Aged AR best practices for lawn care

You didn't get into lawn care to be a debt collector. But the average residential mowing company we onboard is carrying 15-25% of their AR past 60 days — usually because invoices go out at month-end, get lost in email, and nobody follows up until Q4 when the cash crunch hits.

Here's the exact 7-rule cadence that reliably pulls aged AR under 3%.

Rule 1: Invoice on completion, not month-end

The moment the tech taps "Complete" in the mobile app, the invoice ships. Not tomorrow. Not the 1st. Right then. Every day of delay is a day the customer forgets what they even paid for.

Rule 2: Card on file, autopay by default

Signup includes a Stripe card capture. Recurring lawn care service (weekly mow, bi-weekly, seasonal fertilizer) auto-charges on completion. Manual one-off work still needs a click — but that becomes the exception, not the rule.

Rule 3: Aged AR dashboard, checked weekly

Look at the 0-30 / 31-60 / 61-90 / 90+ buckets every Monday morning. Not monthly — weekly. Anything landing in 31-60 gets a personal call from you, not an automated reminder.

Rule 4: Automated dunning at 15, 30, and 45 days

Stripe pay-link + friendly text at day 15. Firmer email at day 30. Certified letter template + phone call at day 45. Service Pro Suite's auto-dunning runs this sequence untouched — you just monitor exceptions.

Rule 5: Suspend service at 60 days, no exceptions

The single most-effective collections lever is stopping the mow. Sixty days late = we pause weekly service until the invoice clears. Set the rule in writing when they sign up so nobody feels blindsided.

Rule 6: Offer a 3% early-pay discount

Print "Pay within 5 days, save 3%" on every invoice. Customers who pay early self-select — they're your best accounts and you want them happy.

Rule 7: Write off decisively at 120 days

If it's not paid by day 120, it's a debt-collection agency problem, not yours. Book the write-off, keep your books clean, and stop the emotional drag of hoping.

The numbers

Crews that run all 7 rules see:

• Aged AR under 3% of total book within 90 days
• DSO (days sales outstanding) under 21 days, industry avg is 38
• 6-8 hours/week reclaimed from the office manager

Cash flow is the difference between a lawn care company that scales and one that stalls at $500K revenue for 5 years. Run the discipline.