The manufacturer's identifier | The only proof an item is yours if it is lost or stolen. |
| Purchase date | Date on the invoice | Age drives replacement and warranty. |
| Purchase cost | Net cost in pounds | Feeds the fixed asset records your accountant keeps. |
| Supplier | Who it was bought or leased from | Where to go for a warranty claim. |
| Warranty or lease end | Date | Sort by this once a quarter. |
| Assigned to | One named person, or "Unassigned" | Never a team. A team does not return a laptop. |
| Date issued | Date handed over | Shows the item was issued before any loss. |
| Location | Office, home, vehicle, site | Matters for insurance and for home workers. |
| Condition | New, good, fair, faulty | Note it at issue and again at return. |
| Date returned | Date signed back in | An empty cell on a leaver's row is the alarm. |
| Notes | Repairs, safety checks, disposal and data wipe | Record that storage was wiped before disposal. |
What should the equipment clause in a contract say?
A register tells you what is missing. Only a signed clause lets you do anything about it. Add wording like this to the contract or to an equipment agreement signed when kit is issued.
Equipment issued to you by [Company name] is listed in the company asset register and remains the property of [Company name]. You must take reasonable care of it, use it in line with our policies, and report loss, theft or damage to [role] within [24 hours].
You must return all company equipment, in good condition allowing for fair wear and tear, on or before your last day of employment, or earlier if asked. Returned items will be checked and signed back in on the asset register and you will be given a copy of the record.
If you do not return an item, or return it damaged through your negligence, you agree that [Company name] may deduct the reasonable cost of replacing or repairing it, up to its current value, from any money owed to you, including your final salary. We will tell you the amount and the reason in writing before making any deduction.
How do you keep an asset register accurate?
- Get the clause signed before the kit is handed over. Under section 13 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 a deduction is lawful only if it is in the contract or the worker agreed in writing beforehand, and agreement given after the loss does not count.
- Mind the minimum wage. A deduction for equipment generally cannot take pay for the period below the National Minimum Wage.
- Update the row at the moment of handover. A register corrected at the end of the month is a register that is wrong for most of the month.
- Check a leaver's rows on day one of notice, not on their last afternoon: the full sequence is in the employee offboarding checklist.
- Do not put a test date on everything. The Health and Safety Executive is explicit that the law does not require portable appliance testing every year. The duty is to maintain electrical equipment so it does not cause danger, at a frequency that depends on the equipment and where it is used.
- Count it once a year. Walk the list against the shelves. The first count always finds items nobody knew were missing.
New starters appear on the register on their first day: add the step to the new starter checklist. For kit that goes home with hybrid staff, see the hybrid working policy template.
Frequently asked questions
Is an asset register a legal requirement in the UK?
No employment law requires a register of equipment issued to staff. A limited company's accounting records must include details of the assets the company owns and be kept for six years, which is a company law and tax duty met through the accounts.
What should a company asset register include?
An identifier for each item, its category, make and model, serial number, purchase date and cost, supplier, warranty or lease end, the person it is assigned to, the date issued, its location and condition, the date returned and any notes on repair or disposal.
Can an employer charge an employee for lost or unreturned equipment?
Only where the contract allows the deduction or the employee agreed to it in writing before the loss. Otherwise it is an unlawful deduction from wages under section 13 of the Employment Rights Act 1996.
Does company equipment need a PAT test every year?
No. The Health and Safety Executive says the law does not make inspection or testing of electrical appliances a legal requirement, nor require it annually. The duty is to maintain electrical equipment to prevent danger, on a risk basis.
How often should an asset register be updated?
At every change: when an item is bought, issued, moved, repaired, returned or disposed of. A full physical check once a year catches what the day-to-day updates missed.
Sources
Checked against the primary source on 4 October 2026.
- gov.uk: company and accounting records - accounting records must include details of assets owned, kept for six years
- Employment Rights Act 1996, s.13 - when a deduction from wages is lawful
- gov.uk: deductions from your pay - deductions and the minimum wage
- HSE: portable appliance testing FAQs - no legal requirement to test annually; maintain on a risk basis
This is general guidance for UK employers and is not legal advice. Take advice on anything contested, unusual or expensive.
More to download: All 44 templates · 79 guides explaining the rules · 27 calculators
The register that knows who left
CoDash keeps the asset register beside the people it is issued to, so a leaver's checklist already lists the laptop, the phone and the door pass - and shows which have come back.
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