Loans refer to the monetary funds provided by state commercial banks and other financial institutions to borrowers to repay the principal and interest at the agreed interest rate and time limit. Loans can be divided into short-term, medium-term and long-term loans, credit and secured loans according to whether there is guarantee or not, rural industrial and commercial loans and consumer loans according to loan objects and purposes, and personal housing commercial loans, personal housing provident fund loans and personal housing portfolio loans according to individual loan types.

In accounting treatment, the loan of an enterprise can be accounted for by "short-term loan" or "long-term loan" according to the length of the loan period, and then the loan interest can be accounted for by "interest payable".