Late payment (SAP Business One)

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.

E-invoicing in Germany: How to implement the obligation with SAP Business One

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 offers extended functions for managing late payments in SAP Business One. It provides a detailed open item overview with dunning levels, dunning data and insights into average late payments and agreed payment terms. In addition, the Versino Financial Suite enables automated reports on payment behaviour and balance confirmations that support proactive receivables and risk management. These functions are fully integrated into SAP Business One.

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