Accounting payment terms — AccountingTools (2024)

What are Accounting Payment Terms?

Accounting payment terms are the payment rules imposed by suppliers on their customers. Payment terms are imposed to ensure that payments are received by suppliers within a reasonable period of time. A large customer may use its purchasing power to force a supplier to agree to terms that are more favorable to the customer, such as a longer period of time in which to pay the supplier, or relaxed rules for returning goods.

Types of Invoice Payment Terms

A number of payment terms should be included on any invoice sent to a customer. A complete set of terms is needed to clarify the payment situation for the customer, thereby increasing your odds of being paid. The key invoice payment terms are as follows:

  • Invoice date. This is the date on which the invoice was prepared. It may instead reflect the date on which goods were shipped or services provided, if this date was earlier than the invoice preparation date.

  • Payment due date. This is the date on which you expect to receive payment from the customer. Thus, if the terms state that the customer has 30 days in which to pay an invoice, the expectation is that you will receive payment 30 days from the invoice date.

  • Invoice number. This is the unique identifier code for the invoice. It is needed to track the invoice in your own system, as well as in the accounting system of the customer.

  • Payment amount. This is a multi-line item that states the preliminary total due for payment, plus any sales tax, plus any shipping and handling charges, which sum to a grand total amount payable.

  • Payment methods allowed. This is the types of payment accepted, such as by check, credit card, ACH, or wire transfer.

  • Discount terms. If you offer a discount in exchange for early payment, then state the terms. We cover this issue more fully below.

  • Currency type. If you are dealing with an international customer, then state the currency in which you expect to be paid. This is less necessary if all of your sales are domestic.

Discount Payment Terms

Discount terms may be allowed in order to accelerate cash collections. There are three possible components to discount payment terms, which are noted below.

Discount Terms

Discount terms are provided as a two-part statement, where the first item is the percentage discount allowed, and the second item is the number of days within which payment can be made in order to receive the discount. Thus, terms of "1/10" mean that a discount of 1% can be taken if payment is made within 10 days.

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Accounting payment terms —  AccountingTools (2024)

FAQs

What is 30 60 90 payment terms? ›

Businesses typically offer one of four net payment terms: Net 15 payment terms: This means an invoice is due in 15 days Net 30 payment terms: This means an invoice is due in 30 days Net 60 payment terms: This means an invoice is due in 60 days Net 90 payment terms: This means an invoice is due in 90 days.

What is payment terms in accounting? ›

What is a term of payment? A term of payment, also sometimes called payment term, is documentation that details how and when your customers pay for your goods or services. Terms of payment set your business's expectations for payment, including when clients pay and what penalties they may receive for missed payments.

What is net 75 payment terms? ›

Section 4.3 of example 1 below illustrates how this early payment discount is typically indicated: “2% / 15, Net 75 days.” For those unfamiliar with this shorthand, it means that the buyer is entitled to a discount of 2% if it pays the invoice within 15 days; otherwise, the invoice must be paid in full no later than 75 ...

What is the 2 10 net 45 payment terms? ›

2/10 net 45 – A 2% discount is on offer for buyers who pay within 10 days of the invoice date, otherwise, the full amount is due within 45 days. 3/10 net 30 – A 3% discount is on offer for buyers who pay within 10 days of the invoice date, otherwise, the full amount is due within 30 days.

What is a 40 30 30 payment term? ›

Standard “Progress Invoicing” terms are 40/30/30 (3 payments) – 40% Invoiced Upon Design/Drawing Approval, Due Net 15 Days (Invoice Upon Receipt of Order if No Drawing Approval is required); 30% Invoiced 30 Days Prior to Shipment, Due Prior to Shipment; 30% Invoiced at Shipment, Due Net 30 Days.

What is a 70 30 payment plan? ›

Let's say you have a 70:30 payment plan. Then you are required to pay 70 per cent of the total amount in regular instalments until handover and the rest 30 per cent at the time of handover of the property. Some common ratios this kind of payment plan follows are 25:75, 10:90, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, and 20:80.

What is payment terms example? ›

These terms refer to the number of days in which a payment is due. For instance, net 30 means that a buyer must settle their account within 30 days of the date listed on the invoice.

How do you write 30 days payment terms? ›

Terms: Net 30. Payment is due 30 days from invoice date. Net 30 is standard practice in many industries. If you require faster payment, swap “net 30” for “net 15” or even “net 10.”

What is net 10 payment terms example? ›

To see this in action, consider an invoice that is issued on April 22nd with Net 10 EOM payment terms. This invoice would be due within the first 10 days of the next month, so the invoice due date would be May 10th.

What is a 50 payment term? ›

The client must pay 50 percent of the total invoice amount before work begins on the project. This is common for big projects that take several months to complete.

What are 50 50 payment terms? ›

Types of Partial Payment Invoice Terms

A business owner may specify a "50/50" term, which means that a 50% deposit is payable on receipt of an order, and the balance is due on the customer's receipt of the product or service ("50% deposit, balance on delivery").

What are net 20 payment terms? ›

Net 20 EOM means the total amount is due for full payment within 20 days after the end of the month. On credit sales, vendors offer a 2 percent discount most often to customers. Some vendors charge interest or financing charges on overdue bills per invoice terms.

What are net 15 payment terms? ›

What Are Net 15 Payment Terms? An invoice with net 15 terms means that a customer has 15 days to pay their invoice in full. Typically, the payment is due 15 days from the date that you send an invoice (when invoicing digitally), or 15 days from the date the buyer received the invoice (when the invoice is sent by mail).

What is payment terms prox 25? ›

term: Payment is due on a specific day of the month. If the term is 25th Prox, then payment is due on the 25th of the month. Prox term with a cutoff date: Payment is due on specific day of the month, with a cutoff date that allows the due date to roll into the next month.

What is net 30 payment terms example? ›

Net 30 is a term included in the payment terms on an invoice. Simply put, net 30 on an invoice means payment is due thirty days after the date. For example, if an invoice is dated January 1 and says “net 30,” the payment is due on or before January 30.

What is a 90 payment term? ›

Standard net 90 terms require that invoice balances are paid in full and received by the vendor within 90 days of the invoice date or another triggering event date indicated on the invoice. The invoice date is usually the shipping date. Examples of early payment discount terms are 2/10 net 90 or 2/20 net 90.

Are 60 day payment terms normal? ›

In comparison to net 30 and net 90 payment options, net 60 payments are fairly common, though it's usually larger businesses who can afford to have longer payment terms.

What is an example of net 60 payment terms? ›

Consider a scenario where a business provides $1000 worth of goods to a client on July 1, and the invoice is issued on the same day. With Net 60 terms, the client has until August 30 to make the payment. Beyond this example of standard net 60 payment terms lies trade credit terms that are a bit more complex.

What is an example of a 30 day credit term? ›

So, if the payment term is net 30 EOM, it means that the customer has 30 days to pay back, after the end of the month when the invoice was sent. For example, if you invoice your client with a payment term of net 30 EOM on October 13th, the payment will be due on November 30th - 30 days after October 31st.

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