Contingent liabilities appear as a footnote below the balance sheet.

Explanation:
A balance sheet is a financial statement that provides an overview of a company's financial position at a specific point in time. It consists of three main sections: assets, liabilities, and equity.

- Assets: These are the resources owned by the company that have economic value. Assets are further categorized into current assets and non-current assets. Current assets are those that are expected to be converted into cash or used up within one year, while non-current assets are those that are expected to be held for more than one year.

- Liabilities: These are the company's obligations or debts that arise from past transactions. Like assets, liabilities are also categorized into current liabilities and non-current liabilities. Current liabilities are obligations that are expected to be settled within one year, while non-current liabilities are obligations that are expected to be settled after one year.

Contingent liabilities refer to potential obligations that may arise in the future depending on the occurrence or non-occurrence of certain events. These liabilities are not certain to occur, but there is a possibility that they may arise. For example, a company may have pending lawsuits or guarantees provided to third parties. These contingent liabilities are disclosed in the footnotes to the balance sheet to provide users of the financial statements with additional information about the company's potential obligations.

The reason contingent liabilities are disclosed as footnotes rather than directly included in the balance sheet is that they do not meet the criteria for recognition as liabilities. In order to be recognized as a liability, an obligation must meet certain criteria, including being probable (more likely than not) and having a reliable estimate of the amount involved. Since contingent liabilities do not meet these criteria, they are disclosed separately to provide transparency and to alert users of the financial statements to potential risks and uncertainties.

In conclusion, contingent liabilities appear as a footnote below the balance sheet to disclose potential obligations that may arise in the future but are not certain to occur. This disclosure provides additional information to users of the financial statements and enhances the transparency of the company's financial position.