{"id":2678,"date":"2017-09-26T11:47:53","date_gmt":"2017-09-26T15:47:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/?p=2678"},"modified":"2026-02-12T05:37:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T10:37:27","slug":"5-ways-to-speed-up-your-accounts-receivables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/5-ways-to-speed-up-your-accounts-receivables\/","title":{"rendered":"5 ways to speed up your accounts receivables"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/category\/money-matters\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Money Matters<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t5 ways to speed up your accounts receivables\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2017-09-26T11:47:53-04:00\">September 26, 2017<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"5 ways to speed up your accounts receivables\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/5-ways-to-speed-up-your-accounts-receivables\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/author\/aprilthompson\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/09\/April-Thompson.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">April Thompson<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>According to a&nbsp;recent survey<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>by Wasp Barcode Technologies, worrying about accounts receivable is what keeps business owners awake at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Accounts receivables and cash flow are the&nbsp;two top accounting challenges&nbsp;facing small businesses. Sleep better with these proven techniques to bring in cash quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Follow these tips to ensure steady cash flow<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ask-for-pre-payment-nbsp\"><strong>Ask for pre-payment&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s not uncommon for suppliers to collect a sizeable deposit before starting a project, initiating a service or processing an order. Make it a policy to collect a percentage of an order before you begin your work (for example, 30% to 50%). Test the waters to see how much your customers are willing to pay in advance. Some business owners take it a step further and request full payment up front. Consider your business to set this payment level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-invoice-immediately-nbsp\"><strong>Invoice immediately&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t wait until the end of the month to invoice customers! It\u2019s also a good idea to email your clients a friendly payment reminder before their invoice is due. Here are three<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/late-payments-get-paid-faster\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">&nbsp;free and easy to use invoice templates<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Free Invoice Templates<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Free invoice templates, designed for you in mind.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-9571ec4e-0c5d-41b2-b0c2-e077f14fd64b\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__downloads\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t24,386 readers have downloaded these templates\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1215\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1400801126-1215x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1400801126-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-keep-payment-terms-short-nbsp\"><strong>Keep payment terms short&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s no law that says you must wait 30 days to be paid. Let your customers know you expect to be paid within 7 to 14 days.&nbsp;<strong><br>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-incentivize-with-discounts-nbsp\"><strong>Incentivize with discounts&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Offer your customers a reduced rate when they pay their invoices early. Highlight the reduced rate on your invoices and include the early payment deadline. Most early payment discounts are between 2% and 5% and apply only to payments received within 10 or 15 business days. Don\u2019t forget to speak to your accountant or bookkeeper to see how much of an early payment discount you can afford to offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-get-it-in-writing-nbsp\"><strong>Get it in writing&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To clarify expectations, ask your customers to sign a contract or approve an estimate that clearly outlines deliverables and payment details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t hesitate to take action. Hire a collection agency to deal with chronic late payers and non-paying customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Free Invoice Templates<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Free invoice templates, designed for you in mind.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-9571ec4e-0c5d-41b2-b0c2-e077f14fd64b\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__downloads\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t24,386 readers have downloaded these templates\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1215\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1400801126-1215x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1400801126-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to a&nbsp;recent survey&nbsp;by Wasp Barcode Technologies, worrying about accounts receivable is what keeps business owners awake at night. Accounts receivables and cash flow are the&nbsp;two top accounting challenges&nbsp;facing small businesses. Sleep better with these proven techniques to bring in cash quickly. Follow these tips to ensure steady cash flow Ask for pre-payment&nbsp; It&#8217;s not [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":323,"featured_media":2681,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[110],"business_type":[40],"lilypad":[],"context":[102],"industry":[56,52,55,54,204,59],"persona":[96,97],"imagine_tag":[231],"coauthors":[686],"class_list":["post-2678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-money-matters","tag-accounting-101","business_type-small-business","industry-ecommerce","industry-food-beverage","industry-professional-services","industry-retail","industry-technology","industry-travel-hospitality"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-us","author_name":"April Thompson","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/09\/Speedupcashflow2.jpg","imagine_tags":{"231":"Start up business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice US","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/323"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2678"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2678\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/2681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2678"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=2678"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=2678"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=2678"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=2678"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=2678"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=2678"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=2678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}