Who owes me money?
You did the work. You sent the invoice. Now where's the money? Here's how to find every dollar owed to you in your accounting software, step by step.
The short answer
Who owes you money?Your Accounts Receivable Aging report has the answer. It lists every unpaid invoice, grouped by customer, with how much they owe and how many days overdue each invoice is. Below, we'll show you exactly where to find it.
Why knowing who owes you money changes how you manage cash
You invoiced $140,000 last quarter. Your books say you're profitable. But right now, $38,000 of that is sitting in outstanding invoices. $14,000 of it is more than 30 days overdue. And one client who owes you $9,500 hasn't responded to your last two emails.
Revenue you've earned but haven't collected isn't money. It's a promise. And the longer that promise goes unfulfilled, the less likely you are to see the cash. Industry data shows that invoices over 90 days past due have a collection rate below 70%.
Knowing who owes you money isn't just bookkeeping. It's the foundation of cash management. You can't forecast cash, plan spending, or assess risk if you don't know who owes you what and when they're likely to pay.
What accounts receivable aging actually tells you
The A/R Aging report is one of the most important reports in your accounting software. Here's what it shows:
- Current. Invoices that are not yet due. These are healthy receivables. The customer still has time to pay.
- 1-30 days overdue. Slightly late. This is normal for many businesses, but you should follow up to prevent further aging.
- 31-60 days overdue.This is a warning sign. These invoices need active follow-up. Something is wrong, either with the client's cash, their process, or their intent.
- 61-90+ days overdue. These are at serious risk of becoming uncollectible. Every week you wait reduces the probability of collection.
How to find who owes you money in QuickBooks Online (4 steps)
QuickBooks makes this straightforward. The report you need is the Accounts Receivable Aging Summary.
- 1Go to Reports
From the left sidebar, click Reports. In the search bar, type “A/R Aging Summary” and select it from the results.
- 2Review the summary
The report groups outstanding invoices by customer. Each row shows a customer name and the total they owe, broken into columns: Current, 1-30, 31-60, 61-90, and 91+ days past due.
- 3Click into the detail
Click any customer name to see the “A/R Aging Detail” report for that customer. This shows every individual invoice, its date, due date, days overdue, and open balance. This is your collection action list.
- 4Sort by amount to prioritize
Back in the summary view, sort by the “Total” column (descending) to see your biggest debtors first. These are the clients you should contact first.
Total time: about 3-5 minutes. This is one of the fastest and most important reports you can pull.
How to find who owes you money in Xero (4 steps)
Xero has two versions of the receivables report. The summary gives you the big picture. The detail gives you the invoice-level breakdown.
- 1Go to Accounting → Reports
From the top menu, click Accounting, then Reports. Search for “Aged Receivables Summary” and open it.
- 2Review the aging buckets
The report shows each contact with outstanding invoices, grouped into aging columns: Current, 1-30 days, 31-60 days, 61-90 days, and 90+ days. The total at the bottom tells you your total outstanding receivables.
- 3Switch to the detail view
Open the “Aged Receivables Detail” report instead to see every individual invoice, credit note, and overpayment. This includes invoice numbers, dates, and open balances for each contact.
- 4Export and sort for collection
Click Export to download the report as a CSV or PDF. In a spreadsheet, you can sort by amount or days overdue to create a prioritized collection list.
Total time: about 3-5 minutes. Xero's Aged Receivables reports are clear and well-organized. The detail view is particularly useful for building a follow-up list.
What it takes to stay on top of collections every month
Pulling the report is easy. The hard part is doing something about it consistently:
- You should check this weekly, not monthly. Invoices that are 5 days late are easy to collect. Invoices that are 45 days late are not. The sooner you follow up, the faster you get paid.
- The report doesn't tell you the full story. A client might owe you $12,000, but you also know they just signed a $50,000 renewal. Context matters. The report gives you the data; you supply the judgment.
- Following up is the real work.Knowing who owes you money takes 5 minutes. Sending the emails, making the calls, and tracking responses takes 30-60 minutes per week. Most owners put it off, and that's how receivables age.
Or see who owes you money automatically, every month
Bottomline connects to your QuickBooks or Xero account and includes a complete receivables breakdown in your monthly report. You don't have to remember to pull the report, it's already there:
Bottomline also flags clients with a pattern of late payments. If Acme Corp has paid an average of 22 days late over the past 6 months, your report tells you that upfront, so you can plan your cash around realistic timelines instead of due dates.