Question

Payback period computation; even cash flows LO P1

Compute the payback period for each of these two separate investments:
a. A new operating system for an existing machine is expected to cost $520,000 and have a useful life of six years. The system yields an incremental after-tax income of $150,000 each year after deducting its straight-line depreciation. The predicted salvage value of the system is $10,000.
b. A machine costs $380,000, has a $20,000 salvage value, is expected to last eight years, and will generate an after-tax income of $60,000 per year after straight-line depreciation.
Payback period
Choose Numerator: / Choose Denominator: = Payback period
/ = Payback period
a. =
b. =

Answer 1

$520,000 / $235,000 = 2.2 years

$380,000 / $105,000 = 3.6 years

Step-by-step explanation:

Payback period calculates how long it takes to recover the amount invested in a project from its cumulative cash flows

Payback period = amount invested / cash flow

Cash flow = net income + depreciation expense

Depreciation expense using the straight line depreciation expense = (cost of asset - salvage value) / number of years

A. ($520,000 - $10,000) / 6 = $85,000

cash flow = $150,000 + $85,000 = $235,000

$520,000 / $235,000 = 2.2 years

B. ($380,000 - $20,000) / 8 = $45,000

$45,000 + $60,000 = $105,000

$380,000 / $105,000 = 3.6 years