By ADAM HAYES

Reviewed by MARGARET JAMES

Fact checked by KATRINA MUNICHIELLO

编写人：ADAM HAYES

审核人：MARGARET JAMES

事实核查人：KATRINA MUNICHIELLO

What Are Accounts Receivable (AR)?

什么是应收账款？

Accounts receivable (AR) are the balance of money due to a firm for goods or services delivered or used but not yet paid for by customers. Accounts receivable are listed on the balance sheet as a current asset. Any amount of money owed by customers for purchases made on credit is AR.

应收账款是公司因已交付或使用但客户尚未支付的货物或服务产生的余额，作为流动资产在资产负债表上列示。客户因赊购欠付的任何款项均为应收账款。

KEY TAKEAWAYS

关键要点

·Accounts receivable (AR) are an asset account on the balance sheet that represents money due to a company in the short term.

应收账款属于资产负债表上的资产类科目，表示短期内应向公司支付的款项。

·Accounts receivable are created when a company lets a buyer purchase their goods or services on credit.

公司允许买方赊购其货物或服务时就会产生应收账款。

·Accounts payable are similar to accounts receivable, but instead of money to be received, they are money owed. 

应收账款与应付账款类似，但是，前者是欠付款项，而后者是应收款项。

·The strength of a company’s AR can be analyzed with the accounts receivable turnover ratio or days sales outstanding. 

一家公司的应收账款情况可通过应收账款周转率或应收账款周转天数进行分析。

·A turnover ratio analysis can be completed to have an expectation of when the AR will actually be received.

通过对周转率进行分析，可以预计应收账款实际到账的时间。

Understanding Accounts Receivable

了解应收账款

Accounts receivable refer to the outstanding invoices that a company has or the money that clients owe the company. The phrase refers to accounts that a business has the right to receive because it has delivered a product or service. Accounts receivable, or receivables, represent a line of credit extended by a company and normally have terms that require payments due within a relatively short period. It typically ranges from a few days to a fiscal or calendar year.

应收账款指公司的未偿付账单或客户欠付公司的款项，即公司因交付产品或服务而有权收到的款项，是公司向客户提供的信用额度，支付期限通常较短，几天到一个财政年度或日历年度不等。

Companies record accounts receivable as assets on their balance sheets because there is a legal obligation for the customer to pay the debt. They are considered a liquid asset, because they can be used as collateral to secure a loan to help meet short-term obligations. Receivables are part of a company’s working capital.

公司将应收账款作为资产记录在资产负债表上，这是因为客户有偿还债务的法律义务。应收账款被视作流动资产，原因在于应收账款可作为抵押物获得贷款，有助于偿还短期债务。应收账款属于公司的营运资本。

Furthermore, accounts receivable are current assets, meaning that the account balance is due from the debtor in one year or less. If a company has receivables, this means that it has made a sale on credit but has yet to collect the money from the purchaser. Essentially, the company has accepted a short-term IOU from its client.

此外，应收账款属于流动资产，表示债务人应在一年以内支付的账户余额。如果一家公司存在应付账款，则表示该公司进行了赊销，且尚未向买方收取货款。从本质上来说，该公司已经接受了客户的短期借据。

Important: Many businesses use accounts receivable aging schedules to keep tabs on the status and well-being of AR.

重要提示：许多企业通过建立应收账款账龄分析表密切关注应收账款的状况。

Accounts Receivable vs. Accounts Payable

应收账款与应付账款

When a company owes debts to its suppliers or other parties, these are accounts payable. Accounts payable are the opposite of accounts receivable. To illustrate, imagine Company A cleans Company B’s carpets and sends a bill for the services. Company B owes them money, so it records the invoice in its accounts payable column. Company A is waiting to receive the money, so it records the bill in its accounts receivable column.

