Average Collection Period What Is It, Formula, Calculator

In addition, it can be readily used to make short-term payments or obligations. The average collection period formula is the number of days in a period divided by the receivables turnover ratio. The average collection period amount of time that passes before a company collects its accounts receivable (AR). In other words, it refers to the time it takes, on average, for the company to receive payments it is owed from clients or customers. The average collection period must be monitored to ensure a company has enough cash available to take care of its near-term financial responsibilities.

By automating their AR process with HighRadius Autonomous Receivables, businesses can significantly improve their order to cash cycle. By monitoring and improving the ACP, companies can enhance their liquidity, reduce the risk of bad debts, and maintain a healthy financial position. While ACP holds significance, it doesn’t provide a complete standalone assessment. It’s essential to compare does prepaid rent affect net income it with other key performance indicators (KPIs) for a clearer understanding. If the company decides to do the Collection period calculation for the whole year for seasonal revenue, it wouldn’t be just. Access and download collection of free Templates to help power your productivity and performance.

1. Naturally, a smaller value of the average collection period ratio is considered more beneficial for a company.
2. As you can see, it takes Devin approximately 31 days to collect cash from his customers on average.
3. We will take a practical example to illustrate the average collection period for receivables.

How Is the Average Collection Period Calculated?

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. The average collection period is the timea company’s receivables can be converted to cash. It refers to how quickly the customers who bought goods on credit can pay back the supplier. The earlier the supplier gets the funds, the better it is for business because this fund is a huge source of liquidity.

Average Collection Period Calculator

It is one of the many vital accounting metrics for any company that relies on receivables to maintain a healthy cash flow. In the long run, you can compare your average collection period with other businesses in the same field to observe your financial metrics and use them as a performance benchmark. This metric should exclude cash sales (as those are not made on credit and therefore do not have a collection period). A fast collection period may not always be beneficial as it simply could mean that the company has strict payment rules in place. If your company’s ACP value continues to increase over time, it may indicate that your credit policies are too loose or payments are not collected efficiently.

How to calculate average collection period

As a business owner, the average collection period figure can tell you a few things. According to a PYMNTS report, 88% of businesses automating their AR processes see a significant reduction in their DSO. Automation can also help reduce manual intervention in collection processes, enabling proactive communication with customers and helping in the establishment of appropriate credit limits.

What Is the Average Collection Period Formula?

However, it can also show that your credit policy is one that offers more flexible credit terms. the usual sequence of steps in the transaction recording process is The average collection period figure is also important from a timing perspective to help a company prepare an effective plan for covering costs and scheduling potential expenditures to further growth. For obvious reasons, the lower the ACP is, the better it is for your business.

If Company ABC aims to collect money owed within 60 days, then the ACP value of 54.72 days would indicate efficiency. However, if their target collection period is 30 days, the ACP value of 54.72 days would be too high, indicating inefficiency in the company’s collection efforts. Let us take a look at a numerical example of calculating the average collection period. From a timing perspective, looking at the average collection period can help a company to schedule potential expenditures and prepare a reasonable plan for covering these costs. The average collection period is an important metric to consider when looking at your business.

The company’s top management requests the accountant to find out the company’s collection period in the current scenario. Keep in mind that slower collection times could result from poor customer payment experiences, such as manual data entry errors or slow billing payment processes. For example, if a company has an ACP of 50 days but issues invoices with a 60-day due date, then the ACP is reasonable. On the other hand, if the same company issues invoices with a 30-day due date, an ACP of 50 days would be considered very high.