What are ordinary repairs and maintenance?
Mia Phillips
Updated on February 12, 2026
Ordinary repairs are expensed when incurred and are not capitalized because of they do not extend the asset’s useful life or productivity. In other words, ordinary repairs are simply maintenance costs to make sure the machinery or equipment is working properly.
Are ordinary repairs and maintenance an expense?
Ordinary repairs are expenditures for repairs that do not prolong the life of an asset or increase its usefulness. These expenditures are charged to expense as incurred. If they had instead met one or both of the preceding criteria, repairs would instead be capitalized and charged to expense over time.
How are ordinary repairs and maintenance handled in the accounting system?
The accounting for maintenance and repair expenditures depends on the nature of the repairs: whether such repairs are ordinary, major, or extraordinary. Ordinary repairs are performed to maintain fixed assets in operating condition. As the result, ordinary repairs are expensed in the period incurred.
What kind of expense is repairs and maintenance?
Repairs and maintenance expense is considered to be one of the operational expenses of the company, and therefore, it is categorized as a normal expense. Repairs and Maintenance expenses can either be planned or unplanned.
What is the difference between ordinary repairs and extraordinary repairs?
Extraordinary repairs are capitalized expenses that increase the future deprecation of an asset over the remainder of its useful life. Ordinary repairs, on the other hand, are expensed immediately and reported on the income statement in the current period.
What is an example of an extraordinary repair?
Examples of extraordinary repairs are a new roof for a building, a new engine for a truck, and repaving a parking lot.
What is the difference between ordinary repairs and extraordinary repairs What is the accounting treatment for each?