ACCRUED REVENUE
Accrued Revenue: translation
An asset class for goods or services that have been sold or completed but that have not yet been billed and/or paid for. Accrued revenue is income that has been incurred but not received, such as monthly rent that is due in arrears, or following the monthly rental period. The income has been earned (since an individual or firm rented the item) but the revenue has not been received (as per the rental agreement to pay in arrears).
Accrued revenue is treated as an asset on the balance sheet rather than a liability. This reporting is important to the valuation of a company, particular in the service industry, where billing typically occurs after the work or service is complete. Without this asset class on financial reports, the company could appear to have much lower revenues, and may not have a fair method to balance expenses associated with the accrued revenue.