One of the main items in a company's financial statements, in my opinion, is accounts receivable, since this item tells us the balance pending recovery from our customers on a given date, which is vital for our real cash flows. and projected.
Definition of accounts receivable
The Financial Information Standards (NIF) define “accounts receivable” as:
“an enforceable right of the entity to collect a consideration in exchange for the satisfaction of an obligation to perform that originates from the sale of goods or provision of services”
Derived from the foregoing, we can interpret that an account receivable is the right of an agreed consideration that our company has to recover for the sales made, whether of merchandise or for services rendered, the accounts receivable are typically converted into cash in our statements. once the client covers the obligation contracted with our companies.
Accounting record of accounts receivable
With the intention of clarifying the behavior of accounts receivable in our financial statements, we present below the accounting records that are generated at the time of sale and collection:
1.- At the time of sale:
| Bill | Must | To have |
| Sales | xxxx | |
| accounts receivable | xxxx |
In accordance with NIF, the moment in which the previous accounting record is made is when: “The operation that gave rise to it is considered accrued, which occurs when, In order to comply with the terms of the contract entered into, control over the goods or services agreed with the counterparty is transferred.. The foregoing is important to mention derived from the fact that the practice in Mexico is to recognize it at the time of invoicing even when we have not complied with transferring control over the goods to our clients.
2.- At the time of payment:
| Bill | Must | To have |
| Cash and cash equivalents | xxxx | |
| accounts receivable | xxxx |
Importance of Accounts Receivable Analysis
The analysis of accounts receivable is vital in our companies since my opinion is that:
"It's no use selling if we don't convert it into cash flow"This is why we must carry out at least the following activities:
- An adequate analysis of the age of accounts receivable,
- Establish policies on the granting of credits to our clients,
- Calculate the allowance for uncollectible accounts, and
- Automate the processes related to our accounts receivable.
Analysis of the age of the portfolio or accounts receivable
This report, as its name implies, presents us with the accounts receivable by client and classified by age, which is vital for the collection department in analyzing its effectiveness, determining the reserve for uncollectible accounts and establishing actions for recovery of overdue balances with customers, below, we present an example of said report:
| Client | current balance | Balance past due 0 – 30 days | Balance past due 31 – 60 days | Balance 61–90 days past due | Balance overdue more than 90 days |
| Client 1 | xxxx | xxxx | |||
| Client 2 | xxxx | xxxx | |||
| Client 3 | xxxx | ||||
| Total accounts receivable | xxxx | xxxx | xxxx |
Client Policies
It is of the utmost importance to establish policies to grant credit to our clients to reduce the risks of them falling into default, such as:
- Request financial statements to assess your ability to pay,
- Request the annual statement to verify that the sales presented in your financial statements have been declared to the SAT,
- Request, where appropriate, the signing of promissory notes,
- Conduct an investigation of your credit situation and,
- Request commercial references
Accounts Receivable Automation
Automating the accounts receivable process can reduce human errors and speed up our collection process. There are certain activities that can be automated through the use of "software" in a simple and low-cost manner, such as:
- Billing and sending invoices to our customers.
- Send payment reminder to our customers via email.
- Automatic expiration alerts for collection staff and managers.
- Sending of periodic account statements to our collection staff and clients.
Conclusions
The permanence of our companies depends on our ability to convert accounts receivable into cash, since if we fail to recover them within a reasonable time, we put the financial health of our company and its operation at risk, since we could fall into default. to suppliers, delay in payroll payment, among other situations, that can stop our operation.
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