22 August 2026
How to track who owes you (and who you owe) without losing track
Almost every shop extends credit to somebody — a regular customer who pays at month-end, a supplier you owe for stock you already collected. The problem is rarely giving the credit. It's remembering it three weeks later, especially when five other people owe you too.
The two directions of debt
There are two kinds, and mixing them up is where most confusion starts. "They owe you" — a customer took goods or cash and hasn't paid yet. "You owe them" — a supplier gave you stock on credit, or you borrowed. Both need tracking, but they pull in opposite directions on your books, so keep them clearly separate rather than one long list of "money issues."
Why a notebook usually fails
A paper debt book works right up until the page it's written on gets torn out, the ink smudges, or the book itself goes missing during a busy afternoon. Worse, it only has one copy — if you can't find it, neither can anyone who needs to know what's owed.
What to record every time
Three things, every single time: who it is, how much, and the date. A phone number if you can get one — it turns a debt into something you can actually follow up on with a message, not just a name you hope you'll remember. Skip the phone number and you're stuck hoping you cross paths with them again.
Settle it the moment it's settled
The habit that actually keeps a debt list useful is closing entries the moment they're paid, not "later when things calm down." A debt list that's three weeks behind on payments already received isn't a record anymore — it's a source of arguments. Yourcountant's People section is built for exactly this: add someone once, log what's owed, and mark it paid the second it is — with the date it happened, automatically.
Keep records like this for your own shop
Free to start — sales, expenses, stock and debts, no card required.