Current assets include cash and all other assets expected to become cash or be consumed

You’re very thirsty, and someone offers you either a glass of water or a glass of ice. Of course, you gladly accept the water—even if you’re hot—because it’ll immediately quench your thirst. The ice takes too long to melt.

Think of current assets—also frequently (and aptly) referred to as liquid assets—as the glass of water your business can “drink” if it’s thirsty for cash. Your long-term assets, meanwhile, are that glass of ice—you can’t convert these assets to hard currency (i.e., water) as quickly. Even when your business is on track to succeed in the long-term, current assets can be helpful if you need extra money to cover short-term expenses.

What is a current asset?

A current asset—sometimes called a liquid asset—is a short-term asset that a company expects to use up, convert into cash, or sell within one fiscal year or operating cycle. Non-current assets, on the other hand, are long-term assets that cannot be readily converted into cash within one year.

Understanding the different types of assets is essential because it determines how they get listed on a balance sheet (a financial document that gives a snapshot of a business's financial health at a given time). There are three categories on a balance sheet: assets, liabilities, and equity. Since balance sheets are organized in order of liquidity and current assets are the most liquid assets, they’re listed first under assets.

7 types of current assets

Cash and cash equivalents
Marketable securities
Accounts receivable
Inventory
Supplies
Prepaid expenses
Other liquid assets

While cash is the most obvious current asset, it’s not the only one. Here are the seven main types of current assets, listed in order of liquidity (which is how they should be listed on a balance sheet).

1. Cash and cash equivalents

Cash is simple: It’s how much money you have in the bank. Cash equivalents, meanwhile, are things that can easily be converted into cash, like short-term savings bonds, short-term investments, and foreign currency.

2. Marketable securities

Marketable securities are investments that can be readily converted into cash and traded on public exchanges. This applies to cryptocurrency, for example, and other more standard marketable securities and short-term investments that are easy to sell.

3. Accounts receivable

Any of your business’s outstanding debts or IOUs are considered accounts receivable. It’s the money that clients or customers still owe you for services already rendered or goods already delivered.

4. Inventory

Inventory covers the products you sell and is listed on your balance sheet as finished goods, works-in-progress, raw materials, and supplies. However, not all inventory counts as a current asset; any inventory you think you’ll be holding onto for more than a year should be considered a non-current asset and listed as such on your balance sheet.

5. Supplies

Supplies are tricky because they’re only considered current assets until they’re used, at which point they become an expense. If your company has a stock of unused supplies, list them under current assets on your balance sheet.

6. Prepaid expenses

Prepaid expenses include anything you’ve paid for but expect to benefit from over time. If you’ve paid for a year-long lease or an extended insurance policy, you have prepaid expenses. Report these on your company’s income statement over the period the payment covers.

7. Other liquid assets

This is the catchall category. If you have any other current assets that can easily be converted into cash within a year (like promissory notes or tax refunds, for example) that do not fit into any of the above categories, list them here.

How to calculate current assets

Once you’ve listed your current assets on your balance sheet in the order outlined above, it’s easy to calculate your total current assets—just add them all up. Here’s the formula:

Current Assets = Cash + Cash Equivalents + Marketable Securities + Accounts Receivable + Inventory + Supplies + Prepaid Expenses + Other Liquid Assets

Another way current assets can be used on your balance sheet is for calculating liquidity ratios. By showing you the balance of assets to liabilities, liquidity ratios give you a sense of your company’s financial health and help you understand whether it can meet its short-term financial obligations. Here are some common types of liquidity ratios.

Current ratio

Your current ratio is the ratio of current assets to current liabilities, which are debts you must pay off within the year. Luckily, this calculation doesn’t require advanced math. The formula for obtaining your current ratio is:

Current Ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities

Quick ratio

Your quick ratio helps you understand how well your company can meet its financial obligations in an even shorter term. Instead of looking at your total current assets, a quick ratio only considers assets that can be converted to cash within 90 days. Here’s the formula for obtaining your quick ratio:

Quick Ratio = (Cash + Cash Equivalents + Marketable Securities + Accounts Receivable) / (Short-term Debt + Accounts Payable + Accrued Liabilities and Other Debts)

Net working capital

Calculating net working capital gives you a clear view of your company’s liquidity, short-term financial health, and efficiency by showing you how much money you could have right now. It’s a meaningful calculation and an easy one. The formula for net working capital is:

Net Working Capital = Current Assets - Current Liabilities

Current assets FAQ

What are some examples of current assets?

Some examples of current assets include cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments, accounts receivable, inventory, supplies, and prepaid expenses.

What’s the difference between current and non-current assets?

Current assets are short-term assets that can be used up or converted to cash within one year or one operating cycle. Non-current assets are long-term assets that a company expects to use for more than one year or operating cycle.

Is cash a current asset?

Yes, cash is a current asset, as are “cash equivalents” or things that can quickly be converted into cash, like short-term bonds and investments and foreign currency.

What does current asset include?

Current assets include cash, cash equivalents, accounts receivable, stock inventory, marketable securities, pre-paid liabilities, and other liquid assets. The Current Assets account is important because it demonstrates a company's short-term liquidity and ability to pay its short-term obligations.

What is not included in current assets?

Noncurrent assets are long-term and have a useful life of more than a year. Examples of current assets include cash, marketable securities, inventory, and accounts receivable. Examples of noncurrent assets include long-term investments, land, property, plant, and equipment (PP&E), and trademarks.

What are those assets that are expected to be sold or converted to cash or consume within one year?

Current assets : Assets which can be converted into cash easily within a short time say one year are called as current assets. Eg. Debtors, Inventories, short term investments,bank and cash balances etc.