Days Sales Outstanding DSO Defined

We’ll walk you through how you can reduce your Days Sales Outstanding so you’ll always have enough cash to fuel your business. Body Slam Vineyards Inc. is one of rural Iowa’s most popular wine companies. The vineyard holds amateur wrestling matches in a ring filled with grapes for two nights each week. January has 31 days, so 31 will be the number of days we use in the DSO formula.

The lower the DSO number, the faster the company receives its cash, which is essential for fueling its operations. This metric reflects the average balance of the accounts receivable line item on your general ledger during a set time frame. DSO is an important metric for businesses to track as it can have a big impact on cash flow and profitability. While there’s no magic number that all businesses should aim for, reducing your DSO can have many positive benefits. It means the number of days on average that customers take to pay back to this company are 6 days. Days sales outstanding or DSO is usually a monthly activity and it may fluctuate every month.

Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) Defined

But your ideal days-sales-outstanding ratio depends on your industry and type of business. In 2018, the average DSO number was 40 days among non-financial companies analyzed by the Hackett Group. The general rules of thumb to perform trend analysis on a company’s days sales outstanding (DSO) are as follows. A consistently increasing DSO indicates that your business is headed in the wrong direction with respect to your receivables. A higher DSO is a sign that your customers are taking longer to pay, which in turn means you have to wait for the much-needed funds to be invested in business operations. It could also mean that your sales team may not be following up and communicating effectively with customers or sending them payment reminders.

• This insight not only provides a starting point for the effort, but also provides a sense of what DSO ratio is attainable for the business.
• Smaller businesses typically rely on the quick collection of receivables to make payments for operational expenses, such as salaries, utilities, and other inherent expenses.
• These incentives not only encourage prompt payments but also strengthen customer relationships and loyalty.
• Days sales outstanding or DSO is usually a monthly activity and it may fluctuate every month.
• Since cash flow is the lifeblood of any business, the sooner the company gets that cash, the stronger its cash flow and financial position is likely to be.
• Using the DSO formula, you find it takes an average of 60 days to collect your invoices.

Either way, a higher DSO is a definite choke on the influx of capital to the organization. As accountants, you are likely experts in credit control and the management of accounts receivable. QuickBooks Online makes it easy to track the status of your invoices, from when they’re sent, viewed by your customers, paid, and deposited into your business bank account. Invoices are sorted by status, with overdue invoices listed first, making it easy to see who owes you. When overdue accounts go past 120 days, the lesser your chances of collecting. You may also lose out on an opportunity to expand or otherwise enhance your business because you won’t have the cash to invest.

Dictionary Entries Near DSO

Since days sales outstanding (DSO) is the number of days it takes to collect due cash payments from customers who paid on credit, a lower DSO is preferred to a higher DSO. This formula for calculating DSO is limited to credit sales, and cash sales transactions are usually kept out of it. All you have to do is divide your final accounts receivable by the total credit sales for the period (monthly/quarterly/annually) and multiply it by the number of days in the time period. Days sales outstanding (DSO) is a working capital ratio which measures the number of days that a company takes, on average, to collect its accounts receivable. The shorter the DSO, the faster the company collects payment from its customers – and the sooner it is able to make use of its cash. A company can sell its outstanding receivables to a factoring service provider and then receive its money immediately for a fee.

High DSO can result from customers taking longer to pay, lenient credit terms, or issues with the collections strategy. Discounts for early payments can incentivise customers to pay their invoices sooner and help to improve your cash flow. Consider sending payment reminders early so there dso meaning is a longer time period for customers to pay. Most customers will appreciate the discount and it could lead to higher customer retention. Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) is the average number of days taken by a firm to collect payment from their customers after the completion of a sale.

What does DSO tell you about your business?

Incorrect charges, invoices that do not reflect agreed-upon discounts, or the wrong mailing address are just a few examples of common errors that can delay payments. Overall, companies should focus on DSO reductions that are both attainable and sustainable based on the realities of the business. Accounting and finance executives can also use this data to make the case for reducing DSO to senior management and the various departments whose cooperation is necessary. A high DSO value illustrates a company is experiencing a hard time when converting credit sales to cash.

Although accounts receivables and working capital may constitute only a tiny amount of what a public company has on their balance sheet, they may be crucial for smaller companies. This is because smaller companies, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), often rely on their working capital to run their daily operation. Hence, having a high DSO might be detrimental for SMEs and might even cause them to go bankrupt.

Accounts Receivable Forecast with DSO Ratio

With automated workflows, you’ll cut the time required to send out invoices and any follow-up communications or reminders. Beyond getting an average for your entire business, you can also run DSO calculations on individual clients or accounts to determine how quickly they pay their outstanding debts. For those businesses that repeatedly miss payment deadlines, consider limiting or ending their pool of credit or renegotiating payment terms.

Here’re some common use-cases where organizations misinterpret DSO, hindering their potential for improvement and growth. The implementation of outstanding accounts receivable software not only aids in reducing DSO but also saves you valuable time, money, and resources. With increased automation and smarter processes, you can work more efficiently and effectively. This means that, on average, Company ABC takes 20 days from the sale date to collect payments from customers.

Therefore, the only remaining step is for the customer to hold up their end of the bargain by actually paying the company in cash. In the latter option, the customer has more time post-purchase to actually complete the payment obligation in cash. Customers nowadays are often presented with the option to pay in the form of cash or credit. For the company, this means a lack of income, which ultimately pushes liquidity down.