How to follow the collection indicators
What is it for?
It answers on a single screen: how much customers owe, how much is already past due, how many days on average it takes to collect and who owes most.
When to use it?
- You want to see how collections stand before a meeting or at month-end.
- You want to know which customers to prioritise.
Where to find it?
Accounting › Record › Collection indicators.
Before you start
The profile is Accountant. The steps were done to the end with that profile. This screen only reads: it does not change invoices or accounts.
How to use it
- Open Accounting › Record › Collection indicators. The figures are calculated when it opens.
- In Days of invoicing considered, leave 90 or enter another period, and click Recalculate.
- Read the figures and the CUSTOMERS THAT OWE MOST table.
Expected result
In the example, on 05/11/2026 and with 90 days of invoicing:
| Indicator | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Owed by customers | €5,319.95 | Everything still to be received in the customers account. |
| Of which overdue | €5,241.03 | The part that is already past due. |
| Invoiced in the period | €7,213.87 | What was invoiced in the last 90 days. Credit notes are deducted. |
| Days to collect (DSO) | 66.4 | 5,319.95 ÷ 7,213.87 × 90. |
In the table, each customer has Owes, Overdue and Share of the total (%): Papelaria Central, Lda, with €4,847.43, accounts for 92.5 %.
Important notes
- The amount owed can be higher than the sum of the table. The table only has customers. In the example, the €78.92 difference is journal entries in the customers account made without a customer. If you see a difference like this, ask the accountant to review those entries.
- DSO is an estimate. It compares what is owed today with what was invoiced in the period. With no invoicing in the period, it gives 0. A high number can come from a single large invoice or from a short period: with 30 days instead of 90, invoicing fell to €413.74 and the value rose to 385.7 days, with the same debt. Look at the table before drawing conclusions.
- The table only shows the customers who owe most. For the detail of all customers, by age of debt, see the accounts receivable reports.
- The figures are those from the time of calculation. Check the date in Computed on and use Recalculate if you have recorded receipts since.
Common problems
The DSO changed without new invoices
- Symptom: the value in Days to collect (DSO) changes from one day to the next.
- Cause: the period moves with today's date, so old invoices drop out of the calculation.
- What to do: to compare months, note the value always on the same day, or increase the Days of invoicing considered.
A customer who has already paid is still in the table
- Symptom: the customer appears with an amount, but the payment has already reached the bank.
- Cause: the payment has not yet been matched to the invoice, or the screen was not recalculated.
- What to do: record the receipt or do the reconciliation and click Recalculate.