Vendor credit aging: find the notes still open.

First choose the correct population

Include supplier-issued credit notes eligible for AP settlement. Do not mix approved-but-unissued returns into the same aging balance: those are a separate issuance-gap queue. Confirm whether refunds, offsets, cancellations and opening credits are represented in the source ledger. An export containing only newly issued notes is insufficient to age outstanding balances.

Define the as-of date and age basis

Use one as-of date for every document, for example 2026-10-29. State whether age begins on issue date, posting date or an agreed settlement date. A 45-day-old note is not necessarily overdue; terms, payment cycles and disputes must be reviewed separately. Exclude records issued after the as-of date.

Calculate each outstanding note once

For a note of EUR 1,000, applications of EUR 200 and EUR 350 leave EUR 450. Add distinct applications linked to that note only. Avoid counting a credit-note header three times because a CSV contains three lines. Keep currencies separate; never sum EUR and PLN into one aging total.

Bucket by age, then by owner

Example buckets: 0–30, 31–60, 61–90, over 90 days. Choose a boundary rule and use it consistently. Separate the AP owner of an unapplied note from the purchasing owner of an approved return with no issued note. Add a dispute reason and next-action date where relevant, but do not publish confidential source references.

Quality checks before escalation

Reconcile the total open balance in the report against the AP ledger for the same supplier population and cutoff. Review negative balances, duplicate references, unmatched applications, missing currency codes and notes excluded by a date filter. These issues should be marked for review rather than silently set to zero.

Turn the aging view into a small weekly queue

Prioritize older and material items only after finance confirms which are actionable. Ask whether a note is awaiting an invoice, has been applied under a different reference, was offset or refunded, or genuinely needs supplier follow-up. Record the disposition and evidence; closing the spreadsheet task is not evidence of cash recovery.

Illustrative aging as of 29 October 2026 — all EUR, fictional records

Your action checklist

1. Choose one AP as-of date and one age basis.
2. Include opening notes and all linked applications.
3. Keep currencies separated; preserve signed differences for review.
4. Check report totals against AP and isolate unknown matches.
5. Assign an owner and next action; verify closure in source records.

Practical questions