Posted on 4 February 2025
Free Accounts Receivable Template Download: Excel, Word, PDF, Google Sheets & Docs
- Free to download in Excel, Word, PDF, Google Sheets and Google Docs, with no sign up required
- Combines the customer list, invoice ledger, payment log, aging report, dashboard, collections action plan and customer statement in one file
- Calculates due dates, balances, days overdue, aging buckets and DSO automatically, and flags customers over their credit limit
Tells you which stage every overdue invoice is in and what to do next, from the first reminder to collections
An accounts receivable template is a spreadsheet that tracks every invoice you have issued on credit, every payment received against it, and every balance still open, sorted by customer and by how many days overdue each invoice is.
What Is Accounts Receivable?
You shipped the order. You sent the invoice. The customer said thanks.
And the money? It is still sitting in their bank account, not yours.
That gap is accounts receivable: money customers owe you for goods or services already delivered on credit. On your balance sheet it is a current asset. In real life, it is only an asset if you collect it.
Here is what accounts receivable is not. It is not cash already received. It is not accounts payable, which is what you owe suppliers. And it is not notes receivable, backed by a signed promissory note. AR is the everyday stuff: open invoices on Net 30 or Net 60 terms.
What to Include in an Accounts Receivable Template
A customer name and an amount in an accounts receivable spreadsheet is not an AR record. It is a reminder note.
The moment a customer says "we already paid," a two column sheet loses the argument. A proper accounts receivable format needs these fields:
| Field | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Customer name and ID | One spelling, one record, no split balances |
| Contact and email | The person who actually pays, not the person who ordered |
| Tax ID | Needed on tax invoices in many countries |
| Payment terms | Net 15, Net 30, Net 60: the clock every due date runs on |
| Credit limit | Tells you when to stop shipping |
| Invoice number | The reference every payment must match |
| Invoice date | When the clock started |
| Tax invoice or reference number | Links the AR row to the tax document |
| Amount | The total billed, including tax |
| Due date | Invoice date plus terms |
| Payments | Every partial payment, with date and reference |
| Credits | Credit notes for returns, damage or price corrections |
| Balance | Amount minus payments minus credits |
| Days overdue | As of date minus due date |
| Aging bucket | Current, 1-30, 31-60, 61-90 or 90+ days past due |
| Last contact and notes | What the customer promised, and when |
If I could keep only two fields, I would keep the invoice number and the due date. Everything else in collections hangs on those two.
What the Enerpize Accounts Receivable Template Includes
Most templates on the first page of Google are one sheet: a ledger with a balance formula. Some of the better ones hide the aging report or the dashboard behind an email form.
I built this accounts receivable template excel file the other way around. I started from three Monday morning questions: who owes me, how late are they, and who do I call first? Then I made the file answer all three, free, with no sign up.
Unlimited Payments per Invoice
Most templates give you two or three payment columns. Then a customer pays in five parts and the sheet breaks. Here, payments live on their own log, linked by invoice number, so you can record every partial payment.
Aging That Updates Itself
Every invoice drops into its bucket by itself: Current, 1-30, 31-60, 61-90 or 90+ days past due. The 90+ cells turn red. You never sort by due date again.
A Dashboard Without a Sign Up Form
Open AR, overdue AR, DSO, cash collected, the five most overdue customers and an aging chart. Other sites ask for your work email before you see an accounts receivable dashboard. This one is already in the download.
An Action Plan That Tells You Who to Call
Pick an overdue invoice and the template shows its collections stage and the next step. Add an owner and a next action date. Miss it, and it turns red.
Statements in One Click
Choose a customer and you get a statement of every open invoice, with an aging footer and your payment details. Need a standalone version for a single customer? Use our statement of account template.
Credit Limits That Actually Warn You
Every customer row compares the open balance with the credit limit and says "Over limit" when it is breached. Have that conversation before the next order ships, not after.
