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 difference between current and long-term liabilities? ›

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.

What is an example of a long term provision? ›

The examples of Long-term Provisions are Provision for renewals and repairs, Provision for depreciation. A provision is termed as the cash amount, which is set aside from the business profits and the specific amount is used to cover the known liability of the businesses.

What is an example of a long term loan in accounting? ›

Credit lines, bank loans, and bonds with obligations and maturities greater than one year are some of the most common forms of long-term debt instruments used by companies. All debt instruments provide a company with cash that serves as a current asset.

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 an example of a long-term liabilities? ›

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 a long-term liability in accounting? ›

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.

What is an example of a current and long term liability? ›

Liabilities due in more than 12 months are called long-term liabilities. Examples of current liabilities include accounts payable, salaries payable, taxes payable, and the current portion of long-term debt. Long-term liability examples are bonds payable, mortgage loans, and pension obligations.

What is a long term asset example? ›

Some examples of long-term assets include: Fixed assets like property, plant, and equipment, which can include land, machinery, buildings, fixtures, and vehicles. Long-term investments such as stocks and bonds or real estate, or investments made in other companies. Trademarks, client lists, patents.

What are long-term borrowings? ›

Long term borrowings are the types of loan that will be repayable after 12 months. The following are types of long-term borrowings: a. Bonds or Debentures have a debt or loan that is borrowed from the market at a fixed rate of interest.

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 are 3 examples of long term finance? ›

Long-term finance can be defined as any financial instrument with maturity exceeding one year (such as bank loans, bonds, leasing and other forms of debt finance), and public and private equity instruments.

How to work out long-term liabilities? ›

The formula to calculate the long-term debt ratio is as follows. 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.

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.

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.

Is long-term debt total liabilities? ›

Total liabilities are a combination of short-term and long term debt. Short-term, or current liabilities, are to be paid within a fiscal year, whereas long-term, or non current, debt is payable beyond one year.

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

Liabilities due in more than 12 months are called long-term liabilities. Examples of current liabilities include accounts payable, salaries payable, taxes payable, and the current portion of long-term debt. Long-term liability examples are bonds payable, mortgage loans, and pension obligations.

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

The only real difference is that current liabilities have a repayment rate of less than one year, whereas long-term liabilities have a repayment date of longer than one year. Common examples of long-term liabilities include: Long-term loans.

What is the difference between a current and a long-term liability provide an example of each in the healthcare sector? ›

Liabilities are also classified as either current or long-term. Current liabilities might include accounts payable, taxes owed or loans due within a year. Long-term liabilities might include issued bonds or loans not due within a year.

What are examples of current liabilities? ›

Some examples of current liabilities that appear on the balance sheet include accounts payable, payroll due, payroll taxes, accrued expenses, short-term notes payable, income taxes, interest payable, accrued interest, utilities, rental fees, and other short-term debts.

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