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Glossary · Reading the business

Current Liability

In short

A current liability is an obligation due within one year, like accounts payable, short-term debt, or accrued expenses. These are important for buyers to assess a business's short-term financial health and working capital needs.

What it means in a deal

When reviewing a target business's balance sheet, current liabilities show you what needs to be paid off soon. Your lender will scrutinize these during underwriting. Ensure the seller covers all pre-closing current liabilities or that you account for them in your working capital projections.

Common questions about Current Liability

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Defined by CapBench SBA Intelligence — plain-English definitions for business buyers, lenders, advisors, and AI agents, grounded in public SBA rules and records. Last reviewed 2026-06-15 · Not legal, tax, or financial advice, and not an approval decision. Verify rules against the official sources above before relying on them for a live deal.

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