AR Template vs Aging Report vs Ledger vs Statement
Six documents, one job: getting paid.
| Document | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Accounts Receivable Template | Every invoice, payment and open balance, plus the reports built on them |
| Accounts Receivable Ledger | A running list of invoices and payments by customer |
| Accounts Receivable Aging Report | Open balances split by days past due |
| Customer Statement | One customer's open invoices and total due |
| AR Reconciliation | Your AR total checked against the general ledger |
| Accounts Receivable Action Plan | Who follows up on which invoice, and when |
The rule is simple. The ledger records, the aging report ranks, the statement asks, the action plan chases, and the month end check proves your numbers. For the month end check, use our accounts receivable reconciliation template.
What Is an Accounts Receivable Aging Report?
An accounts receivable aging report groups every unpaid customer invoice by how long it is past its due date, usually Current, 1-30, 31-60, 61-90 and 90+ days. It shows totals per customer and per bucket, so you can see which balances are at risk and decide who to chase first.
In this template, the Aging Summary sheet is your accounts receivable aging report, and it doubles as an accounts receivable report template you can print or send to a partner.
Accounts Receivable Sample
Here is an accounts receivable sample from the filled file: SilverLine Wholesale Supply, a fictional distributor, as of October 22, 2026.
| Invoice # | Customer | Due Date | Amount | Paid and Credits | Balance | Bucket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INV-2026-101 | Maple & Oak Interiors | Jul 10 | 6,450.00 | 1,000.00 | 5,450.00 | 90+ |
| INV-2026-102 | Northgate Hardware | Aug 27 | 8,200.00 | 4,100.00 | 4,100.00 | 31-60 |
| INV-2026-104 | Crestview Hotels | Oct 13 | 18,900.00 | 0.00 | 18,900.00 | 1-30 |
| INV-2026-108 | Harbor Cafe Group | Oct 10 | 4,640.00 | 240.00 | 4,400.00 | 1-30 |
| INV-2026-110 | Crestview Hotels | Nov 24 | 21,300.00 | 0.00 | 21,300.00 | Current |
Across all 14 invoices, open AR is 92,015.00 and 47,380.00 of it is overdue. That is 51.5%. Half the money looks fine on paper and is already late.
Open the filled accounts receivable example in Google Sheets and make your own copy.
How to Use the Accounts Receivable Template
Tracking accounts receivable in Excel is only hard when the sheet makes you do the math. This one does not.
Step 1: Fill in Settings
Add your business name, currency and payment details. The as of date defaults to today. Set a DSO period, such as the last 90 days.
Step 2: Add Your Customers
One row per customer, with payment terms and a credit limit. To a spreadsheet, "Northgate" and "Northgate Hardware" are two customers.
Step 3: Log Every Invoice the Day You Issue It
Enter the invoice number, date, customer and amount. The due date fills itself: invoice date plus the customer's terms. Need to create the invoice first? Use our free invoice maker.
Step 4: Record Payments Against the Invoice Number
Log each payment with its invoice number. Credit notes go in the Credits column. Balance = amount minus payments minus credits.
Step 5: Read the Aging Report
Days overdue = as of date minus due date. In the sample, INV-2026-101 was due July 10. On October 22 it is 104 days late, so it sits in 90+ and turns red.
Step 6: Check the Accounts Receivable Dashboard
DSO = open AR divided by credit sales in the period, times the days in the period. For SilverLine, that is 92,015.00 divided by 108,960.00, times 90, or 76.0 days. On mostly Net 30 to Net 60 terms, that is slow.
Step 7: Work the Action Plan
Load every overdue invoice into the tracker, oldest and largest first, give each one an owner, and follow the stage the template suggests.
Step 8: Send Statements and Reconcile
Send a statement to every customer with an overdue balance. At month end, check that total open AR matches the receivables balance in your books.
Accounts Receivable Action Plan
Why do invoices go 90 days late? Usually not because the customer refused. Because nobody asked on day 7.
An accounts receivable action plan is a fixed collections cadence: the same steps, on the same days, for every invoice. Here is the one built into the accounts receivable template.
| Stage | Timing | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Invoice issued | On issue | Accurate invoice with due date, terms and how to pay |
| 2. Pre due reminder | 3 days before due | Friendly note that payment is due soon |
| 3. Due date | Due date | Short reminder that payment is due today |
| 4. First overdue | 1 to 6 days late | Restate the amount and how to pay |
| 5. Second reminder | 7 days late | Call and ask for a firm payment date |
| 6. Statement | 14 days late | Send a statement of all open invoices |
| 7. Escalation | 30 days late | Manager steps in; late fee only if your terms allow it |
| 8. Final notice | 45 days late | Written demand with a clear deadline |
| 9. Credit hold | 60 days late | Pause new orders until the account clears |
| 10. Collections | 90 days late | Collection agency or legal adviser, and a write off review |
Below the cadence sits the overdue tracker: invoice, customer, balance, days past due, stage, suggested action, delay reason, owner, promise to pay date and next action date.
