Long-Term Liabilities: Definition, Examples, and Uses (2024)

What Are Long-Term Liabilities?

Long-term liabilities are a company's financial obligations that are due more than one year in the future. The current portion of long-term debt is listed separately on the balance sheet to provide a more accurate view of a company's current liquidity and the company’s ability to pay current liabilities as they become due. Long-term liabilities are also called long-term debt or noncurrent liabilities.

Key Takeaways

  • Long-term liabilities are due more than one year in the future.
  • They are separately identified on the balance sheet.
  • While short-term liabilities must be paid with current assets, long-term liabilities can be repaid through a variety of current and future business activities.

Understanding Long-Term Liabilities

Long-term liabilities are listed in the balance sheet after more current liabilities, in a section that may include debentures, loans, deferred tax liabilities, and pension obligations. Long-term liabilities are obligations not due within the next 12 months or within the company’s operating cycle if it is longer than one year. A company’s operating cycle is the time it takes to turn its inventory into cash.

However, there are some exceptions to this general rule. If a company has current liabilities that are being refinanced into long-term liabilities, the intent to refinance is present, and there is evidence that the refinancing has begun, then it may report current liabilities as long-term liabilities because after the refinancing, the obligations are no longer due within 12 months. Additionally, a liability that is coming due may be reported as a long-term liability if it has a corresponding long-term investment intended to be used as payment for the debt . However, the long-term investment must have sufficient funds to cover the debt.

Examples of Long-Term Liabilities

The long-term portion of a bond payable is reported as a long-term liability. Because a bond typically covers many years, the majority of a bond payable is long term. The present value of a lease payment that extends past one year is a long-term liability. Deferred tax liabilities typically extend to future tax years, in which case they are considered a long-term liability. Mortgages, car payments, or other loans for machinery, equipment, or land are long-term liabilities, except for the payments to be made in the coming 12 months.

Tip

The portion of a long-term liability, such as a mortgage, that is due within one year is classified on the balance sheet as a current portion of long-term debt.

How Long-Term Liabilities are Used

Long-term liabilities are a useful tool for management analysis in the application of financial ratios. The current portion of long-term debt is separated out because it needs to be covered by liquid assets, such as cash. Long-term debt can be covered by various activities such as a company's primary business net income, future investment income, or cash from new debt agreements.

Debt ratios (such as solvency ratios) compare liabilities to assets. The ratios may be modified to compare the total assets to long-term liabilities only. This ratio is called long-term debt to assets. Long-term debt compared to total equity provides insight relating to a company’s financing structure and financial leverage. Long-term debt compared to current liabilities also provides insight regarding the debt structure of an organization.

What Are Long-Term and Short-Term Liabilities?

Long-term liabilities are typically due more than a year in the future. Examples of long-term liabilities include mortgage loans, bonds payable, and other long-term leases or loans, except the portion due in the current year. Short-term liabilities are due within the current year. Examples of short-term liabilities include accounts payable, accrued expenses, and the current portion of long-term debt.

What Is the Current Portion of Long-Term Debt?

The current portion of long-term debt is the portion of a long-term liability that is due in the current year. For example, a mortgage is long-term debt because it is typically due over 15 to 30 years. However, your mortgage payments that are due in the current year are the current portion of long-term debt. They should be listed separately on the balance sheet because these liabilities must be covered with current assets.

Where Are Long-Term Liabilities Listed on the Balance Sheet?

A balance sheet presents a company's assets, liabilities, and equity at a given date in time. The company's assets are listed first, liabilities second, and equity third. Long-term liabilities are presented after current liabilities in the liability section.

The Bottom Line

Long-term liabilities or debt are those obligations on a company's books that are not due without the next 12 months. Loans for machinery, equipment, or land are examples of long-term liabilities, whereas rent, for example, is a short-term liability that must be paid within the year. A company's long-term debt can be compared to other economic measures to analyze its debt structure and financial leverage.

Long-Term Liabilities: Definition, Examples, and Uses (2024)

FAQs

Long-Term Liabilities: Definition, Examples, and Uses? ›

Long-term liabilities are typically due more than a year in the future. Examples of long-term liabilities include mortgage loans, bonds payable, and other long-term leases or loans, except the portion due in the current year. Short-term liabilities are due within the current year.

