通常应收账款账户以客户付款而得到清算，应收账款以回收现金的形式结束一个营业循环。然而，随着信用销售和应收账款的规模和重要性越来越大，这个过程发生了变化。例如，为了加速应收账款转化为现金，应收账款的所有者可以把应收账款转让给第三方以获取现金，从而缩短从现金到现金的循环。

早期这种转换有多种原因。首先是竞争的需要，为客户提供销售融资在许多行业是必需的。例如销售汽车、工业和农场设备、计算机等耐用品。这些行业的许多大公司创立全资子公司专门负责应收账款的融资。其次，应收账款的持有者销售应收账款是因为这是唯一合理的资金来源渠道。在银根紧缩时期，到信贷市场融资是不可能的;即使可能，融资成本也相当昂贵。最后，应收账款的记账和收回通常是一项费时和成本高昂的工作。相反，银行和其他贷款机构由于法定的贷款限制而被迫购买应收账款;也就是说银行等金融机构由于贷款限制而不能发放新的贷款，但是它们可以购买应收账款，并对提供的这项服务收取一定费用。

企业一般以下面两种方法中的一种来将应收账款转让给第三方以获取现金: (1)委托收取应收账款(给应收账款提供担保物权)。在委托收取应收账款过程中，应收账款的所有者(委托人)通过签发以应收账款作为抵押的本票而向贷款方(受托人)借得现金。如果到期时票据没有得到支付，受托人有权收取应收账款，将担保物转化为现金。(2)出售应收账款。应收账款的销售近年来不断增加。一般情况下是把应收账款销售给代理商。代理商通常是金融公司或银行，它们从企业购买应收账款以收取手续费，然后直接向消费者收款。代理以前涉及纺织品、服装、鞋类、家具和家装行业，现在已经扩展到其他行业。

Reading Material

Aging of Accounts Receivable Method

Although the net sales method is certainly superior to the direct write-off method，it too has some limitations.If there is a credit balance in the allowance for bad debts each year before the adjusting entry is made，the balance in the account will continuously increase.No provision is usually made for this situation with the result that the bad debts expense recognized each year will tend to be overstated.To remedy this situation，another method can be used that provides a greater degree of control over the recognition of the bad debts expense，as well as providing for the proper amount to appear in the allowance for bad debts at the beginning of a new accounting period.The aging of accounts receivable method provides for a more realistic presentation of the bad debts expense and the allowance for bad debts account.

The aging of accounts receivable method involves analyzing the accounts found in the accounts receivable ledger.Customer accounts are recorded in an analysis chart according to the due date of the receivables.Past-due accounts are listed according to the number of days they are past due，such as 1-30 days，31-60 days，and 61-90 days.A percentage based on past experience is then applied to the balance not due as well as the balances past due.As the number of days past due increases，so does the percentage of uncollectibles.The amount of the estimated uncollectibles is then determined and used as a basis for the adjusting entry.The adjusting entry is the same as that for the net sales method，except that the balance in the allowance for bad debts account is considered in arriving at the adjusting entry.The recovery entry is identical for the net sales and aging of accounts methods.