The 5 C's of Credit
The best collection is the one you never need. Before offering Net 60, check the 5 C's: character (do they pay on time?), capacity (can they afford it?), capital (what is behind the business?), collateral (is there security?) and conditions (what is happening in their market?). Then set the credit limit to match.
Key Accounts Receivable Metrics
Three numbers say more than any invoice list.
Ending AR. Opening balance + credit sales minus collections minus write offs. Start at 12,000, invoice 8,000, collect 9,500, write off 500: you end at 10,000.
Net AR. Ending AR minus your allowance for doubtful accounts. Expect 400 of that 10,000 never to arrive, and net AR is 9,600.
DSO. 10,000 divided by 8,000, times 30 days, is 37.5 days. On Net 30 terms, collections run about a week behind.
Best KPI for accounts receivable? DSO, if you track only one.
How Enerpize Handles Accounts Receivable
A template tells you who owes you money. It does not chase them for you.
Enerpize is a cloud-based, all-in-one ERP platform for small and medium-sized businesses, combining accounting, inventory, HR, sales, and CRM in a single system. Here is what that means for receivables.
Automatic Due Payment Reminders
With Enerpize invoicing and billing software, you create electronic invoices and get automatic due payment reminders. Recurring invoices go out on the dates and intervals you set, so stage 1 of your action plan runs on its own.
Partial Payments, Online or In Store
Customers can pay in full or in parts, online or in store, using online and cash payment methods.
Statements Your Customers Can Pull Themselves
Through the client portal, customers view their account statements, invoices, transactions and due payments themselves.
An Owner for Every Account
Enerpize client follow up lets you assign account managers to customers and schedule follow ups with automatic reminders. That is the Owner column from the template, built into the system.
Receivables Inside Your Books
Invoices and payments sit in the same system as your accounting software, so receivables and the ledger stay in step.
Accounts Receivable Template for Businesses in the United States
In the US, a customer who never pays can still cost you twice: once in cash, and once in tax.
The IRS lets you deduct a business bad debt only if the amount you were owed was included in your gross income in the current or a prior year. Most cash method businesses never reported the unpaid invoice as income, so they generally cannot deduct it either.
What to add to a US accounts receivable spreadsheet:
- A write off date and reason for every bad debt
- Copies of the reminders and statements you sent
- Your accounting method noted in Settings
Practical note for US businesses: keep records for generally three years from filing, longer in some cases. Archive each year's file.
Accounts Receivable Template for Businesses in Thailand
Many of the people who use this page run businesses in Thailand, so here are the rules that matter.
VAT stays at 7% for another year: Royal Decree No. 807 keeps the reduced rate from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027. Under the Accounting Act B.E. 2543, accounts and supporting documents must be kept for at least five years from the date of account closure.
What to add to a Thai accounts receivable ledger:
- The tax invoice number in the Tax Invoice / Ref column
- VAT shown separately from the amount
- A customer code and the buyer's tax ID
Practical note for Thai businesses: keep one file per accounting year and do not overwrite last year's. The five year clock runs from account closure, not from the invoice date.
Accounts Receivable Template for Businesses in India
If you are a micro or small enterprise, India gives you something most countries do not: leverage.
Under section 43B(h), now section 37(2)(g) of the Income-tax Act, 2025, a buyer who pays a micro or small supplier after the 45 day limit in the MSMED Act can claim the expense only when it is actually paid. Late payment costs your customer a tax deduction.
What to add to an Indian accounts receivable format:
- Your Udyam registration number on every invoice
- Payment terms of 45 days or less for buyers covered by the rule
- A note column flagging invoices past day 45
Practical note for Indian businesses: mention the 45 day rule politely in your stage 2 reminder. Finance teams tend to move faster once tax is involved.
