Managing cash flow is crucial for every firm, whether you are a rookie or an experienced businessman. However, you can’t take your company to the next level by mastering the ins and outs of accounting for your chosen billing model. For example, invoice advance payment is one of the most common payment structures. Thus it’s essential to know about it if you work in accounting.

Advance billing is an invoice in which the client is charged before the service is delivered. It’s the standard method. You may ask for money upfront before delivering the items or providing the service.

Making payments in advance helps you get your hands on operating cash flow without taking on unnecessary risk. If you want to take deposits or total payments in advance, record them as such.

Invoice payment is in the advance system, but you need to know where to begin; we’ve covered you. Here, we’ll explain what advance billing is, why it’s useful, and how to handle payments sent in advance.

There are a few advantages to advance billing that arrears billing lacks.

  • Billing may be easily automated.
  • Before a job begins, cash flow is available to use as seed money.
  • Since payment is required before services are provided, the collection process is simplified.
  • Immediate credit was created for new customers
  • Schedule and payments consistently up to date for recurring services

In case prepayment is a novel concept for your company and its clients, it’s essential to be aware of the following arguments against advance billing:

  • Suppose the task comes in under budget or is terminated before completion. In that case, you may need to offer a refund or credit to the client.
  • Billing for overtime must be postponed until the following statement.
  • Up-front costs might be off-putting for customers who would rather see results before committing.

What is an Advance Payment?

A prepayment is a term used to describe a transaction in which money is received before a service is rendered. Invoicing for project management services, for instance, is done according to the agreed-upon deliverables.

Advance billing is collecting payment before work has begun on a project. Payments in advance may take the form of a deposit, a prorated portion of the amount, or single lump money.

Risks may be mitigated, and the immediate operating capital requirements can be met via advance payments. Whether deposits or complete payments, all advance invoicing need effective record-keeping and accounting.

Advance Invoice

Suppose you want to charge your client or customer before delivering the goods or performing the service. In that case, you should issue an advance invoice. With an advance payment invoice, the issuing company may establish clear payment conditions and know when they will be paid for the goods or services they have provided.

Having their expenses covered in advance is a significant advantage versus waiting for payment after the service has been rendered.

Many businesses of varying sizes may benefit from this method of advance billing. Advance invoices are a great way to collect money. They may be used for everything from covering the labor cost on large projects to the overhead of delivering a smaller product or subscription box. So how do you manage advance billing?

The subscription model is a terrific method to automate advance payments. Depending on the subscription model, clients may be able to prepay for many renewal periods. Minimum contract durations may also be used to guarantee future income.

For advance billing to be effective, an invoice must include the following details:

  • Your organization’s name and address.
  • The client’s name and address are provided.
  • A unique invoice number.
  • Specifics about the VAT
  • Invoice due date.
  • Specified services and merchandise.
  • Payment conditions and due dates are specified explicitly.

What are the Benefits of Advance Billing?

Advance billing has numerous advantages:

  • For regular clients, setting up automatic payments is far less hassle.
  • The business has sufficient funds to pay its upcoming operating expenses (helps to manage cash flow).
  • When opposed to typical billing methods, advance billing may be easily automated.
  • Less time will be spent hunting down payments with advance billing.

How is Advanced Billing Managed in Invoicing?

Your company may start collecting money from consumers even before the items are sent or the services are finished, thanks to the ability to issue bills or invoices in advance. In addition, revenue is recorded at discrete intervals during the service duration via an advanced billing process. As a result, income and expenses related to the project may be tracked in the same accounting period.

An advance bill invoice consists of two parts: accounts receivable and accrual. You may find the AR portion of the invoice in your AR aging report, where it acts and appears the same way as it would with any other invoice. The difference is that instead of crediting a revenue account, it will be credited to the deferred income accrual account you choose.

Instead, the accrual section should be seen as a credit note. The standard debit to AR would be replaced with a debit to the deferred revenue account you choose.

Advance billing from a client for their invoices must be carefully recorded in the books. Posts to the general ledger and an identification of the money received are typical next steps. Finally, payment may be allocated adequately after the goods and services linked to it have been invoiced.

Type of Advance Payment

The first step is to classify the kind of advance payment, which is further determined by whether or not the products or services have been provided.

Revenue is earned from a consumer for a product or service that has been supplied to them in whole or part. There has yet to be a bill for this amount.

Unearned income is money received as payment for products or services that have not yet to been delivered or for which the buyer has not yet received any benefits.

Developing a deferred income account is essential. You owe the consumer money; thus, taking a deposit from them creates a liability for your company.

Making sure the prepayment is credited to the correct client account is crucial. If this is a brand-new client, you’ll need to set them up as a separate entity in your books. However, specifics about the earned or unearned income in such account must be provided.

How to Account for Advance Invoice Payments Received?

It is essential to keep accurate records if your company receives income in advance. In the accrual method of accounting, pre-earned income is treated as a debt. However, advances are classified as current liabilities when received within a year.

Cash must be debited, and the customer account must be credited in the same amount when recording a prepayment. Therefore, when debits are recorded, costs, dividends, and assets like cash and machinery go up while liabilities and shareholders’ equity go down.

An invoice must be sent to the client once the service has been rendered or the product has been delivered. Include the deposit amount on the invoice and subtract it from the total due. The completion of service delivery and the customer’s receipt of a bill constitutes revenue, not the actual receipt of cash. Therefore, recording the transaction in your accounting journal is necessary.

Advance Billing vs. Billing in Arrears

You may either charge your customers in advance or after the fact. Customers are charged in advance of the completion of the service or job. Arrears billing is when money is owed to the business from a client after the service has been delivered.

One billing approach, like recurring payments, may be more appropriate depending on your company’s needs and preferences. In addition, there are benefits and drawbacks to each charging structure.

Let’s see a few reasons to know the distinctions between invoicing in advance and invoicing after the fact to learn about an advance payment invoice:

Advance Billing Billing in Arrears
You may jumpstart the project using the money you get through advance invoice and billing. However, some clients prefer to wait to pay before seeing the final result. With billing in arrears, you may demonstrate the quality of your work before requesting money. Thus, charging in arrears is a more efficient means of establishing customer confidence. However, you must also have faith that consumers will pay their bills.
With advance billing, you are not responsible for collecting payment. However, if extra labor or supplies are required, you will need to send the client a new invoice, delaying payment. With billing in arrears, you incur the danger of persistently pursuing customer payment. In certain instances, these outstanding debts may be overlooked. However, you may put the amount for the whole project on a single invoice, even if there are revisions.
With advance billing, you are more likely to offer a refund. This may occur if a customer cancels a task before completion or if the job is finished for less than the initial estimate. Refunds are significantly less familiar with invoicing in arrears since money is not received until after completion.

Best Practices to Keep Track of the Advance Payment

If you’re thinking about making the transition to advance billing, here are some best practices to keep in mind:

  • Take into account whether or not charging in advance is the most efficient approach for specific clients and tasks (for a better customer experience, you can personalize)
  • Create, transmit, and track bills with the help of third-party applications.
  • Carefully check your books to ensure that advance payments are being appropriately allocated.
  • Instead of recording these transactions with a reverse entry, you should credit the revenue account.

Conclusion

When handling payments from repeat customers, advance billing is an intelligent strategy. If customers know they can count on the product or service they paid for; they are more likely to remain loyal to the company.

However, careful planning and record-keeping are necessary to record the appropriate revenue numbers in your financial statements.

Use Moon Invoice’s customizable invoice software, such as the Revenue Recognition and Deferred Revenue reports, to automatically produce advance invoices for recurring revenue and collect them later.

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