Accounts Receivable Aging
Accounts receivable aging (tabulated via an aged receivables report) is a periodic report that categorizes a company's accounts receivable according to the length of time an invoice has been outstanding. The aged receivables report tabulates those invoices owed by length, often in 30-day segments, for quick reference. Accounts receivable aging, as a management tool, can indicate that certain customers are becoming credit risks, and may reveal whether the company should keep doing business with customers that are chronically late payers. Accounts receivable aging has columns that are typically broken into date ranges of 30 days, and shows total receivables that are currently due, as well as receivables that are past due. Accounts receivable aging is useful in determining the allowance for doubtful accounts. Accounts receivable aging (tabulated via an aged receivables report) is a periodic report that categorizes a company's accounts receivable according to the length of time an invoice has been outstanding. The aged receivables report, or table, depicting accounts receivable aging provides details of specific receivables based on age. If a company experiences difficulty collecting accounts, as evidenced by the accounts receivable aging report, specific customers may be extended business on a cash-only basis.
What Is Accounts Receivable Aging?
Accounts receivable aging (tabulated via an aged receivables report) is a periodic report that categorizes a company's accounts receivable according to the length of time an invoice has been outstanding. It is used as a gauge to determine the financial health of a company's customers. If the accounts receivable aging shows a company's receivables are being collected much slower than normal, this is a warning sign that business may be slowing down or that the company is taking greater credit risk in its sales practices.
How Accounts Receivable Aging Works
Accounts receivable aging, as a management tool, can indicate that certain customers are becoming credit risks, and may reveal whether the company should keep doing business with customers that are chronically late payers. Accounts receivable aging has columns that are typically broken into date ranges of 30 days, and shows total receivables that are currently due, as well as receivables that are past due.
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
Accounts receivable aging is useful in determining the allowance for doubtful accounts. When estimating the amount of bad debt to report on a company’s financial statements, the accounts receivable aging report is useful to estimate the total amount to be written off. The primary useful feature is the aggregation of receivables based on the length of time the invoice has been past due.
A company applies a fixed percentage of default to each date range. Invoices that have been past due for longer periods of time are given a higher percentage due to increasing default risk and decreasing collectibility. The sum of the products from each outstanding date range provides an estimate regarding the amount of uncollectible receivables.
Aged Receivables Report
The aged receivables report, or table, depicting accounts receivable aging provides details of specific receivables based on age. The specific receivables are aggregated at the bottom of the table to display the total receivables of a company, based on the number of days the invoice is past due. The typical column headers include 30-day windows of time, and the rows represent the receivables of each customer. Here's an example of an accounts receivable aging report.
Accounts Receivable Aging
31-60 days
61-90 days
Over 90 days
Company ABC
Benefits of Accounts Receivable Aging
The findings from accounts receivable aging reports may be improved in various ways. First, accounts receivable are derivations of the extension of credit. If a company experiences difficulty collecting accounts, as evidenced by the accounts receivable aging report, specific customers may be extended business on a cash-only basis. Therefore, the aging report is helpful in laying out credit and selling practices.
Companies will use the information on an accounts receivable aging report to create collection letters to send to customers with overdue balances. Accounts receivable aging reports mailed to customers along with the month-end statement or collection letter provides a detailed account of outstanding items. Therefore, an accounts receivable aging report may be utilized by internal as well as external individuals.
Related terms:
Accounts Receivable (AR) & Example
Accounts receivable is the balance of money due to a firm for goods or services delivered or used but not yet paid for by customers. read more
Aging Schedule
An aging schedule classifies assets and liabilities by date (or age), which is useful for managing and assessing finance, operations, and credit standards. read more
Aging
Aging is a method used by accountants and investors to evaluate and identify any irregularities within a company's accounts receivables (ARs). read more
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
An allowance for doubtful accounts is a contra-asset account that reduces the total receivables reported to reflect only the amounts expected to be paid. read more
Bad Debt
Bad debt is an expense that a business incurs once the repayment of credit previously extended to a customer is estimated to be uncollectible. read more
Managerial Accounting
Managerial accounting is the practice of analyzing and communicating financial data to managers, who use the information to make business decisions. read more
Net Receivables
Net receivables are the money owed to a company by its customers minus the money owed that will likely never be paid, often expressed as a percentage. read more
Receivables
Receivables, or accounts receivable, are debts owed to a company by its customers for goods or services that have been delivered but not yet paid for. read more