

Once you’ve figured out accounts receivable or how to keep track of customer payments, you’ll then need to think about tracking your outgoings and expenses. How to keep track of bills and payments owed A good software program can automatically issue invoices, track payments, and alert you to any discrepancies between the two. Use accounting software to automate the process. Track payments received in a spreadsheet, updating your profit and loss statement regularly to show any changes. To avoid further delay, place a courtesy phone call with your client as soon as the payment is delayed. Don’t wait until invoices are 60 days past due. Put a follow-up system in place for late invoices.

Use a uniform template for invoices and verify all payment information to avoid processing delays. For those businesses that must submit invoice, however, here are a few easy steps to simplify the process: Ideally, if you have an online business, you can simply receive payments electronically through your website. When determining how to keep track of payments received, you must work this time lag into the equation. It takes time for the payment to clear into your bank account, and by this time, it might be an entirely new accounting period. You not only have to wait for the customer to receive the invoice, but then you must wait for the payment.

If you use the traditional accounting method of sending out invoices and waiting for a response, tracking all payments manually, there can be long lags in between each stage. So, why is it so difficult to keep track of payments at times? It often boils down to timing. It seems simple in theory – you send an invoice to a client and receive a payment in return. The best bookkeeping system will depend on several factors: In addition, credit can suffer as a result of a diminished cash flow. If you don’t receive customer payments in a timely manner, you won’t have the funds necessary to pay your own expenses. Keeping track of payments has a direct impact on your business’s cash flow, so it’s important to streamline this process with an organised bookkeeping system. Here are a few tips to help you stay organised. Whether you’re a sole trader or growing e-commerce retailer, one of the first orders of business should be determining how to keep track of invoices and payments.
