aged receivables

Definition

Outstanding customer invoices categorized by how long they've been unpaid, typically in 30-day buckets. The older they get, the more they resemble wine—except instead of improving with age, they become increasingly worthless.

Example Usage

Our aged receivables report showed $500,000 over 90 days past due, suggesting either lenient collection practices or customers who've ghosted us.

Origin

Standard accounting terminology for tracking the 'age' of outstanding debts.

Fun Fact

Most companies assume receivables over 90 days past due have only a 50% collection rate, while those over 180 days are nearly worthless.

Source: Accounts receivable management

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