Logging Maintenance Events
Maintenance events are the core records that document every repair, inspection, upgrade, and preventive service performed on your assets. Logging maintenance consistently gives you a complete service history for each asset, supports warranty claims, improves insurance documentation, and feeds the Maintenance Cost Report with accurate financial data.
How to Access
To create a maintenance event, navigate to Assets > Maintenance Event. This opens the the Maintenance Event screen form where you can record all details about the work performed.
You can also access maintenance events from within an asset's record by navigating to its Maintenance tab and clicking New Maintenance Event.
Required Permission
You must have the Asset Maintenance permission to create, edit, or view maintenance events. Super Admins have this permission by default. Other roles need it explicitly assigned through Employees > Roles & Permissions.
Maintenance Types
Every maintenance event is classified by type. AccuArk supports five maintenance types:
| Type | Description | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Repair | Fixing something that is broken or malfunctioning | Replacing a failed component, fixing a leak, repairing structural damage |
| Inspection | Examining the asset to assess its condition | Annual safety inspections, compliance audits, pre-season equipment checks |
| Preventive | Scheduled maintenance to prevent future problems | Oil changes, filter replacements, software updates, lubrication |
| Upgrade | Enhancing the asset beyond its original capabilities | Adding memory to a computer, installing a new blade on a machine, firmware upgrades |
| Calibration | Adjusting the asset to meet precise measurement standards | Calibrating scales, thermometers, pressure gauges, laser equipment |
Choosing the correct type is important because it allows you to filter maintenance history and reports by the kind of work performed.
Recording a Maintenance Event
To record a new maintenance event, follow these steps:
- Select the Asset — Use the asset search field to find and select the asset that was serviced. You can search by asset number, name, or serial number.
- Choose the Maintenance Type — Select from repair, inspection, preventive, upgrade, or calibration.
- Set the Date — Enter the date the maintenance was performed. This defaults to today but can be backdated for work completed previously.
- Enter the Description — Provide a detailed description of the work performed. Be specific about what was done, what parts were used, and any observations made during the work.
- Record the Technician — The performed_by field is a free-text field. Type the technician's name directly. This can be an internal employee or an external contractor.
- Select a Vendor — If the work was performed by an external vendor, select the vendor from the dropdown. This links the maintenance event to the vendor record for reporting purposes.
Condition Tracking
Maintenance events include two condition fields that help you track whether the maintenance improved the asset's state:
- Condition Before — The asset's condition when it was brought in for service. Choose from values like Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor, or Non-Functional.
- Condition After — The asset's condition after the maintenance was completed.
Tracking condition before and after every maintenance event builds a timeline of the asset's physical state over its lifecycle. This information is valuable when deciding whether to continue maintaining an aging asset or replace it entirely.
Cost Tracking
Every maintenance event has three cost fields that together make up the total cost of the work:
| Cost Field | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| Labor Cost | Internal labor hours multiplied by the hourly rate. This represents the cost of your own employees' time spent performing the maintenance. |
| Parts Cost | Replacement parts and materials consumed during the work. Includes gaskets, filters, bolts, lubricants, and any other physical materials. |
| External Vendor Cost | Third-party service invoices. If an outside contractor or specialist performed the work, enter their total invoice amount here. |
Total Maintenance Cost is calculated automatically as:
Total = Labor Cost + Parts Cost + External Vendor Cost
Recording costs accurately is essential for the Maintenance Cost Report, which aggregates spending by asset, category, location, and time period.
Status Workflow
Maintenance events follow a simple four-status workflow:
- Planned — The maintenance has been scheduled but work has not yet started. Use this status to queue upcoming work and assign it to technicians.
- In Progress — Work is currently underway. Set this status when the technician begins the job.
- Completed — The maintenance has been finished. All cost fields and condition assessments should be filled in before marking the event as completed.
- Cancelled — The maintenance was planned but will not be performed. Use this if the asset was disposed of, the work is no longer needed, or the schedule changed.
Only events in the Completed status are included in cost calculations and the Maintenance Cost Report.
Capitalized Maintenance
Most maintenance is expensed in the period it occurs, but major repairs that extend an asset's useful life can be capitalized. Capitalizing a maintenance event means the cost is added to the asset's cost basis rather than being treated as a period expense.
To capitalize a maintenance event:
- Check the Capitalize checkbox on the maintenance event form
- Enter the total cost as usual
- When the event is saved, AccuArk posts a GL journal entry:
- Debit the Asset Account (increasing the asset's book value)
- Credit Cash or Accounts Payable (reflecting the payment)
Capitalization is appropriate when the maintenance:
- Extends the asset's useful life significantly
- Increases the asset's capacity or capability
- Adds a new component that did not previously exist
Routine maintenance like oil changes, filter replacements, and standard inspections should never be capitalized.
Useful Life Extension
When maintenance extends an asset's productive life, you can record this on the maintenance event:
- Enter the number of months in the Useful Life Extension field
- AccuArk adds these months to the asset's total useful life
- Future depreciation calculations are adjusted automatically to spread the remaining depreciable base over the new, longer useful life
For example, if an asset originally had a 60-month useful life and is at month 36 with $4,000 of remaining depreciable base, adding a 12-month extension means the remaining $4,000 will be depreciated over 36 months (24 original remaining + 12 extension) instead of 24 months.
Link to Maintenance Schedule
If the maintenance event was triggered by a recurring maintenance schedule, it is linked automatically via the maintenance_schedule_id field. This link allows you to:
- See which schedule generated the event
- Track schedule compliance (was the maintenance performed on time?)
- Update the schedule's Last Performed Date when the event is completed
When you create a maintenance event from the Maintenance Calendar or from a schedule's action menu, the link is set automatically. If you create an ad-hoc event, this field is left empty.
Activity Log
Every maintenance event is automatically recorded in the asset's activity log. The log entry includes the maintenance type, date, status, and total cost. This means you can review a complete timeline of everything that has happened to an asset — acquisitions, transfers, maintenance, depreciation, and disposals — from a single view.
Tips and Best Practices
- Log all maintenance regardless of size. Even minor repairs build a valuable service history that supports warranty claims and insurance documentation.
- Record costs accurately to get meaningful data from the Maintenance Cost Report. If you estimate costs, note that in the description.
- Use the Planned status to create a maintenance queue. This helps technicians see what work is coming up without needing a separate task list.
- Attach documents to maintenance events when available. Service invoices, inspection certificates, and photos of damage or repairs provide supporting evidence.
- Set condition before and after on every event. Over time, this data reveals whether an asset is deteriorating despite regular maintenance, which is a signal to consider replacement.
- Capitalize wisely — only capitalize maintenance that genuinely extends the asset's life or adds significant value. Over-capitalizing inflates your asset values and understates expenses.