Due dates: terms + trigger = date.
“Net 60 from B/L date” is a date the moment the B/L arrives. Most teams don't compute it until the supplier asks.
In short. How to compute the due date of an import invoice from the payment terms and the trigger event — B/L date, invoice date, arrival, or documents — and why 'overdue' should work before the ERP posts.
The trigger
Terms name a trigger: the bill of lading date, the invoice date, the arrival date, presentation of documents, or goods receipt. The trigger is the event; the terms are the offset. Net 60 from a B/L dated 26 September is due 25 November — whether or not anyone has entered the invoice in the ERP.
Common structures
- 30% T/T in advance, 70% against B/L copy: two milestones, the second due when the B/L copy is received.
- Net 30 / 60 / 90 from invoice date: due = invoice date + N days.
- Net 60 from B/L date: due = B/L date + 60 days.
- L/C at sight: due on compliant presentation; usance 60/90 days: due at maturity from the B/L date or acceptance.
- D/P: due when the buyer collects the documents — typically before arrival.
Why compute it early
Suppliers plan cash around these dates and ask when they don't see them. AP sees the invoice only when it is posted, often weeks after the B/L. Computing the due date from the trigger lets both sides see “pays 25 Nov” in October, and shows “overdue” the day it is — not when a reminder email arrives.
Pacifica reads terms from the PO or quotation, turns each milestone into a status line (“70% T/T against B/L copy, Net 60 · due 25 Nov”), computes due dates from the trigger the moment the trigger happens, and shows the same line to the supplier.
Questions
Is Net 60 counted from the invoice date or the B/L date?
Whatever the terms say. Both are common; the B/L date is typical in commodity trade, the invoice date in domestic and manufactured goods.
What if the invoice date is later than the B/L date?
Under 'from invoice date' terms the later date applies. Under 'from B/L date' terms the invoice date is irrelevant to the due date.
Do calendar days or business days count?
Calendar days unless the contract says otherwise. If the due date falls on a weekend, payment is usually made the next business day.
Related
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