Accounts receivable days definition
/What is Accounts Receivable Days?
Accounts receivable days is the number of days that a customer invoice is outstanding before it is collected. The point of the measurement is to determine the effectiveness of a company's credit and collection efforts in allowing credit to reputable customers, as well as its ability to collect cash from them in a timely manner. The measurement is usually applied to the entire set of invoices that a company has outstanding at any point in time, rather than to a single invoice. When measured at the individual customer level, the measurement can indicate when a customer is having cash flow troubles, since it will attempt to stretch out the amount of time before it pays invoices.
There is not an absolute number of accounts receivable days that is considered to represent excellent or poor accounts receivable management, since the figure varies considerably by industry and the underlying payment terms. Generally, a figure of 25% more than the standard terms allowed represents an opportunity for improvement. Conversely, an accounts receivable days figure that is very close to the payment terms granted to a customer probably indicates that a company's credit policy is too tight. When this is the case, a company is potentially turning away sales (and profits) by denying credit to customers who are more likely than not to be able to pay the company.
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How to Calculate Accounts Receivable Days
To calculate accounts receivable days, divide total trade receivables by annual revenue, and then multiply the result by the number of days in the year. The formula for accounts receivable days is:
(Accounts receivable ÷ Annual revenue) x Number of days in the year = Accounts receivable days
An effective way to use the accounts receivable days measurement is to track it on a trend line, month by month. Doing so shows any changes in the ability of the company to collect from its customers. If a business is highly seasonal, a variation is to compare the measurement to the same metric for the same month in the preceding year; this provides a more reasonable basis for comparison.
No matter how this measurement is used, remember that it is usually compiled from a large number of outstanding invoices, and so provides no insights into the collectability of a specific invoice. Thus, you should supplement it with an ongoing examination of the aged accounts receivable report and the collection notes of the collection staff.
Example of Accounts Receivable Days
If a company has an average accounts receivable balance of $200,000 and annual sales of $1,200,000, then its accounts receivable days figure is:
($200,000 accounts receivable ÷ $1,200,000 annual revenue) x 365 days
= 60.8 Accounts receivable days
The calculation indicates that the company requires 60.8 days to collect a typical invoice.
How to Reduce Accounts Receivable Days
The following are all possible methods for reducing the number of accounts receivable days:
Tighten credit terms. Shorten the number of days before customers must pay for outstanding receivables. This is especially important for weaker customers, who are at greater risk of default. However, it can be a difficult goal to achieve for larger and more powerful customers, which may demand longer payment terms.
Call customers in advance. Call customers in advance of the payment date to see if payments have been scheduled, and to resolve issues as early as possible. This is especially important for those customers that have a history of not paying on time due to paperwork issues. in these cases, it can make sense to involve the salesperson who made the sale, who will be responsible for shepherding the paperwork through the customer’s payables system.
Use collection software. There are excellent collections software packages that can be integrated with your accounting software package. This software can track which customers are in need of a phone call, autodial for you at the best time of day for the customer, and store all relevant collection information, including customer commitments.
Hire administrative support staff. There should be a sufficient number of clerks on hand to deal with all of the pesky paperwork issues that can chew up the time of the collections staff. This leaves the collections clerks with more time to contact customers and work through unresolved payment issues.
Be more aggressive. Some customers are extremely unwilling to pay, so don’t be afraid to escalate matters sooner, rather than later. This means bringing in a law firm or handing off receivables to a collections agency that will apply substantial pressure to collect the outstanding amounts. Doing so will result in more collection fees, but is more likely to get cash in the door.
Take back goods. If a customer is absolutely incapable of paying an outstanding invoice, but still has the goods on the premises, it could make sense to take them back. The goods will no longer be in mint condition, but may still be worth something in resale value. This approach is better than writing off a receivable entirely.
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