Account Receivable Financing That Makes Business Sense

A lot of your customers may already be familiar with factor receivable. Factor receivable is one of the oldest methods of providing working capital to help businesses solve their cash flow needs. In fact, credit card transactions are the most common form of factoring used today. Some of the largest corporations in the world benefit from factoring millions of dollars of their accounts receivable every year.

Accounts receivable are typically "aged" by the borrower before a value is assigned to them. The older the account, the less value it has. For example, financiers often lend approximately 75 percent of the face value of accounts less than 30 days old. Some lenders don't pay attention to the age of the accounts until they are outstanding for over 90 days, and then they may refuse to finance them. Other lenders apply a graduated scale to value the accounts so that, for instance, accounts that are from 31-60 days old may have a loan-to-value ratio of only 60 percent, and accounts from 61-90 days old are only 30 percent. Delinquencies in the accounts and the overall creditworthiness of the account debtors may also affect the loan-to-value ratio.

A monthly interest rate on accounts receivable is calculated by applying a daily percentage rate to the receivables outstanding each day (the less the outstanding receivables, the lower the interest charge). A default on payment can result in the financier seizing the pledged accounts receivable. Some states require notice to the business's debtors that their debt has been pledged as loan security. In states that do not have this requirement, some businesses do not notify their customers because the businesses fear that customers might perceive this method of financing as a sign of financial instability.

accounts receivable financing

Definition

The selling of a company's accounts receivable, at a discount, to a factor, who then assumes the risk of the account debtors and receives cash as the debtors settle their accounts. A firm that sells its accounts receivable may not be confident of its ability to collect those debts, or might think that the cost of collecting that debt is more than the discount which must be provided to the factor when of selling their receivables. also called accounts receivable financing.

Clients need to have a clear understanding of what factor receivable is and then to understand why it’s used, what services are provided, and finally, what the real cost is.

The basics of factor receivable are quite simple: The client gives the invoice factoring company his accounts receivable. The factoring receivablecompany advances funds against that paper then remits the balance of the money, less fees, when the receivable is paid by the customer. Understanding some of the complexities of factor receivable, however, enables you to better analyze its value.

accounts receivable

Definition

Money which is owed to a company by a customer for products and services provided on credit. This is treated as a current asset on a balance sheet. A specific sale is generally only treated as an account receivable after the customer is sent an invoice.
accounts receivable aging

Definition

A periodic report showing all outstanding receivable balances, broken down by customer and month due

freight factoring
account receivable factoring
invoice factoring

For these factor receivable services, the factoring receivable company charges a management fee, exactly as would the real estate manager in our example, and interest is charged on the funds advanced. The total cost of the service is, of course, the sum of the two items, but combining the factor receivable management expense with the interest on the money would be like adding your home repair, gardener, pool maintenance, and all other property upkeep to your mortgage bill and calling it interest

Account receivables financing is also referred to as "invoice factoring". It is the sale of invoices (receivables) to a factor company for anywhere from 70% to 90% of their total value. This is mainly used in order to generate immediate cash flow for the business selling the accounts receivable. The remainder of the invoice amount is remitted upon collection, minus a small service fee, of the outstanding invoices.

It is important for the business selling the receivables to verify the creditworthiness of their customers. Factoring companies do not like when they cannot collect on a receivable they purchased and your business will be held responsible for the customers that do not pay their invoice.

The 3 Main Advantages of account receivables financing:

You may qualify for factoring even if you are a young company without an established track record, have a tax lien, or even declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This is not considered a loan since you are literally selling your own receivables. Factoring is also not recorded on the balance sheet.

What the Factor Receivable Company Looks for
In order to expedite the funding transaction with you and the factor receivable company, it is important that all the paperwork is filled out completely. With this in mind, the following are lists of what a factor looks for to proceed with your funding process:

For pre-qualification

Completed Client Profile Form
Customer / Debtor list including address, etc.
Aging of Receivable report, if available

Accounts Receivable Financing is a very viable alternative to bank financing

Factor receivable company is also known as accounts receivable financing and can be the perfect solution for start ups as well as seasoned and rapidly growing companies.

A start up company can qualify for factoring due to the fact that the invoice is the asset being used. As long as the invoice is to a credit worthy company the invoice then becomes an asset that can be sold to a factoring company for immediate cash. The factor receivable waits on the customer to pay the invoice instead of you waiting on the payment. It is as if you are turning all of your term invoices into COD without taking away your terms to the customer.

This form of financing is a type of secured loan in which accounts receivable are pledged as collateral in exchange for cash. The loan is repaid within a specified short-term period as the receivables are collected.

Accounts receivable financing is most often used by businesses facing short-term cash flow problems. The major source of accounts receivable financing for small businesses are commercial finance companies, although banks will also consider receivables as security for a business loan.