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What Are Liabilities In Accounting?


Last Updated: 8 January 2025
Reviewed By: Ian Wright (Managing Director)

Discover what liabilities are in accounting and their significance in the UK. Learn more about current, non-current, and contingent liabilities.

Sections

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  • What Are Liabilities?
  • Why Are Liabilities Important?
  • Types Of Liabilities
    • Current liabilities
    • Non-current liabilities
    • Contingent liabilities
  • FAQs
    • How are liabilities recorded in accounting?
    • How do liabilities differ from assets?
  • Final Thoughts

What Are Liabilities?

Liabilities are the financial obligations or debts that a company owes to other entities. These obligations typically arise from past transactions that require future settlement or payment.

Generally, liabilities can be in the form of monetary amounts owed to suppliers, lenders, or employees. They can also be in the form of other obligations like warranties, legal claims, or unearned revenue.

Liabilities are an essential component of the company’s balance sheet, which is one of the primary financial statements in accounting. They are categorized based on their expected settlement timeline, which depends on the types of liabilities the company has.

Why Are Liabilities Important?

Liabilities provide valuable insights into a company’s financial obligations, risk profile, and financial stability. Monitoring and managing liabilities effectively is, therefore, crucial for informed decision-making and fostering trust with stakeholders.

Firstly, liabilities provide important information about a company’s financial health. They act as indicators for any outstanding debts and obligations, which helps a company assess its ability to meet its financial commitments. Generally, creditors and investors can use this information to evaluate a company’s solvency and creditworthiness.

High levels of debt or significant financial obligations can increase the company’s risk of insolvency, which can potentially impact its operations and profitability.

Liabilities also play a key role in managing a company’s liquidity. By effectively tracking payment obligations, businesses can plan their cash flows and ensure they have sufficient funds to meet their liabilities when they’re due.

Because of these factors, transparent reporting of liabilities in financial statements builds trust and confidence among stakeholders. Overall, liabilities may be just as important as a company’s assets for providing a comprehensive picture of the financial standing of a company.

Types Of Liabilities

Current liabilities

Current liabilities are also known as short-term liabilities. These are expected to be paid within twelve months or the normal operating cycle of a business, whichever is longer. These types of liabilities are short-term in nature and often come from day-to-day operational activities.

Common examples of current liabilities include:

  • Accounts payable, which is money owed to suppliers for goods or services
  • Short-term loans
  • Accrued expenses, such as wages payable, mortgage payable, rent, or taxes payable
  • A current portion of long-term debt or interest payable

Non-current liabilities

Non-current liabilities are debts that have a maturity period that exceeds twelve months or the operating cycle of a company. They may also be known as long-term liabilities. In turn, this means that they are expected to be settled over an extended period.

Examples of long-term liabilities include:

  • Long-term loans
  • Bonds payable
  • Deferred tax liabilities
  • Pension obligations
  • Lease obligations that extend past one year

Contingent liabilities

Contingent liability refers to potential obligations that depend on the occurrence (or non-occurrence) of an uncertain future event. Contingent liabilities are not actual liabilities at the present moment but have the possibility of becoming liabilities in the future.

Examples of liabilities that fall under this category are those that may come from lawsuits, warranties, product recalls, or guarantees offered by the company.

Additionally, these debts are typically disclosed in the financial statements’ footnotes rather than recognized as actual liabilities unless the occurrence of the event becomes probable. It should also be able to be reasonably estimated.

FAQs

How are liabilities recorded in accounting?

Liabilities are recorded on the balance sheet. They are recorded by crediting the liability account and debiting the corresponding expense or asset account.

How do liabilities differ from assets?

Liabilities and assets are two fundamental components of a business’s balance sheet. While liabilities represent the company’s debts and obligations, assets are the economic resources controlled by the company. In simpler terms, liabilities are what a company owes, while assets are what a company owns.

Final Thoughts

Liabilities in accounting are debts and monetary obligations that you or your business owe to others. They’re an essential part of understanding a business’s financial health and responsibilities.

But keeping track of all of these numbers and payments can be tricky, which is why it’s important to hire an accountant. Accountants also understand the rules and regulations of managing liabilities.

References

https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/accounting/liability/

https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/liability-accounts/

https://www.freshbooks.com/hub/accounting/liabilities-accounting

https://www.theforage.com/blog/skills/liabilities

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