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Current liabilities
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Long-term liabilities
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The difference
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Balance sheet presentation
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Liquidity and solvency analysis
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Interest expense calculation
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Here’s what else to consider
When you prepare your final accounts, you need to classify your liabilities as either current or long-term. This affects how you report them on your balance sheet and how you measure your liquidity and solvency. But what is the difference between a current and long-term liability, and how do you decide which one to use? In this article, you will learn the definitions, examples, and implications of these two types of liabilities.
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- Bamidele MSc, FCCA, CPA, CGA Chartered Accountant, Team Lead Trade Finance Operations
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1 Current liabilities
Current liabilities are obligations that you have to pay within one year or within your normal operating cycle, whichever is longer. Examples of current liabilities include accounts payable, short-term loans, accrued expenses, taxes payable, and dividends payable. Current liabilities are important for your cash flow management, as they indicate how much money you need to raise or generate in the short term to meet your obligations. Current liabilities also affect your current ratio, which is the ratio of your current assets to your current liabilities. A higher current ratio means you have more liquidity, or the ability to pay your debts as they become due.
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Current liabilities are short-term obligations that a company expects to settle within one year, such as accounts payable and short-term loans. Long-term liabilities, on the other hand, are obligations extending beyond one year, like long-term loans and bonds payable. Both types of liabilities are reported in the balance sheet during final accounts preparation, providing insights into a company's short-term and long-term financial obligations.
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2 Long-term liabilities
Long-term liabilities are obligations that you have to pay after one year or beyond your normal operating cycle, whichever is longer. Examples of long-term liabilities include long-term loans, bonds payable, deferred taxes, pensions, and leases. Long-term liabilities are important for your capital structure, as they indicate how much debt you have taken on to finance your assets and operations. Long-term liabilities also affect your debt-to-equity ratio, which is the ratio of your total liabilities to your total equity. A higher debt-to-equity ratio means you have more leverage, or the use of borrowed funds to increase your returns.
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3 The difference
The main difference between current and long-term liabilities is the time frame in which you have to pay them. Current liabilities are due within one year or within your normal operating cycle, while long-term liabilities are due after one year or beyond your normal operating cycle. This difference has implications for your balance sheet presentation, your liquidity and solvency analysis, and your interest expense calculation.
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4 Balance sheet presentation
On your balance sheet, you have to separate your current and long-term liabilities into two categories. Current liabilities are listed first, followed by long-term liabilities. This helps you and your users to see how much of your liabilities are due in the short term and how much are due in the long term. It also helps you to calculate your working capital, which is the difference between your current assets and your current liabilities. A positive working capital means you have enough current assets to cover your current liabilities, while a negative working capital means you have a liquidity problem.
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5 Liquidity and solvency analysis
Another difference between current and long-term liabilities is how they affect your liquidity and solvency analysis. Liquidity is the ability to pay your debts as they become due, while solvency is the ability to pay your debts in the long term. Current liabilities are more relevant for your liquidity analysis, as they indicate how much cash you need to generate or raise in the short term to meet your obligations. Long-term liabilities are more relevant for your solvency analysis, as they indicate how much debt you have taken on and how it affects your equity and profitability. You can use various ratios to measure your liquidity and solvency, such as the current ratio, the quick ratio, the debt-to-equity ratio, and the interest coverage ratio.
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6 Interest expense calculation
The last difference between current and long-term liabilities is how they affect your interest expense calculation. Interest expense is the cost of borrowing money, and it is calculated based on the interest rate, the principal amount, and the time period of the loan. Current liabilities usually have higher interest rates than long-term liabilities, as they are more risky for the lenders. However, current liabilities also have shorter time periods than long-term liabilities, which means you pay less interest in total. Long-term liabilities usually have lower interest rates than current liabilities, as they are more secure for the lenders. However, long-term liabilities also have longer time periods than current liabilities, which means you pay more interest in total. Therefore, you have to consider both the interest rate and the time period when comparing the interest expense of current and long-term liabilities.
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7 Here’s what else to consider
This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?
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- Bamidele MSc, FCCA, CPA, CGA Chartered Accountant, Team Lead Trade Finance Operations
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A point to note is that Long term liabilities sometimes have an element of current liabilities when it has to be paid within the current period i.e. a long term liability could have a portion of the obligation due in the current financial year e.g. if any portion of a long-term liability is due within the next 12 months, it is listed with current liabilities.They are sometimes called the current portion of long-term debt and need to be paid with cash or liquidity in the current year. Examples are long term loans due for part payment in the current financial year.
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In financial reporting, distinguishing between current and long-term liabilities is crucial. Current liabilities are obligations due within one year, such as accounts payable or short-term loans. They impact short-term liquidity and working capital. Long-term liabilities, on the other hand, are obligations payable beyond one year, like long-term loans or bonds. Differentiating them is essential for assessing a company's liquidity and solvency. For instance, if our company has a short-term loan of $50,000 due in six months, it's classified as a current liability, while a 10-year bond worth $1 million is a long-term liability, impacting our long-term financial health and stability.
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