Accounts Receivable vs. Payable: Differences and Definition

In a very small company with relatively straightforward transactions, a bookkeeper's general ledger might be limited to transactions where cash has already changed hands. These companies use cash basis accounting, which only records cash transactions and does not delve into sales based on credit.

When companies scale up, they frequently deal in the world of credit sales, where purchases are finalized before money actually transfers from one party to another. These companies use accrual accounting, which tracks incoming and outgoing cash before transactions actually occur. This is made possible by two special kinds of bookkeeping accounts: accounts payable, for money the company owes to others, and accounts receivable, for money that others owe to the company.

What is accounts receivable?

Accounts receivablerefers to the category on a corporate balance sheet or income statement that itemizes any unpaid balances owed to the company by its customers. Receivable accounts serve two functions on financial statements. They are revenue accounts, showing the business’s income or the money that will soon be paid into the company. They are also current asset accounts, representing money that is part of the company’s net working capital.

On an accounts receivable ledger, any goods and services for which the company has issued an invoice are itemized. For example, a car battery supplier could ship a palette of units to an automobile manufacturer, extending credit to them on the purchase, meaning the carmaker can pay after the batteries have been delivered. Until the carmaker pays its bill, the purchase amount remains a ledger item in accounts receivable. When the payment comes through, the money shifts to cash on hand and is recorded in acash flow statement—a financial document that records money flowing into and out of an organization.

What is accounts payable?

Anaccounts payableledger on a balance sheet describes forthcoming transactions where the company must pay money to an outside party. Accounts payable is a liability account—it represents cash that will soon flow out of the company, thus lowering a company’s net value on a balance sheet.

Much like accounts receivable, accounts payable records ledger items for which an invoice has been issued—only this time, the invoice is submitted to the company itself. The company may have an ongoing relationship with a marketing agency, for instance, where the marketing agency bills once per month for services rendered. Until the marketer’s bill is paid, the expense sits in accounts payable. Once the money actually gets paid out, company bookkeepers record the transaction on a cash flow statement.

Accounts receivable vs. accounts payable: What’s the difference?

• Classification
• Offset allowances
• Audits

The accounts receivable and accounts payable accounting processes share much in common. The key distinction is that accounts receivable describes money expected to flow into the company, while accounts payable describes money that will soon flow out of the company. Other differences between accounts receivable and accounts payable include:

Classification

Accounts payable is acurrent assetaccount; it reports money that should soon flow into the company. Accounts receivable is a current liability account—it describes money that will soon leave the company.

Offset allowances

Accounts receivable—but not accounts payable—sometimes involves a running balance called an offset allowance. The idea behind offset allowances is some accounts receivable balances may never be paid. Accountants call these “doubtful accounts.” An offset allowance is a sum of money the company stands to lose if doubtful accounts don’t pay their bills. The company will take a loss, and this will affect its overall bottom line.

When it comes to accounts payable, accountants and bookkeepers may not create offset allowances. If the company were to create an offset allowance for bills it (the company) owes, this suggests the company doesn’t intend to pay its bills. This action violates multiplegenerally accepted accounting principles(GAAP) that guides corporate finance.

Audits

Auditors review both accounts payable and accounts receivable to check for transparency and honesty, but are looking for different things in the two ledgers.

• When auditingaccounts receivable, they check to make sure each ledger item ties to real-world invoices. They also look for doubtful accounts, bills that probably won’t be paid. They look to ensure a company’s bookkeepers aren’t inflating the business’s net worth by listing future income that won’t ever materialize. If it seems a company’s customers will never pay their bills, their balance must be moved from accounts receivable to current expenses. Auditors also confirm the company accurately lists all its accounts payable.
• When auditingaccounts payable, auditors are looking for the opposite—companies can inflate their net worth by omitting bills from accounts payable. This effectively hides known liabilities from its shareholders, creditors, and potential investors.