What is the long definition of liabilities? ›

A liability is an obligation of a company that results in the company's future sacrifices of economic benefits to other entities or businesses. A liability, like debt, can be an alternative to equity as a source of a company's financing.

What is a long-term liability quizlet? ›

-Long-term liabilities are debts due beyond one year. -Current liabilities are debts that will be paid out of current assets and are due within one year. Tap the card to flip 👆 1 / 31. 1 / 31.

What is liabilities and examples? ›

Liabilities are any debts your company has, whether it's bank loans, mortgages, unpaid bills, IOUs, or any other sum of money that you owe someone else. If you've promised to pay someone a sum of money in the future and haven't paid them yet, that's a liability.

What are the total long-term liabilities? ›

Long-term liabilities, or noncurrent liabilities, are debts and other non-debt financial obligations with a maturity beyond one year. They can include debentures, loans, deferred tax liabilities, and pension obligations.

What is long-term liabilities examples? ›

Long-term liabilities are typically due more than a year in the future. Examples of long-term liabilities include mortgage loans, bonds payable, and other long-term leases or loans, except the portion due in the current year. Short-term liabilities are due within the current year.

What are 4 long-term liabilities? ›

Here are several examples of long-term liabilities that you may see on your balance sheet:
  • Long-term loans.
  • Bonds payable.
  • Post-retirement healthcare liabilities.
  • Pension liabilities.
  • Deferred compensation.
  • Deferred revenues.
Feb 12, 2024

What is an example of long-term liability quizlet? ›

Obligations that are to be repaid or performed after one year. Most are shown in present value terms. Examples: bonds, leases, mortgages, pensions, postretirement benefits, etc.

What is current liability and long-term liability examples? ›

Current liabilities are debts payable within one year, while long-term liabilities are debts payable over a longer period. For example, if a business takes out a mortgage payable over a 15-year period, that is a long-term liability.

What is long-term liability risk? ›

While long-term liabilities provide financing for a company, they also create some risk. The most common risks associated with long-term liabilities are interest rate risk and credit risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that changes in interest rates will negatively impact the payments required on the debt.

What is liabilities in short answer? ›

Liabilities are debts or obligations a person or company owes to someone else. For example, a liability can be as simple as an I.O.U. to a friend or as big as a multibillion dollar loan to purchase a tech company.

What are 2 types of liabilities? ›

Liabilities can be divided into two categories according to their term or maturity: current and non-current, or short-term and long-term. Liabilities are recorded on the right-hand side of the balance sheet. They are compared to assets, which represent the assets of the company.

What are 10 liabilities? ›

Accounts payable, notes payable, accrued expenses, long-term debt, deferred revenue, unearned revenue, contingent liabilities, lease obligations, pension liabilities, and income taxes payable are the ten types of liabilities in accounting that provide information about a company's financial obligations and ...

Is a vehicle a long-term liabilities? ›

In accounting terms, your car is a depreciating asset. This means your vehicle may have value right now and you could sell it. However, while you own the car, that value usually goes down over time.

How do you calculate long-term liabilities? ›

Long Term Debt Ratio = Long Term Debt ÷ Total Assets

The sum of all financial obligations with maturities exceeding twelve months, including the current portion of LTD, is divided by a company's total assets.

What is long-term liabilities over total assets? ›

A company's long-term-debt-to-total-asset ratio measures its leverage and acts as a metric for determining its solvency. The ratio is calculated by dividing total long-term debt (i.e. debt with more than a year to maturity) by total assets.

What is the best definition of liabilities in accounting? ›

A company's obligation to pay money to other people or businesses in the future is called a liability. This means that the company will not be able to make money in the future. A liability is a way for a business to get money different from equity.

What is liability short and long-term? ›

Short-term liabilities cover any debt that must be paid within the coming year. This includes interest payments on loans (but not necessarily the principal of the loan), monthly utilities, short-term accounts payable, and so on. Long-term liabilities cover any debts with a lifespan longer than one year.

What is the definition of liabilities quizlet? ›

Liabilities. Probable debts or obligations of the entity that result from past transactions, which will be paid with assets or services.

What are five example of long-term liabilities? ›

Examples include the long-term portion of the bonds payable, deferred revenue, long-term loans, long-term portion of the bonds payable, deferred revenue, long-term loans, deposits, tax liabilities, etc.

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