Long-term debt definition — AccountingTools (2024)

What is Long-Term Debt?

Long-term debt is a financial obligation for which payments will be required after one year from the measurement date. This information is used by investors, creditors, and lenders when examining the long-term liquidity of a business.

Presentation of Long-Term Debt

Long-term debt is classified in a separate line item in a company's balance sheet, in the long-term liabilities section. As portions of long-term debt become due for payment, they are reclassified as short-term debt.

Examples of Long-Terms Debt

Examples of long-term debt are those portions of bonds, loans, and leases for which the payment obligation is at least one year in the future.

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Long-term debt definition —  AccountingTools (2024)

FAQs

Long-term debt definition — AccountingTools? ›

Long-term debt is a financial obligation for which payments will be required after one year from the measurement date. This information is used by investors, creditors, and lenders when examining the long-term liquidity of a business.

What is long-term debt in accounting? ›

Share. Long-term liabilities, also called long-term debts, are debts a company owes third-party creditors that are payable beyond 12 months. This distinguishes them from current liabilities, which a company must pay within 12 months. On the balance sheet, long-term liabilities appear along with current liabilities.

How to find long-term debt formula? ›

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 are the characteristics of long-term debt? ›

Long-term debt is a debt that will take more than a year to start the repayment process. Long-term debt has the following characteristics: They carry lower rates of interest and are fixed. They require collateral to be provided.

What is the definition of current portion of long-term debt in accounting? ›

The current portion of long-term debt (CPLTD) is the portion of a long-term liability that is coming due within the next twelve months. The CPLTD is separated out on the company's balance sheet because it needs to be paid by highly liquid assets, such as cash.

What is the definition of debt in accounting? ›

A debt is the sum of money that is borrowed for a certain period of time and is to be return along with the interest. The amount as well as the approval of the debt depends upon the creditworthiness of the borrower.

What are the three important forms of long-term debt? ›

Debt Financing. Long-term debt is used to finance long-term (capital) expenditures. The initial maturities of long-term debt typically range between 5 and 20 years. Three important forms of long-term debt are term loans, bonds, and mortgage loans.

Which of the following is an example of long-term debt? ›

What Are Examples of Long-Term Debt? Examples of long-term debt include bank debt, mortgages, bonds, and debentures.

How do you calculate net long-term debt? ›

Net debt is calculated by adding up all of a company's short- and long-term liabilities and subtracting its current assets.

What is the formula for long-term debt to 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 are the two major forms of long-term debt? ›

The two forms of long-term debt most often used to create capital are bonds payable and long-term notes payable. A bond is a contract between an investor and an organization known as a bond indenture.

Which items would be classified as long-term debt? ›

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 the risks of long-term debt? ›

There are many types of risks associated with long term debt financing. The most common are interest rate risk, credit risk, and liquidity risk. interest rate Risk: interest rate risk is the risk that interest rates will rise, causing the value of your investment to fall.

What does long-term debt mean on a balance sheet? ›

Long-term debt is listed under long-term liabilities on a company's balance sheet. Financial obligations that have a repayment period of greater than one year are considered long-term debt. Debts that are due within the current year are known as short/current long-term debt.

What is the difference between current and long-term debt? ›

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.

Is long-term debt included in current assets? ›

Long Term Debt is classified as a non-current liability on the balance sheet, which simply means it is due in more than 12 months' time.

What is the difference between short term debt and long-term debt? ›

Short term debt is any debt that is payable within one year. Short-term debt shows up in the current liability section of the balance sheet. Long-term debt is debt that are notes payable in a period of time greater than one year. Long-term debt shows up in the long-term liabilities section of the balance sheet.

What are five examples of 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 the difference between a current liability and a long-term debt? ›

Businesses sort their liabilities into two categories: current and long-term. 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.

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