The proceeds or money that the business will receive from its clients who have financed their purchases of its goods and services are known as accounts receivable (AR). In rare situations, the credit term is often brief, ranging from a few days to several months or even a full year.
The creation of accounts receivable takes place when a business permits a customer to pay for goods or services purchased on credit.
Accounts payable of a business, on the other hand, is the sum that the company owes to its suppliers.
Accounts receivable are recorded as a debit item on the trial balance until the customer makes the payment.
What are accounts receivable?
Account receivables typically indicate a line of credit that a business has extended, with terms that call for payments to be made within a reasonable amount of time.
Accounts receivable are considered to be current assets, which means that the debtor must pay the account balance in one year or less. Receivables mean that the business has made a credit sale but has not yet received payment from the customer.
An illustration would be if a manufacturer had shipped the goods to a retail establishment. Payment due is noted under accounts receivable once the manufacturer bills the retailer for the product. The maker of the furniture is awaiting payment from the retailer.
Where is the Account Receivable balance recorded?
The balance of the accounts receivable is shown in the current asset part of your balance sheet or general ledger since they add value to the business. The total balance of your accounts receivable is shown in the general ledger. Because there is a legal responsibility for the customer to pay and because accounts receivable can be used as collateral to secure or loan money to cover urgent obligations, businesses include them as assets on their balance sheet and include them as part of their working capital.
Importance of Accounts Receivable (AR).
To avoid problems of delayed payment, it is important to manage your working capital according to a system. One of the greatest methods to monitor late payments and make sure they don’t spiral out of control is to calculate your company’s accounts receivable turnover ratio.
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The accounts receivable turnover ratio is a financial computation that is carried out to gauge how quickly clients pay their bills. It is calculated by subtracting average accounts receivables from total net sales.
• It helps to keep a record of how much the clients owe to the company.
• Accounts receivable are used to determine the profitability of the business.
• If the result of subtracting accounts payable from accounts receivables is negative, the company must either increase assets or decrease liabilities
• It helps to determine the financial standing of the business.
• If a company doesn’t maintain track of its accounts receivable, it could forget to bill some clients or not be aware of when it has been paid.
Tips to help you maintain your Accounts receivable
Maintaining effective contact with the client is crucial. The biggest reason why invoices aren’t paid within the first 60 days after delivery is poor communication. To ensure payment, regular interaction and communication with the client are required.
Accounts receivable maintenance should follow a sound procedure. Customers who have not paid on time should frequently be contacted. To ensure productivity, tasks should be assigned and shared among personnel.
It is crucial to verify that the payment request was received effectively as it helps to ensure timely payment and also gives a chance to get the feedback of the customer on the customer services and the product.
Thanks to advancements in technology, the business can now easily get paid before delivering the goods or rendering the services. For expensive goods or services, it might not be possible to get paid before shipping. It makes sense to have the client apply for a credit line in those circumstances. It is important to create a credit policy for this procedure to be successful.
Recording everything, from your initial contact with the client to the discussions and agreements you reached an agreement on, is crucial. It will act as proof of the owed payment in the event of any mishap.
It can take some time to organize the records and to create and send invoices. Using accounting software to assist you will probably be a better choice. Numerous accounting programs assist small firms with billing.
