Payment Date Prediction for Invoices

The Payment Date Prediction feature uses machine learning to forecast when payment for an invoice is likely to be received. By analyzing your customers' historical payment trends, NetSuite displays predicted payment dates and the potential number of overdue days directly on invoice records.

Note:

Payment date predictions use machine learning models based on historical payment data. These predictions are estimates, not guarantees. Use this information as a helpful planning aid, but always consider additional business context and judgment.

The Payment Date Prediction feature currently applies only to invoice transactions.

When enabled (disabled by default), this feature adds several read-only fields to your invoice records, providing insights into expected payment timing. These predictions help you make more informed decisions regarding cash flow and follow-up actions. The initial set of predictions may take up to one day to appear after the feature has been enabled.

On invoice records, you can see user-entered and system-generated payment date information, depending on whether someone has entered values and whether sufficient historical payment data exists.

Setup and Prerequisites

Payment Date Prediction is disabled by default. To enable the feature, sign in using the Administrator role and go to Setup > Company > Setup Tasks > Enable Features. On the Accounting subtab, check the Payment Date Prediction box and click Save.

This feature is not supported on Release Preview accounts.

A predicted payment date appears only when sufficient historical payment data is available for the customer and invoice. To generate predictions, your account must include at least 12 weeks of payment history and at least 50 paid invoices that occurred before the start of that 12-week period.

Payment Date Prediction Fields

When the Payment Date Prediction feature is enabled, the following read-only fields appear on invoices:

• In the Primary Information section:

  • Predicted Payment Date - The date that payment is most likely to be received, based on your customer's historical trends.

  • Predicted Overdue Days - The predicted number of days that payment may be overdue.

• On the Billing subtab:

  • Predicted Payment Date Availability - Indicates whether a prediction is currently available for this invoice. Predictions may not be available if there isn't enough data or if the invoice is closed or already paid. This field may also be blank if a prediction wasn't attempted, such as during the initial prediction process for open invoices.

  • Predicted Payment Date Last Updated - The date and time the prediction was last updated.

These fields are generated by the system and can't be edited.

User-Estimated Fields

These fields are always available without enabling additional features. The followings fields appear on the Billing subtab of the invoice:

• User-Estimated Payment Date - Enter your internal estimate for when payment is expected, if known. This field is optional.

• User-Estimated Payment Date Source - From the field's dropdown list, choose Company Estimate or Customer Promised Date to specify the source for your estimate. This field is required if you provide a value for the User-Estimated Payment Date field.

Field Reference Table

The following table lists Payment Date Prediction and user-estimated fields, where and when they appear on invoice records, and whether you can edit their values.

Field Name	Location	When It Appears	Editable
Predicted Payment Date	Primary Information section	Payment Date Prediction feature enabled	No
Predicted Overdue Days	Primary Information section	Payment Date Prediction feature enabled	No
Predicted Payment Date Availability	Billing subtab	Payment Date Prediction feature enabled	No
Predicted Payment Date Last Updated	Billing subtab	Payment Date Prediction feature enabled	No
User-Estimated Payment Date	Billing subtab	Always	Yes
User-Estimated Payment Date Source	Billing subtab	Always	Yes

Additional Information

• If a prediction doesn't appear, it may be due to insufficient data or the invoice not being eligible (for example, if it's closed or already paid). It may also be due to the prediction not being attempted yet (such as during the initial prediction process for open invoices).

• For more information about working with invoices and entering user-estimated payment fields, see Entering Payment Information on a Transaction.

Related Topics

• Custom Workflow Based Invoice Approval
• Custom Invoice Forms
• Classes and Preferences
• Custom Workflow Based Invoice Approval
• Using the Billing Tab and Dashboard
• Choosing an Invoice Type
• Billing Operations
• Billing or Invoicing a Sales Order
• Invoicing Billable Customers
• Closing or Voiding an Invoice
• Creating Installments
• Printing an Invoice
• Progress Invoices
• Billing Costs to Customers
• Displaying Deposit Balance on Customer Statements and Remittance Slips

General Notices