Payment arrears occur when a debtor fails to pay a due invoice within the agreed or statutory payment period. In SAP Business One, this situation is represented in the system by open, overdue receivables and processed in the dunning process.
A delay in payment occurs when a debtor does not fulfil his payment obligation despite a due claim and, if applicable, a reminder. In the legal sense, it is regulated in § 286 BGB.
Processing and tracking in SAP Business One is carried out using the integrated Dunning. This is where dunning conditions are defined, dunning fees and interest on arrears are calculated and reminders are created automatically. The system offers comprehensive configuration options such as
- Determination of an annual interest rate and the calculation basis (residual amount or initial amount)
- Definition of the starting date of the interest calculation (e.g. due date)
- Configuration of dunning fees per dunning level
- Optional exclusion of individual customers from the dunning run
- Automatic posting of Interest charges/Fees via service invoices
Integration into business processes
Payment arrears are managed operationally by the dunning process. The dunning wizard (dunning run) is used to identify overdue receivables, generate dunning texts and carry out optional postings for interest and fees. Reports such as the List of open vouchers or Maturity of customer liabilities support receivables management.
the Versino Financial Suite bietet erweiterte Funktionen zum Management von Zahlungsverzug in SAP Business One. Sie liefert eine detaillierte Offene-Posten-Übersicht mit Mahnstufen, Mahndaten und Einblicken in den durchschnittlichen Zahlungsverzug sowie vereinbarte Zahlungsziele. Zusätzlich ermöglicht die Versino Financial Suite automatisierte Berichte zur Zahlungsmoral und Saldenbestätigungen, die ein proaktives Forderungs- und Risikomanagement unterstützen. Diese Funktionen sind voll in SAP Business One integriert.
Relevant modules and functions
- Module: Finance
- Function: Dunning (Administration > Definition > Business partner > Dunning terms)
- Function: Dunning assistant (dunning run)
- Function: OP lists and due date reports
- Function: Dunning history
Concrete application examples
- A customer does not pay an invoice on time. It is automatically taken into account in the next reminder run and SAP Business One creates a reminder with interest on arrears and a reminder fee.
- A company uses the "Due date for customer liabilities" report to analyse which receivables have been outstanding for a particularly long time and initiates targeted measures.
Key features/important aspects
- Not a separate entity "late payment", but the result of open, overdue invoices
- Flexible dunning system with parametric control of interest and fee calculation
- Supports dunning history and exclusions from the dunning process
- Important for liquidity management and risk minimisation
Related terms/cross-references:
Advantages/benefits (optional):
An automated dunning system enables efficient tracking of outstanding receivables, reduces payment defaults and strengthens the company's liquidity.
Best practices/instructions for use (optional):
- Clearly define dunning conditions and check them regularly
- Use automated reports to monitor open items
- Consider a credit check or blocking in good time for customers who repeatedly default
Target group:
Financial accounting, accounts receivable management, key user, SAP consultant, management