On Which Financial Statements Do Companies Report Long-Term Debt? (2024)

A company lists its long-term debt on its balance sheet under liabilities, usually under a subheading for long-term liabilities.

Key Takeaways

  • Long-term debt is reported on the balance sheet.
  • In particular, long-term debt generally shows up under long-term liabilities.
  • Financial obligations that have a repayment period of greater than one year are considered long-term debt.
  • Examples of long-term debt include long-term leases, traditional business loans, and company bond issues.

Long-Term Liabilities

Any obligations a company bears for a time period that extends past the current operating cycle or current year (i.e., one year from the date the obligation was incurred)are considered long-term liabilities.

Long-term liabilities can be financing-related or operational. Financing liabilities are debt obligations produced when a company raises cash. They include convertible bonds, notes payable, and bonds payable. Operating liabilities are obligations a company incurs during the process of conducting its normal business practices. Operating liabilities include capital lease obligations and post-retirement benefit obligations to employees.

Both types of liabilities represent financial obligations a company must meet in the future, though investors should look at the two separately. Financing liabilities result from deliberate funding choices, providing insight into the company’s capital structure and clues to future earning potential.

Long-Term Debt

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. Included among these obligations are such things as long-term leases, traditional business financing loans, and company bond issues.

Financial Statements

Financial statements record the various inflows and outflows of capital for a business. These documents present financial data about a company efficiently and allow analysts and investors to assess a company’s overall profitability and financial health.

To maintain continuity, financial statements are prepared in compliance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Among the various financial statements a company regularly publishes are balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements.

Balance Sheet

A balance sheet is the summary of a company’s liabilities, assets, and shareholders’ equity at a specific point in time. The three segments of the balance sheet help investors understand the amount invested into the company by shareholders, along with the company's current assets and obligations.

There are a variety of accounts within each of the three segments, along with documentation of their respective values. The most important lines recorded on the balance sheet include cash, current assets, long-term assets, current liabilities, debt, long-term liabilities, and shareholders’ equity.

Debt vs. Equity

A company’s long-term debt, combined with specified short-term debt and preferred and common stock equity, makes up its capital structure. Capital structure refers to a company's use of varied funding sources to finance operations and growth.

The use of debt as a funding source is relatively less expensive than equity funding for two principal reasons. First, debtors have a prior claim in the event a company goes bankrupt; thus, debt is safer and commands a smaller return.

This effectively means a lower interest rate for the company than that expected from the total shareholder return (TSR) on equity. The second reason debt is less expensive as a funding source stems from the fact interest payments are tax-deductible, thus reducing the net cost of borrowing.

On Which Financial Statements Do Companies Report Long-Term Debt? (2024)

FAQs

On Which Financial Statements Do Companies Report Long-Term Debt? ›

Long-term debt

Long-term debt
Long-term debt is debt that matures in more than one year and is often treated differently from short-term debt. For an issuer, long-term debt is a liability that must be repaid while owners of debt (e.g., bonds) account for them as assets.
https://www.investopedia.com › terms › longtermdebt
is reported on the balance sheet. In particular, long-term debt generally shows up under long-term liabilities.

How do you find a company's long-term debt? ›

To determine a company's total long-term debt, add together all of the liabilities listed in the current liability section on the balance sheet and the liabilities listed in the long-term liability section of the balance sheet. This number represents the total long-term debt that a company has.

Where is current portion of long-term debt on financial statements? ›

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.

Which financial statement shows long-term liabilities? ›

On the balance sheet, long-term liabilities appear along with current liabilities. Together, these represent everything a company owes.

Which financial statement reports debt? ›

The balance sheet displays: The portion of those assets financed with debt (liability) The portion of equity (retained earnings and stock shares) Assets listed in order from most liquid to least liquid (in other words, assets that can be most quickly converted to cash are listed first)

Where is long-term debt recorded? ›

Long-term debt is reported on the balance sheet. In particular, long-term debt generally shows up under long-term liabilities. Financial obligations that have a repayment period of greater than one year are considered long-term debt.

What is the formula for long-term debt on a balance sheet? ›

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.

Why is long-term debt important on a balance sheet? ›

Investors and lenders use the current portion of long-term debt on a company's balance sheet to determine whether it has enough liquidity to pay its short-term obligations. If a company has a high current portion of long-term debt compared to its cash on hand, it has a higher risk of default on its loans.

How to find total debt on balance sheet? ›

Add together your total current liabilities and total long-term liabilities to determine your total liabilities. Then list your result at the bottom of the liabilities section. In this example, add $75,000 and $85,000 to get $160,000 in total liabilities. List $160,000 at the bottom of the section.

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

Types of Long Term Debt

Bank Debt – This is any loan issued by a bank or other financial institution and is not tradable or transferable the way bonds are. Mortgages – These are loans that are backed by a specific piece of real estate, such as land and buildings.

What is another name for long-term debt? ›

Long-term liabilities are also called long-term debt or noncurrent liabilities.

How to check if a company has debt? ›

You can find total liabilities and assets on the balance sheet of the company. This ratio will give you an understanding of the percentage of the company's assets that were funded by incurring debt.

What are five examples of long-term liabilities? ›

Examples of long-term liabilities
  • Long-term loans.
  • Bonds payable.
  • Post-retirement healthcare liabilities.
  • Pension liabilities.
  • Deferred compensation.
  • Deferred revenues.
Feb 12, 2024

What are the 5 basic financial statements for financial reporting? ›

The 5 types of financial statements you need to know
  • Income statement. Arguably the most important. ...
  • Cash flow statement. ...
  • Balance sheet. ...
  • Note to Financial Statements. ...
  • Statement of change in equity.

Where does bad debt go on financial statements? ›

Accountants record bad debt as an expense under Sales, General, and Administrative expenses (SG&A) on the income statement.

What is the standard financial statement for debt? ›

The tool is used to summarise a person's income and outgoings, along with any debts they owe. Primarily for people seeking debt advice, the SFS is mainly used by debt advice providers and other relevant organisations.

Where can I find a company's debt? ›

Accounts payableFound within a company's general ledger, accounts payable represents a short-term debt that a business owes to its creditors, suppliers and others.

How to see the debt of a company? ›

The two main measures to assess a company's debt capacity are its balance sheet and cash flow measures. By analyzing key metrics from the balance sheet and cash flow statements, investment bankers determine the amount of sustainable debt a company can handle in an M&A transaction.

Where can I find a company's cost of debt? ›

You can usually find these under the liabilities section of your company's balance sheet. Divide the first figure (total interest) by the second (total debt) to get your cost of debt.

What is the company's long-term debt? ›

Long Term Debt (LTD) is any amount of outstanding debt a company holds that has a maturity of 12 months or longer. It is classified as a non-current liability on the company's balance sheet.

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