

The write-off method is the most straightforward way to calculate and report your bad debt. There are several ways to calculate bad debt: The Direct Write-off Method. They come up as operational costs on your income statement, which means you won’t pay any taxes on net income you never earned. Bad debt is concretely written off as an expense in your general ledger. Last but not least, calculating and tracking your bad debt means being able to balance your books. If you have accumulated bad debts, it might be time to review your receivable process.

With optimized billing and invoices processes, bad debt happens very rarely. It also measures the success of your accounts receivable process. Tracking it ensures that your liquidity or sustainability isn’t challenged. And you obviously need income to keep the business afloat.

It is money from sales you were planning on receiving but never did. Why is Tracking Bad Debt Important for Your Business?īad debt can threaten your company’s liquidity. Sometimes, the client cannot or does not want to pay their invoice. It happens when a business allows credit sales, like Net 15 or Net 30 payments. Bad debts are also called doubtful debts, or doubtful accounts since the business doubts the fact the invoice will ever get paid. The services/products have been delivered, the invoices sent, but the payment never came.Īfter a while, the invoice in question is deemed uncollectible and written off as bad debt. What Is Bad Debt and Why is it Important to Track?īad debt is invoices that never get paid.
