Reporting Long-Term Liabilities

Liabilities on the balance sheet are broken down based on the length of time they are due. Liabilities coming due in less than a year are listed as current liabilities. Those due in longer than a year are listed as long-term liabilities. Because bonds and notes are normally due longer than a year into the future, they are reported as long-term liabilities. Bonds payable are reported at their carrying amounts. For a bond issued at a premium, the bond will be carried on the balance sheet at the face amount plus any unamortized premium. This could be shown as a net amount, or by listing both amounts, arriving at the carrying amount of the bond. Alternatively, the bonds might be simply listed as "Bonds Payable, carrying amount" or "Bonds Payable, including unamortized premium of $440,000." Presentation for a bond with a discount would look quite similar, but it would reduce the carrying amount of the bonds payable rather than increase it. As bonds come due, they may be shifted to current liabilities. The financial statement notes for long-term liabilities are primarily concerned with showing the types of long-term debts the company holds, their due dates (particularly as they approach), and the general terms of the arrangements. A typical notes section might appear as follows:

Notes Related to Long-Term Liabilities
On January 1, 2018, a bank note with Sunshine Bank was signed for the purchase of a fleet of 20 delivery vehicles. The face value of the note was $1,000,000, amortized over 10 years at a 6% interest rate. The following details note the balances and their nature.