Common Examples of Accounts Receivable in Business

Let me introduce you to a little scene that you will probably relate to. A shop delivers clothes to a retailer but doesn’t get paid on the spot. A hospital sends a bill to an insurance company and waits for the money. A software company gave you access today, but your payment is due next month.

All of these are real-life answers to one common question: what are examples of accounts receivable?

It is just basically money that a business has already earned but not collected yet. And depending on the industry, it shows up in very different ways. In this blog, I’ll walk you through simple, real examples and case studies from different industries, so you can see how it works in practice.

Retail & Wholesale Case Study

Harper runs a wholesale business that supplies drinks to local grocery stores. One retailer places an order worth $10,000 on August 1, with a 30-day credit term. Harper agrees to it, even though that means waiting for cash.

As Harper struggles to cover supplier bills and delivery costs during busy seasons, she introduces early payment discounts and sets up automated invoice reminders.

By offering early payment benefits and using reminders, Harper reduces the risk of late payments while maintaining a good relationship with retailers.

With Quick Receivable, she could automate these reminders, track discounts, and see at a glance which clients are taking advantage of early-pay offers.

SaaS & Subscription Businesses

David runs a software company that sells a project management tool on a subscription plan. One client signs up for the $1,200 annual package, but instead of paying upfront, they choose to pay $100 each month.

Here’s how the transactions would look:

This cycle repeats every month for a year. On paper, it looks simple enough. In reality, if a client misses even one payment, David has to chase them, and the cash flow becomes unpredictable.

That is why Quick Receivable is needed. It can track all monthly invoices, flag late-paying customers, and send reminders automatically.

Manufacturing & Supply Chain

Marta owns a furniture manufacturing company. On August 1, a distributor orders $25,000 worth of tables with net-45 terms. Marta delivers it right away but won’t expect the payment until mid-September.

Marta managed her cash gap, but the waiting period was stressful.

With Quick Receivable, to give an example of accounts receivable software, she’d have a clear view of pending invoices, factored amounts, and upcoming payments, all in one dashboard.

Healthcare & Hospitals

Green Valley Hospital treats a patient who needs surgery for their back. The total bill comes to $15,000. The patient pays $3,000 upfront, while the rest is billed to their insurance provider. The hospital delivers the treatment immediately, but the insurance claim can take months to process.

Delayed claims like this are common in healthcare and can stretch receivables past 90 days, putting a constant strain on payroll, supplies, and daily operations.

With Quick Receivable, hospitals can track outstanding claims in one dashboard, spot delays early, and send automated updates to patients and insures.

Professional Services (Agencies, Consulting, Law Firms)

BrightPath Marketing, a small agency, delivers a $20,000 campaign for a retail client. In the past, they billed only after the project was done, but it led to 60+ days to get paid. To solve this, they switch to milestone-based billing: 30% upfront, 40% midway, and 30% on completion.

By breaking up the payment in milestones, BrightPath avoids the cash crunch that happens when money is tied up in a single big payment, setting another one of the examples of accounts receivable.

With Quick Receivable, they could track multiple client invoices, set reminders for milestones, and keep a general eye around.

E-commerce & Online Marketplaces

ShopEase, an online marketplace, lets independent sellers list their products. When a customer buys a $500 gadget on August 1, ShopEase collects the payment upfront. According to policy, the seller is paid after 14 days, once returns or refunds are settled.

Sometimes refunds get delayed, and that creates disputes, like sellers seeing the money as “pending receivables” while ShopEase waits for the return window to close.

With Quick Receivable, a marketplace like ShopEase could track outstanding balances, automate seller payouts, and manage refund adjustments clearly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

When you look across multiple industries, the stories all point to the same truth: accounts receivable is a normal part of business, but they can make or break cash flow.

The good news is that businesses don’t have to struggle with this alone. Services like Quick Receivable make it easier to track invoices, spot delays, and keep payments flowing smoothly. If you’ve ever wondered “what are examples of accounts receivable” in action, now you have seen them; and you have also seen why smart management is key to turning sales into cash in time.