若公司对其供应商或其他方负有债务，这些债务就是应收账款。应付账款与应收账款正好相反。举例来说，假设A公司对B公司的地毯进行清洁并向B公司发送了服务账单，也就是说，B公司欠付A公司清洁费用，所以，B公司应将相关账单计入应付账款；而A公司正在等着收款，所以，A公司应将相关账单计入应收账款。

Benefits of Accounts Receivable

应收账款的益处

Accounts receivable are an important aspect of a business’s fundamental analysis. Accounts receivable are a current asset, so it measures a company’s liquidity or ability to cover short-term obligations without additional cash flows. 

应收账款是企业基本面分析的一个重要方面。作为流动资产，应收账款衡量的是公司资产流动性或在不增加现金流的情况下偿还短期债务的能力。

Fundamental analysts often evaluate accounts receivable in the context of turnover, also known as accounts receivable turnover ratio, which measures the number of times a company has collected on its accounts receivable balance during an accounting period. Further analysis would include assessing days sales outstanding (DSO), the average number of days that it takes to collect payment after a sale has been made.

基本面分析师经常通过周转率（也称为“应收账款周转率”，即衡量公司在某一会计期间收回应收账款余额的次数）对应收账款进行评估。若想进行深入分析，还可以对应收账款周转天数（即公司在销售完成后收回款项所需平均天数）进行评估。

Example of Accounts Receivable

应收账款的示例

An example of accounts receivable includes an electric company that bills its clients after the clients received the electricity. The electric company records an account receivable for unpaid invoices as it waits for its customers to pay their bills. 

比如，电力公司给其客户送电，并在客户获得供电后向该客户出具了相关账单，由于电力公司正等着该客户支付账单，所以，电力公司应将未偿付账单计入应收账款。

Most companies operate by allowing a portion of their sales to be on credit. Sometimes, businesses offer this credit to frequent or special customers that receive periodic invoices. The practice allows customers to avoid the hassle of physically making payments as each transaction occurs. In other cases, businesses routinely offer all of their clients the ability to pay after receiving the service.

大多数公司允许部分货物或服务赊销。有时，企业会向常客或特殊客户进行赊销，这类客户会定期收到账单。这样一来，客户省去了每次交易都进行付款的麻烦。在其他情况下，企业通常允许所有客户在收到服务后付款。

What are examples of receivables?

应收账款的示例

A receivable is created any time money is owed to a firm for services rendered or products provided that have not yet been paid. This can be from a sale to a customer on store credit, or a subscription or installment payment that is due after goods or services have been received.

应收账款会因公司提供的服务或产品尚未付款而产生，可以是店铺赊销，也可以是在收到货物或服务后进行订购付款或分期付款。

Where do I find a company’s accounts receivable?

公司应收账款在什么地方列示？

Accounts receivable are found on a firm’s balance sheet. Because they represent funds owed to the company, they are booked as an asset. Investors need to dig into the numbers shown under accounts receivable to determine if the company follows sound practices.

公司的资产负债表会列示应收账款。由于应收账款表示欠付公司的资金，因此被记作资产。投资者需要深入研究公司应收账款项下显示的数字，以确定公司是否遵循良好的做法。

What happens if customers never pay what’s due?

如果客户不支付到期款项会怎么样？

When it becomes clear that an account receivable won’t get paid by a customer, it has to be written off as a bad debt expense or one-time charge. Companies might also sell this outstanding debt to a third party—known as accounts receivable discounted or as AR factoring.

若客户明显无法支付应收账款，则应收账款须作为坏账费用或一次性费用进行冲销。公司也可能会将未偿还债务出售给第三方，称为应收账款贴现或应收账款保理。

How are accounts receivable different from accounts payable?

如何区分应收账款与应付账款？

Accounts receivable represent funds owed to the firm for services rendered, and they are booked as an asset. Accounts payable, on the other hand, represent funds that the firm owes to others—for example, payments due to suppliers or creditors. Payables are booked as liabilities.

应收账款代表因提供的服务而欠付公司的资金，记作资产。另一方面，应付账款代表公司欠付他人的资金，比如，应付供应商或债权人的款项，记作负债。