Current ratio and Quick ratio are both used to determine the ability of a business in paying off its current liabilities.
The main difference that lies between these two ratios is that while current ratio is focused on all the current assets including inventory, prepaid expenses etc., the quick ratio is focused more on items that can be immediately converted into cash.
Current ratio is calculated by dividing current liabilities with current assets. It includes all the prepaid expenses, inventory, cash and cash equivalents, etc that can be accounted for the current year.
Current ratio is also called the working capital ratio as it is related with making sure that the company is able to pay off its short term debts.
Quick ratio, on the other hand, is known as the acid test ratio, and does not include any inventory or prepaid expenses. It considers only those items that can be easily converted into cash or we can say items that are highly liquid in monetary terms.
Let us look at some of the points of difference between current ratio and quick ratio.
| Current Ratio | Quick Ratio |
| Definition | |
| Current ratio is defined as the ratio that calculates the proportion between the current assets and current liabilities | Quick ratio is defined as the ratio that calculates the proportion of most liquid current assets and current liabilities |
| Also known as | |
| Working capital ratio | Acid test ratio |
| Purpose | |
| It is useful for finding the ability of the firm to meet its current obligations | It is useful for determining the ability of a firm to meet any urgent requirement |
| Includes | |
| All the current assets such as cash, cash equivalents, prepaid expenses, inventory, etc | Includes only the most liquid current asset which can be cash and cash equivalents |
This article was all about the topic of Difference between Current ratio and Quick ratio, which is an important topic in Class 12 Accountancy for Commerce students. For more such interesting articles, stay tuned to BYJU’S.
Also check:
- Difference Between Cash Flow and Fund Flow
- Difference Between Sole Proprietorship and Partnership
- Difference Between Monopoly and Monopolistic Competition
- Difference Between Depreciation Expense and Accumulated Depreciation
- Difference Between Production Management and Operation Management
- Difference Between GDP and GNP
