N
The Global Insight

What is the difference between AR turnover and DSO?

Author

Christopher Davis

Updated on February 07, 2026

The receivables turnover ratio measures the number of times the company collected its receivables during a specified period. A DSO of 30 means that on average the company had 30 days worth of sales outstanding (yet to be collected).

How does accounts receivable turnover relate to number of days sales in receivables?

Dividing 365 by the accounts receivable turnover ratio yields the accounts receivable turnover in days, which gives the average number of days it takes customers to pay their debts.

What does it mean to have average Accounts Receivable Turnover?

Accounts Receivable Turnover (Days) (Average Collection Period) – an activity ratio measuring how many days per year averagely needed by a company to collect its receivables. In other words, this indicator measures the efficiency of the firm’s collaboration with clients, and it shows how long on average the company’s clients pay their bills.

How is accounts receivable days outstanding ( DSO ) calculated?

Days Sales Outstanding Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) represents the average number of days it takes credit sales to be converted into cash, or how long it takes a company to collect its account receivables. DSO can be calculated by dividing the total accounts receivable during a certain time frame by the total net credit sales.

How is the average duration of accounts receivable determined?

One can determine the average duration of accounts receivable during a given year by dividing 365 by the receivables turnover ratio for that year. For this example, the average accounts receivable turnover is 365 / 11.76 = 31.04 days.

How to calculate Accounts Receivable Turnover for Trinity bikes?

Therefore, the average customer takes approximately 51 days to pay their debt to the store. If Trinity Bikes Shop maintains a policy for payments made on credit, such as a 30-day policy, the receivable turnover in days calculated above would indicate that the average customer makes late payments.