NOTE: The Aged Receivables and Aged Payables reports should always agree with their corresponding General Ledger accounts. Below are the most common reasons for discrepancies between the aging reports and their corresponding accounts. In all cases, where Accounts Receivable (A/R) are referred to, the same applies for Accounts Payable (A/P).  

Did the beginning balance ever match?

If the Beginning Account Balance for A/R and the Customer Beginning Balances weren’t equal, then the aging report and the account won’t match.

If they never matched, focus on the Customer Beginning Balances that are missing. Or adjust the A/R account so that it matches the total of the Customer Beginning Balances. A good source for this is an Aging Report for the period immediately preceding your start date in Sage 50.

Did the Aging Report ever match the General Ledger account?

If they matched last month, beginning balances are most likely not the cause.

Where did the entries in the AR account originate from?

If any entries were posted to the AR account that didn’t originate in either Sales Journal (SJ) or Cash Receipts Journal (CRJ): The aging report and the account won’t match. Look for General Journal Entries (GEN).

If any Cash Receipts Journal (CRJ) transactions were entered neither as prepayments nor applied to invoices, using the A/R account instead of an income account: The aging report and the account won’t match.

If any Sales Invoices or Cash Receipts were posted to an account other than A/R, then the report and the account won't match. The best way to research this issue would be to verify what account the transactions in question are posted to by selecting the transaction and verifying what account is listed in the A/R or A/P field.

If any transaction has a different account listed in the A/R or A/P account field, it will show on the Aging Report, but not the General Ledger report under the AR or AP account section, so the AR Aging and General Ledger won’t match. It’s possible to make a General Journal entry to force the aging and GL to match. Consult your accountant.

Another way to research this is to print the General Ledger Report for the A/R or A/P account. Then verify where each transaction originated from in the Jrnl column.

Were receipts or payments applied in a prior period?

If receipts or payments to Sales Invoice or Purchase Receive Inventory transactions were applied in a prior period, they’ll appear on the Aging report for the period in which the receipt or payment was created.

Internal Accounting Review

Another resource for any discrepancies can be found in the Internal Accounting Review. See How do I run the Internal Accounting Review?

• If discounts are applied to Accounts Receivable or Accounts Payables accounts, then discounts reduce income or expenses and shouldn’t be applied to the aging accounts.

Data Integrity Check

Other applied credits that are on transactions can also cause this issue if the transaction is damaged. Run the invoice/payment sync test for the corresponding account if you believe this to be the case. See How do I run the Invoice/Payment Sync Test for Accounts Payable or Accounts Receivable?