Things You Must Know about Liabilities in Accounting

Elise Williams

2023-09-08 16:30:03 • Filed to: Software for Accounting • Proven solutions

In accounting, liabilities are at the heart of the matter as other critical tenets such as assets. Lots of issues relating to liabilities in accounting affect the way a business is run, efficiency, profitability and growth. Knowing how your business is doing and what can be improved requires, among other things, liabilities be focused on. The following is a look at liabilities, including how accounting software today has transformed liabilities accounting today.

Liabilities Meaning in Accounting

Liabilities in accounting refer to obligations that usually end up in the balance sheet of a company. Examples of liabilities in accounting include accounts, wages, interest, income taxes, bonds and loans payables. For instance, accounts payable come up once services and goods are purchased by a business on credit from manufacturers or suppliers. As the business begins to pay the money owed to the supplier or manufacturer, the accounts payable of the business will then decrease.

Deferred revenues and deposits by customers are other liabilities in accounting that are not very common. In deferred revenues a client usually prepays a certain amount of money to a business for services or work that will be complete in a later accounting period. After the service or work has been performed, the liability will decrease with the business reporting the amount in income statement as revenue.

It's also worth noting that liabilities also make a critical part of the universal accounting equation where liabilities and equity actually result in assets. Liabilities meaning in accounting also views liabilities as the claims made on the assets of the company. Another liabilities definition in accounting views liabilities as a business's asset source.

Key Facts about Liabilities in Accounting

In the context of accounting, liabilities are seen as the obligation of a business or company drawn from events or financial transactions from the past. Liabilities recognition in financial books is regulated depending on the accounting standards in use. A liability as such is definitely a claim by a creditor on the company's assets. In many instances, liabilities are of two types. This includes long-term and current liabilities in accounting with a difference of about 12 months among them.

It's worth remembering that all liabilities in accounting can be enforceable legally, but in virtually every business once a liability obligation has come up it's usually recognized and dealt with. In financial statements, the place of liabilities is almost assured. In balance sheets it's at the heart of the transactions and makes a fundamental element of financial accounting. In fact, every balance sheet is based on an equation that has liabilities at the scheme of things, where Assets are equal to Liabilities plus the Owner's Equity.

Liabilities in accounting examples are diverse, such as wages payable, lawsuits payable, notes payable, salaries payable, warranty liability, interest payable, customer deposits and bonds payable. Liability accounts are usually credited or contain credit balances.

Among list of liabilities in accounting are contingent liabilities, which refer potential losses or potential liabilities. Contingent liabilities are dependent on the occurrence or not of an event in days to come. For example, if a business is notified of a lawsuit filed against it, indeed a potential loss or contingent liability is imminent and really depend on whether the lawsuit is lost or not. In case the contingent liability is measurable in monetary form, where the potential loss is almost assured, estimation can be made on the amount and indicated as liability.

Note that estimated liabilities differ from contingent liabilities. For instance, since such expenses as repairs, cover premiums, property taxes and energy consumed, among others are owed with absolute clarity because delivery of goods and services actually happened, they cannot be termed as contingent liability. Nevertheless, their amounts were not known during the preparation of financial statements and estimated amounts needed to be used.

Freshbooks - Best Software Compatible for Liabilities in Accounting

FreshBooks is unique accounting software that has been offering businesses great features to manage businesses for over ten years. This include invoicing where you can send clients and customers the most professional invoices, organize expenses, track time especially hours logged on, accept online payments from credit cards among others, complete financial reporting and carry out your financial obligations on mobile devices or desktop depending on where you're while collaborating with coworkers efficiently.

FreshBook makes it easier to manage your balance with a unique template you can use to consult an accountant to streamline your business particulars. FreshBook includes options to remove or add liabilities for your balance sheet. The accounting software also includes Chart of Accounts, listing all business accounts and organized through expenses, income, liabilities and assets and allows you to work efficiently and niftier, especially if you use a professional accountant.

Try Freshbooks for Free >>>