What is the Average Collection Period (2024)

The average collection period is the average number of days it takes a business to collect and convert its accounts receivable into cash. It is one of six main calculations used to determine short-term liquidity, that is, the ability of a company to pay its bills (current liabilities) as they come due.

The formula for calculating average collection period is:

Average collection period = (accounts receivable / sales) x number of days in a year

A shorter average collection period (60 days or less) is generally preferable and means a business has higher liquidity.

Average collection period is also used to calculate another liquidity measure, the receivables turnover ratio.

More about the average collection period

Accounts receivable appear on a company’s balance sheet while sales appear on the income statement. Let’s say that ABC Co. has annual sales of $400,000 and accounts receivable of $55,000, its average collection period would be calculated as follows:

($55,000 / $400,000) x 365 days = 50 days

In this example, ABC Co. keeps its accounts receivable up to date.

What is the Average Collection Period (2024)

FAQs

What is the average collection period answer? ›

Average collection period is calculated by dividing a company's average accounts receivable balance by its net credit sales for a specific period, then multiplying the quotient by 365 days.

What is the average collection period _____________? ›

The average collection period is the average number of days it takes a business to collect and convert its accounts receivable into cash.

What is the average collection period quizlet? ›

The average collection period is computed by dividing the number of days in the year by the accounts receivable turnover. The average collection period = 365/7 = 52 days.

What is the formula for collection period? ›

(average accounts receivable balance ÷ net credit sales ) x 365 = average collection period. You can also essentially reverse the formula to get the same result: 365 ÷ (net credit sales ÷ average accounts receivable balance) = average collection period.

What is a good collection ratio? ›

A healthy revenue cycle can be maintained by ensuring 90% or above net collection rate.

How to calculate average? ›

Average This is the arithmetic mean, and is calculated by adding a group of numbers and then dividing by the count of those numbers. For example, the average of 2, 3, 3, 5, 7, and 10 is 30 divided by 6, which is 5.

What is the average receivable? ›

Average accounts receivable is calculated as the sum of starting and ending receivables over a set period of time (generally monthly, quarterly or annually), divided by two. In financial modeling, the accounts receivable turnover ratio is used to make balance sheet forecasts.

Does the average collection period measure the number of days? ›

Your average collection period tells you the number of accounts receivable days it takes after a credit sale to receive payment. You can understand how much cash flow is pending or readily available by monitoring your average collection period.

Is average collection period also known as the day sales outstanding? ›

Days sales outstanding (DSO) is the average number of days it takes a company to receive payment for a sale. A high DSO number suggests that a company is experiencing delays in receiving payments, which can result in a cash flow problem. A low DSO indicates that the company is getting its payments quickly.

What is the collection period also called quizlet? ›

Collection Period. The number of days it takes to collect the average level of receivables. Also called the days' sales in receivables.

What do high average collection periods usually indicate quizlet? ›

High average collection periods usually indicate mini uncollectible receivables, where is low average collection. May indicate overly restrictive credit granting policies. The fixed asset turnover ratio measures how effectively the firm is using is assets to generate sales.

What is the average days in inventory? ›

Inventory days = 365 x ( Average inventory / COGS )

You can use this average to estimate the time that said product was predicted to sell. The figure resulting from this formula can be easily converted to days by multiplying this data by 365 or by a period.

What is the average debtor days? ›

In simplest terms, debtor days measure how quickly a business gets paid. Average debtor days, also known as “day's sales in accounts receivable,” are determined by dividing the average number of daily sales by the average number of debtor days.

What is average days sales outstanding? ›

Days sales outstanding (DSO) measures the average number of days it takes for a company to collect cash from credit purchases. DSO is calculated as the average accounts receivable (A/R) outstanding divided by revenue, multiplied by the number of days in the period of time (usually 365 days).

What is the average collection period in Excel? ›

The average Collection Period can be calculated by using these formulas: Average Collection Period Formula= 365 Days /Average Receivable Turnover ratio. Average Collection Period Formula= Average accounts receivable balance / Average credit sales per day.

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