It enables more accurate cash flow forecasting and alignment of business strategies with financial realities, helping companies navigate economic uncertainties while safeguarding their financial health. Learn how to calculate the average collection period, understand its significance, and explore factors that influence this key financial metric. To calculate the account receivable collection period, the following formula must be used.

Factors That Influence the Calculation

We’ll use the ending A/R balance for our calculations here and assume the number of days in the period is 365 days. However, using the average balance creates the need for more historical reference data. But you may want to consider pricing your product or service with payment delays in mind. The costs of prolonged borrowing while your money is tied up in accounts receivable might not be prohibitive in a stable, low-growth economy, but if interest rates are higher, you may want to think twice.

How Is the Average Collection Period Calculated?

The evolution of trade credit practices has mirrored the complexity and sophistication of commercial transactions over time. Suppose a company generated $280k and $360k in net credit sales for the fiscal years ending 2020 and 2021, respectively. Let us now do the average collection period analysis calculation example above in Excel.

How can businesses shorten their collection period?

Industry benchmarks for the average collection period vary across different industries. For example, the ACP for the retail industry typically ranges from 30 to 45 days, while the ACP for the manufacturing industry may be between 60 to 90 days. Knowing your average collection period ratio gives you the power to manage it, says Randal Blackwood, Vice President, Financing and Advisory at BDC. To figure out your ratio, start by calculating your average accounts receivable value.

Calculate net credit sales for the period

• We found out that traditional industries like Office & Facilities Management and Consulting tend to have significantly higher DSOs or collection periods, often operating under 90-day payment terms.
• This period is important for understanding the company’s cash flow cycle and evaluating its ability to manage accounts receivable effectively.
• This is because of failing in the collection of credit sales or converting the credit sales into cash in a short period of time will adversely affect the company in at least two things.
• As an alternative, the metric can also be calculated by dividing the number of days in a year by the company’s receivables turnover.

It’s smart to know how to calculate your collection period, understand what it means, and how to assess the data so you can improve accounts receivable efficiency. It increases the cash inflow and proves the efficiency of company management in managing its clients. An organization that can collect payments faster or on time has strong collection practices and also has loyal customers. However, it also means that they follow a very strict collection procedure which may also drive away customers because they prefer suppliers who have more flexible credit terms. Rationalising the receivables collection period is essential for businesses to streamline their cash flows, maintain healthy relationships with stakeholders, and ensure higher stability and business performance. Below, we outline the various implications of the collection period for an organisation.

• You need to calculate the average accounts receivable and find out the accounts receivables turnover ratio.
• The account receivable collection period measures the average number of days that credit customers usually make the payment to the company.
• Ultimately, tracking these metrics fosters proactive management of cash flow, ensuring healthier financial operations and stronger competitive positioning in the marketplace.
• An organization that can collect payments faster or on time has strong collection practices and also has loyal customers.
• It’s not enough to look at a final balance sheet and guess which areas need improvement.

Businesses must decide whether they want to allow their customers to have the option to make purchases from them on credit. These decisions are based on many factors such as the industry norm, the value of credit sales to the business, the recoverability of the balances, etc. If a business chooses to only allow cash transactions, then it may lose customers that want to buy from the business on credit.

Collecting its receivables in a relatively short and reasonable period of time gives the company time to pay off its obligations. Using these strategies consistently can help you shorten your average collection period, leading to improved cash flow and stronger financial health. Based on the calculation above, we noted that the company took an average of 8 days to collect cash from its customers for credit sales. It is apparent from the results of both companies that XYZ Co. has performed better in collecting its account receivable balances as compared to ABC Co.

The correlation between the annual sales figure used in the calculation and the average accounts receivable figure may not be close, resulting in a misleading DSO number. For example, if a company has seasonal sales, the average receivable figure may be unusually high or low on the measurement date, depending on where the company is in its season billings. Thus, if receivables are unusually low when the measurement is taken, the DSO days will appear unusually low, and vice versa if the receivables are unusually high. First, generate an average accounts receivable figure that spans the entire, full-year measurement period. Second, adopt a rolling quarterly DSO calculation, so that sales for the past three months are compared to average receivables for the past three months.

Businesses can use this information to determine the length of time it takes them from the initial purchase of raw materials to final receipt of cash from the sales of their finished goods. The average collection period is the time a company takes to convert its credit sales (accounts receivables) into cash. It provides liquidity to the company to meet its short-term needs or current expenses as and when they become due.

What does a low average collection period indicate?

Comparing these metrics reveals whether delays are concentrated in overdue accounts or spread across all receivables, providing deeper insights into credit management efficiency. Several factors can affect the average collection period, requiring businesses to adapt accordingly. These elements allow businesses to evaluate collection efficiency and make informed decisions about credit and collection practices. When comparing between two different businesses, it is important to understand the nature of the businesses. This check isn’t necessary when comparing businesses of the same nature or businesses that are in the same industry.

A small business owner reduced their collection period from 60 days to 30 days by implementing automated invoicing and reminder systems, significantly improving cash flow and enabling business expansion. What’s more, your average collection period contributes directly to achieving company goals and growing your business. Both equations will produce the same average collection period figure if you have the appropriate data. In that case, the formula for the average collection period should be adjusted as needed.

Similar companies should produce similar financial metrics, so the average collection period can be used as a benchmark against another company’s performance. For the formulas above, average accounts receivable is calculated by taking the average of the beginning and ending balances of a given period. More sophisticated accounting reporting tools may be able to automate a company’s average accounts receivable over a given period by factoring in daily ending balances. In essence, it gauges how efficiently a company manages its credit sales and collects payments from its customers. Average Collection Period is a vital metric that gives insight into your company’s ability to convert credit sales into cash, impacting everything from liquidity to credit policy. The amount of time it takes customers to pay you may seem secondary to more exciting goals like landing new contracts, launching new products and planning for the future.

Tasty Bites Catering’s shorter collection period indicates more efficient cash flow management and prompt customer payments. Efficient cash flow management is important for any business’s financial stability and growth. One crucial aspect that can impede cash flow efficiency is a lengthy receivables collection period. When customers take longer than anticipated to settle their invoices, it can strain liquidity and hinder the ability to meet financial obligations.

For the comparison to be truly fair, other factors must also be considered such as the nature of both the businesses and the industries they operate in. Your goal is for clients to spend less time in accounts receivable and more time paying bills promptly. This article aims to delve trade receivables collection period formula into the concept of the receivables collection period, its calculation, interpretation, and analysis while providing insights into optimising this vital aspect of cash flow management.

Accounts receivable turnover is calculated by dividing net credit sales by average accounts receivable. A higher accounts receivable turnover ratio indicates that a company is efficiently collecting its receivables and has a shorter cash conversion cycle. The receivables collection period is a financial metric that measures the average number of days it takes for a business to collect payments from its customers for credit sales. It provides insights into the efficiency of a company’s credit and collection processes. The account receivable collection period of a business is the number of days it takes a business to recover its account receivable balances from the time of the initial credit sale.