(Accounting & Book-keeping) accountingUS a current asset account showing amounts payable to a firm by customers who have made purchases of goods and services on credit
For example, a car dealer purchases 1,000 tires at $200 per tire from a tire manufacturer using credit over a five-year term instead of paying cash up front, This transaction creates a $200,000 account receivable due to the tire manufacturer.
In a scheme in which a perpetrator steals incoming customer payments, the theft results in a customer account balance that is overstated; that is, the amount the customer truly owes is less than the amount reflected on the customer's account receivable. Consequently, confirming outstanding account receivable balances directly with customers can help identify any accounts on which a payment was made but was diverted before being recorded.
For example, many states presume that all outstanding checks, void checks, account receivable credit balances, and write-offs of such items constitute unclaimed property.
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