Discussion – assets and liabilities account
A common example of an account which can appear both under Assets and Liabilities on a Balance Sheet is the Accounts Payable/Receivable. This is because this line item typically contains funds that are owed to or by the company respectively. Therefore, if a business has outstanding invoices that they need to pay then this amount will appear as a liability until it has been settled. On the other hand, if money is owed from customers for goods or services rendered then it would show up as an asset.
For instance, let’s say that XYZ Company provides web design services for clients and sends out invoices at the end of each month for payment. In this case, any unpaid balances due from their customers would be listed under Accounts Payable/Receivable on their Balance Sheet until it has been collected. Thus it becomes evident that certain accounts can be classified as either assets or liabilities depending on the context in which they are being used accordingly over time.