Difference Between Current and Non-Current Assets

Current assets consist of cash and equivalentsCash And EquivalentsCash and Cash Equivalents are assets that are short-term and highly liquid investments that can be readily converted into cash and have a low risk of price fluctuation.  Cash and paper money, US Treasury bills, undeposited receipts, and Money Market funds are its examples. They are normally found as a line item on the top of the balance sheet asset. read more, which is generally the first line item on the asset side of the balance sheet when a balance sheet is prepared based on liquidity. Cash equivalents are usually commercial papers that a company invests in as liquid as cash. Other current assets are accounts receivablesAccounts ReceivablesAccounts receivables is the money owed to a business by clients for which the business has given services or delivered a product but has not yet collected payment. They are categorized as current assets on the balance sheet as the payments expected within a year. read more, the amount of money the company owes from the debtors to whom they have sold their goods on credit..

Another significant current asset inventories; any business needs to maintain a certain inventory level for running the business. Both high and low levels of inventory are not desirable by a company.  Other current assets include deferred income taxesDeferred Income TaxesDeferred income tax is a balance sheet item that can be either a liability or an asset since it is a difference in income recognition between the firm’s accounting records and the tax law, resulting in the company’s income tax due being different than the total tax expense reported.read more and prepaid revenue.

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PPE forms the major part of noncurrent assets for a business. Plant machinery and equipment are reported on the balance sheet at book value, generally the acquisition cost for that hard asset. Companies also depreciate the plants and machinery either through the straight-line methodStraight-line MethodStraight Line Depreciation Method is one of the most popular methods of depreciation where the asset uniformly depreciates over its useful life and the cost of the asset is evenly spread over its useful and functional life. read more or Double Declining methodDouble Declining MethodThe Double Declining Balance Method is one of the accelerated methods used for calculating the depreciation amount to be charged in the company’s income statement. It is determined by multiplying the book value of the asset by the straight-line method’s rate of depreciation and 2read more.

Net PP&E is reported by the company, which gross PP&E adjusted for accumulated depreciationAccumulated DepreciationThe accumulated depreciation of an asset is the amount of cumulative depreciation charged on the asset from its purchase date until the reporting date. It is a contra-account, the difference between the asset’s purchase price and its carrying value on the balance sheet.read more. Other noncurrent assets comprise long term investmentsTerm InvestmentsLong Term Investments are financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, cash, or real estate assets that a company intends to hold for more than 365 days in order to maximize profits and are reported on the asset side of the balance sheet under the heading non-current assets.read more, long term deferred tax, accumulated depreciation, and amortization. GoodwillGoodwillIn accounting, goodwill is an intangible asset that is generated when one company purchases another company for a price that is greater than the sum of the company’s net identifiable assets at the time of acquisition. It is determined by subtracting the fair value of the company’s net identifiable assets from the total purchase price.read more is an example of an intangible asset. Intangible assets are adjusted for amortizationIntangible Assets Are Adjusted For AmortizationAmortization of Intangible Assets refers to the method by which the cost of the company’s various intangible assets (such as trademarks, goodwill, and patents) is expensed over a specific time period. This time frame is typically the expected life of the asset.read more, not depreciation.

Current Assets vs. Non-Current Assets Infographics

Key Differences

  • Current assets are equivalent to cash or will get converted into cash within a time frame of one year. Non-current assets or long-term assets are those assets that will not get converted into cash within one year and are non-current.The list of current assets includes cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, accounts receivables, inventories, and prepaid revenue. The list of non-current assets includes long-term investments, plant property and equipmentPlant Property And EquipmentProperty plant and equipment (PP&E) refers to the fixed tangible assets used in business operations by the company for an extended period or many years. Such non-current assets are not purchased frequently, neither these are readily convertible into cash. read more, goodwill, accumulated depreciation and amortization, and long term deferred taxes.Current assets, when sold, are considered as trading profits and are subject to corporate taxCorporate TaxCorporate tax is a tax levied by the government on the profits earned by a company at a fixed rate each year and is calculated in accordance with specific tax regulations.read more. On the other hand, whenever long term assets are sold, that is regarded as capital gainCapital GainCapital gain refers to the profit resulting from selling a capital asset or investment at a price higher than its purchase price.read more, and capital gain tax is applicable in that case.Current assets are not subject to revaluation in general. Only in some cases may inventories be subject to revaluation. Long-term assets, like PP&E, need to be revalued by the company. Whenever the market value of a tangible assetTangible AssetTangible assets are assets with significant value and are available in physical form. It means any asset that can be touched and felt could be labeled a tangible one with a long-term valuation.read more decreases compared to the book value of that asset. The company needs to revalue that assets book value and the difference is reported as a loss in the income statement for that periodIncome Statement For That PeriodThe income statement is one of the company’s financial reports that summarizes all of the company’s revenues and expenses over time in order to determine the company’s profit or loss and measure its business activity over time based on user requirements.read more.

Comparative Table

Conclusion

Assets are the resources required by a company to run and grow its business. Long-term assets are required for long-term business purposes like land equipment and machinery, which are needed for long-term business—current and noncurrent assets combined to form the total assets required by a company.

On the other hand, current assets are the resources that are required for running the day to day operations of a businessOperations Of A BusinessBusiness operations refer to all those activities that the employees undertake within an organizational setup daily to produce goods and services for accomplishing the company’s goals like profit generation.read more. The current assets are generally reported in the balance sheet at the current or market price. On the other hand, noncurrent assets are reported in the balance sheetBalance SheetA balance sheet is one of the financial statements of a company that presents the shareholders’ equity, liabilities, and assets of the company at a specific point in time. It is based on the accounting equation that states that the sum of the total liabilities and the owner’s capital equals the total assets of the company.read more at the cost price on acquisition adjusted for depreciation/amortization, which is subjected to revaluation whenever the market price decreases compared to the book price.

This article is a guide to the Current vs. Non-Current Assets. Here we discuss the top differences between Current and Non-Current Assets and infographics, and a comparison table. You may also have a look at the following articles –

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