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[A179]Accounts Receivable Interview Questions

by Jr Rooney, Jr

Accounts receivable is the first step in a series of collection attempts dealing with the billing of customers who owe money to a consumer, business or an organization for products and/or services that have been provided to the customer. This is sometimes done in a small organization by writing an invoice and sending via mail, fax or email.

On an organization's balance sheet, accounts receivable is the amount that customers owe to the business. Also known as AR, they are classified as current assets. To record a journal entry for a sale on account, you must debit a receivable and credit a revenue account. When the customer pays off the account, you debit cash and credit the receivable in the journal entry. The ending balance on the trial balance sheet for accounts receivable is always debit.

Companies that have become too big to perform this task by hand (even smaller companies that could but prefer not to do them by hand) will generally use accounting software on a computer to perform this task.

Associated accounting issues include recognizing accounts receivable, valuing accounts receivable, and disposing of accounts receivable.

Some additional types of accounting transactions include accounts payable, payroll and trial balance.

Since not all customer AR will be collected by the Accounts Receivable person, companies typically record an allowance for bad debts which is subtracted from total accounts receivable. Many debtors just won't pay the AR; in those cases, smart creditors turn to a collection agency.

Whether you like it or not, slow paying customers are here to stay. As a rule of thumb, commercial clients pay their bills in 30 to 60 days. And lately, the trend has been deteriorating. So, what do you do if you have slow paying receivables.

Many owners try to go to the bank to get a business loan. Not surprisingly, few business owners get business loans. As a rule, banks will only finance companies that have long and established histories. This is not your case if your company is new or emerging from tough times.

If your biggest challenge is that you cannot afford to wait up to 60 days to get paid by your customers, then the solution is accounts receivable factoring. Most commonly known as factoring, this type of financing eliminates the usual wait to get paid. It provides you with the necessary funds to pay suppliers, meet payroll and take on new business opportunities.

And how does factoring work? Simple:

1. You finish the work and send an invoice to your client. You also send a copy to the accounts receivable factoring company.

2. The financing company advances you 70% to 90% of the invoice (a small reserve is held to handle disputes, etc.)

3. You get the funds in 24 hours

4. As soon the customer pays the invoice to the financing company, they rebate the reserve (less a small fee)

As you can see, accounts receivable factoring can easily be integrated into your business, providing you with prompt invoice payments. Usually, funds are advanced within 24 hours of submitting invoices.

Accounts receivable factoring is easy to qualify for. Accounts can be set up in as little as 4 business days. As opposed to business loans, the main requirement for factoring is to do business with strong credit worthy customers. So if you do business with good commercial clients (or the government), be sure to add factoring to your business tool chest.

Article Source : Pg. 249

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Both Jr Rooney & Marco Terry are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Jr Rooney has sinced written about articles on various topics from Collection Agencies, Finances and Collection Agencies. When you decide to use a be sure to get a free quote form this. Jr Rooney's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.

Marco Terry has sinced written about articles on various topics from Debts Loans, Business Loans and Finances. . Marco Terry's top article generates over 60500 views. to your Favourites.