The invoice went out on the 1st. Their clock started on the 19th.

Debtor days rarely stall because customers are slow payers: they stall in a gap most sellers never measure, and chasing harder doesn't close it.

By Steve 5 min read
Abstract bridge artwork for The invoice went out on the 1st. Their clock started on the 19th.

A business with 30-day terms and 52 debtor days usually reaches for the same explanation: customers pay late, credit control needs to be firmer. So the chasing gets earlier and more frequent, someone builds a statement run, and six months later the number is 49. The effort was real. The movement wasn’t. The reason is that days sales outstanding is not one interval. It is at least four, stacked end to end, and firm chasing only touches the last one, and only at the margin. Four intervals wearing one coat…

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