Classified Balance Sheet Categories & Examples Video & Lesson Transcript

common categories of a classified balance sheet

The classified balance sheet uses sub-categories or classifications to further break down asset, liability, and equity categories. An unclassified balance sheet does not have sub-totals, clearly defined categories, and accompanying notes. In the classified balance sheet, assets are further sub-classified into current and non-current assets. This article will walk through a classified balance sheet format, benefits of the classified balance sheet, formating, and general classifications included. The equation shall also hold true in the case of a classified balance sheet. This means that when you add all classifications of assets, it shall be equal to the sum of all classifications of equity and liabilities.

Current liabilities are the liabilities that are due within 12 months. Let’s walk through each one of these sections and answer the question what is a classified balance sheet. Regardless of the size of a company or industry in which it operates, there are many benefits of reading, analyzing, and understanding its balance sheet. It can be sold at a later date to raise cash or reserved to repel a hostile takeover.

Financial Accounting

The categorization of items is what makes a classified balance sheet different from a traditional balance sheet. An unclassified balance sheet will list items under assets, liabilities, and stockholder’s equity without needing to regard the order. A classified balance sheet will categorize assets, usually in order of liquidity and liabilities, usually in order of the due date.

  • It also allows the reader to get insight into the company’s asset holdings and debt structure.
  • On the classified balance sheet below, equipment and furniture are listed separately under a fixed asset category instead of just being listed as assets.
  • Depending on the company, this might include short-term assets, such as cash and accounts receivable, or long-term assets such as property, plant, and equipment (PP&E).
  • Many important details about a company cannot be described in money on the balance sheet.
  • Also, merchandise inventory is classified on the balance sheet as a current asset.
  • The same principle holds for the Liabilities section, where you’ll list all current liabilities, as well as those that are long term, such as mortgages and other loans.

The total shareholder’s equity section reports common stock value, retained earnings, and accumulated other comprehensive income. Apple’s total liabilities increased, total equity decreased, and the combination of the two reconcile to the company’s total assets. A classified balance sheet is a balance sheet statement that categorizes line items by some predetermined criteria. The categorization of items is what makes it different from a traditional balance sheet. Most classified balance sheets categorize assets in order of liquidity. Liquidity means the ease with which an asset can be converted into cash, with cash being the most liquid asset.

Classified balance sheet

The term balance sheet refers to a financial statement that reports a company’s assets, liabilities, and shareholder equity at a specific point in time. Balance sheets provide the basis for computing rates of return for investors and evaluating a company’s capital structure. The classified balance sheet is the most detailed among all types of balance sheets.

Many important details about a company cannot be described in money on the balance sheet. Notes are used to describe accounting policies, major business events, pending lawsuits, and other facets of operation. Oftentimes, the notes will be more voluminous than the financial statements themselves. However, it is important to first classify the assets and liabilities and current and non-current as a bare minimum. Further, accounting standards may prescribe minimum reporting line items. A company can use its balance sheet to craft internal decisions, though the information presented is usually not as helpful as an income statement.

Balance Sheet: Explanation, Components, and Examples

For small privately-held businesses, the balance sheet might be prepared by the owner or by a company bookkeeper. For mid-size private firms, they might be prepared internally and then looked over by an external accountant. A liability is any money https://www.bookstime.com/articles/accrual-to-cash-conversion that a company owes to outside parties, from bills it has to pay to suppliers to interest on bonds issued to creditors to rent, utilities and salaries. Current liabilities are due within one year and are listed in order of their due date.

Since the balance sheet is the most used financial statement for analyzing a business’s financial health, it should be reported and presented in an easily accessible form. A classified balance sheet presents information about an entity’s assets, liabilities, and shareholders’ classified balance sheet equity that is aggregated (or “classified”) into subcategories of accounts. It is extremely useful to include classifications, since information is then organized into a format that is more readable than a simple listing of all the accounts that comprise a balance sheet.

Mary Girsch-Bock is the expert on accounting software and payroll software for The Ascent. Harold Averkamp (CPA, MBA) has worked as a university accounting instructor, accountant, and consultant for more than 25 years.

A classified balance sheet is one that categorizes line items by predetermined criteria. Usually, assets are categorized in order of liquidity and liabilities by their due date. To prepare a classified balance sheet it is necessary to gather the required information, define balance sheet categories, classify the accounts, and construct the statement. It also facilitates the calculation of important financial ratios like the quick, current, and cash ratios. This balance sheet also reports Apple’s liabilities and equity, each with its own section in the lower half of the report. The liabilities section is broken out similarly as the assets section, with current liabilities and non-current liabilities reporting balances by account.


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