Recovery sheet: how distributors collect payments without losing track
Most distributors sell on credit (khata). The sale is the easy part; getting the money back is where profit is lost. The recovery sheet is the list a sales officer or recovery officer carries on the route: which shops owe money, how much, and since when.
What a recovery sheet is
A recovery sheet lists every shop on a route that has a balance, for the day that route is visited. The officer writes what each shop paid, the shop signs or stamps, and the sheet comes back to the office with the cash. Next morning the khata balances are updated from it.
The columns it needs
- Route / area, officer and date at the top.
- Shop code and shop name, in the order the route is walked.
- Balance: what the shop owes today.
- Oldest unpaid bill date or credit days: how long the money has been out.
- Received (cash / cheque / online) and remarks ("shop closed", "pay Friday").
- Area sub-totals and a grand total of balance and received.
| Code | Shop | Balance (Rs) | Days | Received | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S-014 | Aslam General Store | 48,500 | 12 | ||
| S-021 | Madina Karyana | 1,12,300 | 41 ✕ | ||
| S-033 | Rafiq & Sons | 9,800 | 5 | ||
| Saddar total | 1,70,600 |
Credit days and old balances
A balance of Rs 50,000 that is 7 days old is normal business. The same balance at 60 days is a risk. Agree a credit limit in days with every shop (for example 15 or 30 days), and mark anything older on the sheet so the officer starts there. Old balances should also stop new credit until they are cleared.
A daily recovery routine
- Evening before: print tomorrow's recovery sheet for each route, from today's balances.
- On the route: collect, write the amount, get a signature, never cross out; write a new line.
- Back at the office: count the cash against the sheet's "received" total.
- Enter payments the same day, so tomorrow's sheet is correct.
- Once a week: look at every shop over the credit days with the owner.
Cash handover at the office
The weak point is between the shop and the office: the shop has paid, but the money is still with the officer. Keep these two steps separate: collected from the shop and handed over to the office. Then you always know how much cash each officer is holding.
Doing it with software
In SundarVahi the recovery sheet is a report: pick the day, area or officer, and it lists every shop with its balance, credit days and a mark on balances over 30 days, with area sub-totals. Print it or download it to Excel. Officers can also collect cash in the phone app; the office confirms the handover, and the khata goes down by itself, with nothing counted twice.
Tip: collect the oldest balances first. A shop that pays its old bill usually pays the new one on time too.
Questions
What is recovery in distribution?
Recovery (wasooli) is collecting money from shops for goods given on credit. The recovery sheet is the daily list for it.
How often should the recovery sheet be made?
Every day a route is visited, from that morning's balances. An old sheet shows wrong amounts.
What if a shop disputes its balance?
Show its khata (ledger): every bill, return and payment with dates. Software can print or WhatsApp it in seconds.
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