Accounts Receivable Template for Businesses in the Philippines
In the Philippines, an unpaid invoice can now cost you VAT before it pays you a peso.
The Ease of Paying Taxes Act moved VAT on services from gross receipts to gross sales, so output VAT is recognized when you bill, not when you collect. Books of accounts must also be preserved for five years from the day after the filing deadline.
What to add to a Philippine accounts receivable template excel file:
- The invoice number from your registered invoice series
- Output VAT per invoice, so you know how much tax is tied up in unpaid bills
- Shorter terms for customers who are consistently slow
Practical note for Philippine businesses: watch the 31-60 bucket closely. That is VAT you have likely already reported on money you do not have yet.
Accounts Receivable by Industry
Every industry sends invoices. Not every industry gets paid the same way.
Wholesale and Distribution
Many customers, repeat orders, mixed terms. Credit limits and the credit hold stage do most of the work, exactly like the SilverLine sample.
Agencies and Professional Services
Retainers, milestones and the occasional scope dispute. Note what the client approved, and send statements monthly.
Construction and Contractors
Progress billing means one job can have several open invoices. Put the project name in the description so the statement makes sense.
Key Takeaways
- Due date = invoice date + terms. Balance = amount minus payments minus credits. Days overdue = as of date minus due date.
- An accounts receivable aging report groups open invoices into Current, 1-30, 31-60, 61-90 and 90+ days past due.
- DSO = open AR divided by credit sales in the period, times the days in the period.
- Net AR is ending AR minus the allowance for doubtful accounts.
- A fixed collections cadence beats chasing whoever you remember.
- Check the 5 C's and set a credit limit before you offer terms.
- Send a statement before you call about an overdue invoice.
- Tax rules change the cost of late payment: US bad debt rules, India's 45 day MSME rule, Philippine VAT on billing.
Accounts Receivable in Other Languages
Plantilla de Cuentas por Cobrar en Excel: Descarga Gratis
Registra facturas, pagos recibidos y saldos pendientes de cada cliente en una sola hoja de cálculo. Descarga esta plantilla gratuita en Excel o Google Sheets y personalízala según las necesidades de tu negocio.
แม่แบบบัญชีลูกหนี้ Excel ดาวน์โหลดฟรี
บันทึกใบแจ้งหนี้ การรับชำระเงิน และยอดคงค้างของลูกค้าแต่ละรายไว้ในสเปรดชีตเดียว ดาวน์โหลดแม่แบบฟรีนี้ในรูปแบบ Excel หรือ Google Sheets และปรับแต่งให้เหมาะกับธุรกิจของคุณ
FAQs
How do I create an accounts receivable template in Excel?
Create columns for invoice number, date, customer, amount, terms, due date, paid, credits, balance and days overdue, then add an aging bucket formula. Or download our accounts receivable template excel file, which adds the aging report, dashboard and action plan.
What is the format of accounts receivable?
A standard account receivable format lists each invoice with its customer, date, amount, due date, payments received and remaining balance, then groups open balances by customer and by days past due.
What is an accounts receivable aging report?
A report that groups unpaid invoices by how long they are past due, usually Current, 1-30, 31-60, 61-90 and 90+ days.
What are the 5 C's of accounts receivable management?
Character, capacity, capital, collateral and conditions. They are the checks you run before giving a customer credit terms and a credit limit.
What is the best KPI for accounts receivable?
DSO, days sales outstanding: the average number of days it takes you to collect after a sale.
How do you calculate DSO?
Divide open accounts receivable by credit sales for the period, then multiply by the days in the period.
When should I write off an account receivable?
When you have followed your collections process, documented every attempt and judged the amount uncollectible. Many businesses review anything past 90 to 120 days. Check your tax rules before deducting it.
Can I use this template in Google Sheets?
Yes. The accounts receivable template google sheets copy works exactly like the Excel file.
About the Author
Omar El Bahr is a Senior Digital Growth Specialist at Enerpize, where he leads SEO, content strategy, and organic growth across international markets. He is a Forbes Communications Council contributor and has written for Entrepreneur on business communication and digital strategy.
Disclaimer
This page and template are general information, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Tax, bad debt and record keeping rules change and vary by country, so check the rules that apply to your business.
