How-to · 6 min read

The accounts receivable ageing dashboard, explained

Receivables ageing is the report that changes behaviour fastest when it goes live. A monthly Excel ageing shows a problem after it has become expensive; a live dashboard shows an invoice crossing 30 days on the day it happens and a customer drifting toward bad debt before their balance gets there. This guide covers what the dashboard should show, what data it needs, and the permissions that make it safe to share widely.

The metrics that belong on it

  • Ageing buckets. Total outstanding split into not yet due, 0–30, 31–60, 61–90 and 90+ days overdue, shown as a stacked bar over the last twelve months so the mix is visible, not just the total.
  • Days sales outstanding (DSO). Receivables divided by credit sales, times the days in the period. One number, trended, by branch and by salesperson.
  • Top overdue customers. A table of the twenty largest overdue balances with each customer's bucket mix, credit limit and last payment date.
  • Collections this month against invoiced, and the collection rate.
  • Concentration. The share of total receivables held by the top five customers — a risk figure boards ask about.
  • Drill-down. Every figure clicks through to the invoice list behind it.

The data it needs

Three tables from the accounting system or ERP are enough: invoices (customer, date, due date, amount), receipts or payments (customer, date, amount, invoice matched), and the customer master (name, salesperson, branch, credit limit). Outstanding per invoice is the amount less matched receipts; days overdue is today less the due date; the bucket is a formula on days overdue. In SAP Business One, Business Central and Odoo these tables can be read live from the database; from Tally, Zoho Books, QuickBooks or Xero they arrive on a schedule.

Two definitions to agree before building: whether "overdue" counts from the invoice date or the due date (it should be the due date), and whether partially paid invoices age on the remaining balance (they should).

Sharing it safely

Ageing is most useful when the people who can act on it see it — salespeople, branch managers, account managers — and most sensitive when they see each other's accounts. The answer is a row rule: each salesperson sees only their customers, each branch only its own, finance sees everything. The rule should hold in the dashboard, in any download, in the scheduled PDF and in an AI answer, so that one build serves everyone.

Where Klayara fits. Ageing buckets, DSO and concentration are a handful of formulas in Klayara; the dashboard is on the finance snapshot template; row rules by salesperson or branch apply everywhere. See the glossary entry for accounts receivable ageing.

FAQ

Questions this guide answers.

Something else on your mind? Ask us directly — a person answers.

What are the standard AR ageing buckets?

Not yet due, 0–30 days overdue, 31–60, 61–90 and more than 90 days. Some businesses add 120+ or 180+ for long-tail debt. Overdue should count from the due date, not the invoice date.

How is DSO calculated?

Days sales outstanding is accounts receivable divided by credit sales for the period, multiplied by the number of days in the period. Trend it monthly and compare it by branch or salesperson.

What data does an ageing dashboard need?

Invoices with customer, date, due date and amount; receipts matched to invoices; and a customer master with salesperson, branch and credit limit. Outstanding, days overdue and bucket are calculated from these.

Can salespeople see only their own customers' ageing?

Yes, with a row-level rule by salesperson applied to the dashboard, downloads and scheduled PDFs. Finance keeps the full view from the same build.

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