What are liabilities?

• A. A type of asset.
• B. A company's annual revenue.
• C. An organization's financial commitments.
• D. The owner's equity claim.

Answer: (C)

Liabilities are obligations a company owes to outside parties that will require future outflows of resources to settle. They arise from past events, such as buying something on credit, borrowing money, or incurring expenses that haven’t yet been paid. On the balance sheet, they sit alongside assets and owner’s equity, following the relationship Assets = Liabilities + Owner’s Equity. Examples include accounts payable, loans, accrued expenses, and deferred revenue. This is why the description of liabilities as the organization’s financial commitments best fits. They are not assets (resources owned), not revenue (income earned), and not the owner’s equity claim (the owner’s residual interest after liabilities).