Quick assets

Definition

Quick assets, also known as liquid assets or current liquid assets, refer to a company’s most readily convertible and easily marketable assets into cash within a short period, typically within one year or less.

What are quick assets?

They are a subset of current assets.

The main components of quick assets typically include:

  1. Cash: This is the most liquid asset, representing physical currency and funds held in bank accounts.
  2. Cash equivalents: These are highly liquid investments that are easily convertible to known amounts of cash and have a short maturity period
  3. Accounts receivable: These are amounts owed to a company by customers for products or services that have been delivered but not yet paid for. 

Quick assets are essential in assessing a company’s liquidity and ability to meet its short-term obligations. ​

Example of quick assets

Company XYZ’s balance sheet shows the following assets:

  • Cash: R50,000
  • Marketable securities: R30,000
  • Accounts receivable: R20,000
  • Inventory: R40,000
  • Prepaid expenses: R10,000

To calculate the quick assets, we exclude inventory and prepaid expenses since they are not easily convertible into cash:

Quick assets = R50,000 + R30,000 + R20,000 = R100,000

In this example, Company XYZ’s quick assets total R100,000, which represents the amount of assets that can be quickly converted into cash to meet short-term obligations or unexpected expenses.

Ready to grow your business?

Clever finance tips and the latest news

Delivered to your inbox monthly

Join the 95,000+ businesses just like yours getting the Swoop newsletter.

Free. No spam. Opt out whenever you like.

Our offices:

Disclaimer: Swoop Finance helps South African firms access business finance, working directly with businesses and their trusted advisors. We are a credit broker and do not provide loans or other finance products ourselves. We can introduce you to a panel of lenders, equity funds and grant agencies. Whichever lender you choose we may receive commission from them (either a fixed fee of fixed % of the amount you receive) and different lenders pay different rates. For certain lenders, we do have influence over the interest rate, and this can impact the amount you pay under the agreement. All finance and quotes are subject to status and income. Applicants must be aged 18 and over and terms and conditions apply. Guarantees and Indemnities may be required. Swoop Finance can introduce applicants to a number of providers based on the applicants’ circumstances and creditworthiness. Swoop Finance (Pty) Ltd is registered with CIPC in South Africa (company number 2023/820661/07, registered address 21 Dreyer Street, Cape Town, South Africa, 7708).

© Swoop 2025

Looks like you're in . Go to our site to find relevant products for your country. Go to Swoop