The balance the provision for depreciation account is shown in the

The balance of the provision for depreciation account is shown in the trial balance as a credit. The provision for depreciation is a contra-asset account which is used to reduce the value of a fixed asset to its net book value. As depreciation is charged on the fixed assets over their useful lives, the provision for depreciation account is credited each time a depreciation charge is made. Therefore, the balance of the provision for depreciation account at any given point in time represents the total amount of depreciation charged on the fixed asset up to that point. This balance is shown in the trial balance as a credit to offset the debit balance of the fixed asset account, which reflects the original cost of the asset.