- Tools and equipment · TDM
- IT Director / CTO, CFO / Finance, Accounting / Analytics, Operations Manager
- Services and offices, Public sector, Manufacturing, Retail and branch networks
IT equipment inventory template: a printable list and how to fill it in
In short
An IT equipment inventory lists every device the company owns with its serial number, holder, location, status and warranty date. The template below can be printed or copied into a spreadsheet. Fill it in from the devices themselves, not from purchase orders, and give each device one code and one named holder. When devices change hands often, a register with issue and return history replaces the sheet.
What the list is for
An IT equipment inventory answers a few plain questions: what devices do we have, who holds each one, where is it, is it still under warranty and is it still in use. Finance uses it to plan replacements and to avoid buying what sits idle. IT uses it to match devices to accounts and licenses. A manager uses it when a person joins, changes role or leaves.
It covers laptops, desktops, monitors, phones, tablets, docks, headsets, printers, network gear and accessories worth tracking. Software licenses are a separate list, though a device row can hold a column for the main one.
Printable template
IT EQUIPMENT INVENTORY
Site / department: …………………………… Date of check: …………………… Checked by: ……………………………
| No. | Code / tag | Device type | Make and model | Serial number | Holder | Location | Status | Warranty until | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||
| 3 | |||||||||
| 4 | |||||||||
| 5 |
Status: in use / in stock / in repair / lost / retired. Differences found and agreed action: ……………………………………………………………
| Signature, person who checked | Signature, IT owner of the list | Date list corrected |
|---|---|---|
How to fill it in
- Code or tag. A unique number on a label stuck to the device. Do not use the serial number as the only key: serials are long and easy to misread, and some devices have none.
- Type, make, model. Short and consistent. "Laptop, ThinkPad T14" in every row, not three spellings.
- Serial number. Read it from the device or its underside, not from the invoice. Mistyped serials are the usual reason a warranty claim stalls.
- Holder. A named person. For shared devices, name the person who is responsible for them.
- Location. The building and room, or "remote" with the city for home-based staff.
- Status. Use a short fixed list so the sheet can be filtered. Five values are enough.
- Warranty until. The date support ends, so replacement can be planned.
- Notes. Condition, accessories, a pending repair.
Common mistakes
- copying the list from purchase orders instead of walking the floor, so the sheet shows devices that were never delivered or have since been scrapped,
- recording the department but not a person,
- different spellings of the same model, which breaks filtering,
- no date of the last check, so nobody knows how fresh a row is,
- leavers still listed as holders,
- keeping the list in one person's private copy.
A routine that keeps it current
A list is only useful if it changes when devices move. Set three triggers: a new device is labeled and added on receipt, a person joining or leaving triggers a check of their devices, and a quarterly sample compares ten rows with reality. The offboarding trigger is the most important one, see employee offboarding and equipment return. For devices still recorded against someone who left, see a laptop still assigned to a former employee.
Accounting may keep its own fixed asset register for the same devices. The two should agree on the code, so that a device is one record seen from two sides. See the fixed asset register template and the asset inventory template. Whether an item is capitalized and how it is written off is a question for your accountant.
Example rows
Rows are easier to fill in when you have seen a few filled ones. These are illustrative only. Row one: code IT-0142, laptop, ThinkPad T14, serial copied from the underside, holder a named employee in finance, location "Building A, room 204", status in use, warranty to the end of next year. Row two: code IT-0143, monitor, 27 inch, serial from the back label, holder "shared, office manager responsible", location meeting room, status in use. Row three: code IT-0097, laptop, status in stock, holder "IT stock", location the IT storeroom, notes "wiped, ready to issue, charger included". Row four: code IT-0061, phone, status in repair, notes "screen replaced, returns Friday".
Notice that "in stock" and "in repair" still have a holder or a place. A device with a blank holder and a blank location is a device nobody will find.
Who maintains the list
Name one maintainer, usually in IT, and one deputy. Give them a simple rule: no device is handed to a user, and no device is retired, without a change in the list on the same day. Anyone who issues devices outside IT, for example a department head with a spare monitor, must tell the maintainer. If this rule cannot be kept in practice, the list will drift and the sheet is the wrong tool.
When to move beyond the sheet
A sheet works for a small fleet and one maintainer. Signs that it is time to change: several people issue devices, handovers are not written down, warranty dates are missed, or you cannot say at a glance who holds a given laptop. Remanently Tools keeps a register of equipment and employees, records issues and returns, shows the current holder and stores the history. Devices that are also fixed assets share the record with Remanently Assets. The free package supports up to 500 records and 25 employees. For more, read laptop tracking software and equipment tracking spreadsheet. To try it on a part of your device list, book a demo.
Frequently asked questions
What columns should an IT equipment inventory have?
At minimum: a unique code, device type, make and model, serial number, holder, location, status and warranty date. Add notes for condition and accessories.
Is there an official IT inventory form?
There is usually no single official form for an internal inventory. Use a layout that identifies each device and its holder, and ask your accountant if the list must agree with the fixed asset register.
Should I use the serial number as the main key?
Use your own short code on a label as the key and keep the serial number as a separate column. Serials are long, easy to misread and missing on some devices.
How often should the IT inventory be checked?
Add devices on receipt, check a person's devices when they join, change role or leave, and compare a sample of rows with reality every quarter.
How do we handle devices used by remote staff?
Record the person as holder and use the city as the location. Ask holders to confirm their list on a schedule.
When should we replace the sheet with software?
When several people issue devices, when handovers are not recorded or when warranty dates are missed. A register with issue and return history then replaces the manual routine.
See an IT device list as a working register
Bring a part of your device list and we will show holders, issues and returns on it in a short demo.
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