Elements Of The Accounting System: Accounts Receivable

If you plan to sell goods or services on account in your business, you will need a method of tracking who owes you how much and when it is due. This is where the accounts receivable subledger comes in. If you will be selling to a number of different customers, then an automated system is a must.

A good bookkeeping software system will allow you to set up subledgers for each customer. So when a sale is made on account, you can track it specifically to the customer. This is essential to ensure that billing and collection are done in a timely manner.

Excerpted from Start Your Own Business: The Only Start-Up Book You'll Ever Need, by Rieva Lesonsky and the Staff of Entrepreneur Magazine, © 1998 Entrepreneur Press