Credit policy is nothing more than the firm’s policy on granting and collecting credit. There are four elements of credit policy, or credit policy variables. These are credit period, credit standards, collection policy, and discounts.
The credit period is the length of time for which credit is extended. If the credit period is lengthened, sales will generally increase, as will accounts receivable. This will increase the financing needs and possibly increase bad debt losses. A shortening of the credit period will have the opposite effect.
Credit standards determine the minimum financial strength required to become a credit, versus cash, customer. The optimal credit standards equate the incremental costs of credit to the incremental profits on increased sales.
The collection policy is the procedure for collecting accounts receivable. A change in collection policy will affect sales, days sales outstanding, bad debt losses, and the percentage of customers taking discounts.
Credit terms are statements of the credit period and any discounts offered--for example, 2/10, net 30.
Cash discounts are often used to encourage early payment and to attract customers by effectively lowering prices. Credit terms are usually stated in the following form: 2/10, net 30. This means a 2 percent discount will apply if the account is paid within 10 days, otherwise the account must be paid within 30 days.