FAQ: Customer Balance (Summary & Detail) Report

Questions and answers

Q: Why does a customer appear with a zero balance on this report? A: A customer with zero balance has no outstanding transactions—either they have paid all their invoices, or they have never made a transaction. If you expect to see them, check that their transactions fall within your date filter range.

Q: How often should I run this report? A: That depends on your business. Many companies run it weekly or at month-end to check collections status and aging. You can run it as often as you like; there is no limit.

Q: Can I see a historical balance from a previous month or year? A: Yes. When running the report, set the As of date filter to the date you want (e.g., June 30, 2025) and the report will show balances as they were on that date.

Q: What if I see a negative balance for a customer? Does that mean they owe me money? A: No—the opposite. A negative balance means the customer has a credit on their account: either an advance payment, a prepayment, or a credit note from a previous return. This credit can be applied to future invoices. You do not owe them money unless you plan to refund it.

Q: My customer is showing a balance of 5,000 AFN, but I think they only owe 2,000 AFN. Why? A: Switch to Detail view to see all transactions. The 5,000 AFN might include recent invoices you haven't manually reviewed, or there may be an unapplied credit note or adjustment. The detail view will show exactly what makes up that balance.

Q: Can I filter the report to show only customers who owe me money (positive balance)? A: Many report interfaces offer a Balance type filter. Select "Debtors" or "Positive balance" to show only customers with amounts due. If your system does not have this filter, you can download the report to Excel and filter it there.

Q: What's the difference between Summary and Detail view? A: Summary shows one row per customer with their total balance. Detail breaks down every transaction (each invoice, payment, credit) that contributed to that balance. Use Summary for a quick scan, and Detail for auditing or verification.

Q: If I don't filter by date, what date does the report use? A: The default is today's date. The report shows all balances as they stand right now. If you want a historical snapshot, set the "As of date" filter explicitly.