All company (industrial, commercial or craft) carries out monetary transactions with its partners, its customers and its suppliers.
As a result, the manager must be familiar with the various means of payments as well as their characteristics. The aim is to use the preferred method, unless legally obliged to do so. Certain means of payment are required by law, depending on the type of transaction, the parties involved and the purpose of the transaction.
Payment in species
Cash is the oldest method of payment, and is used mainly to pay for small purchases. expenses d’purchase.
However, certain ceilings must be respected.
Individuals acting in a private capacity are authorised to make unlimited payments to other individuals.
On the other hand professionals domiciled in France for tax purposes are prohibited from paying a debt over €1,000 and cash transactions over €1,000. This threshold applies to transactions between two professionals as well as those between one professional and another. individual and a professional.
Bank cheque
It is undoubtedly the best-known and most common means of payment, both for businesses and individuals.
Cheques are valid for exactly 1 year and 8 days, otherwise they are worthless. A cheque must be made out without erasures and contain a few compulsory information such as :
The amount of the cheque with the sum written in figures and in words, bearing in mind that in the event of a mistake, the sum written in words will be retained,
The name of the beneficiary of the cheque, written legibly,
The place and date on which the cheque was issued (do not issue or accept a post-dated cheque),
The debtor's signature, which must conform to the model filed with the bank.
Bank cheques are a quick and practical means of payment, in that they leave a tangible record of the payment, while sparing the parties involved the inconvenience and risks that accompany cash payments, especially when large, even colossal, sums of up to millions of euros are involved.
Payment by card from credit or card bank
This means of payment is a plastic card that enables users to withdraw cash and pay for purchases. This treasury is taken from the cash or in deferred, depending on the sampling defined between the payer and his bank.
In France, a signature is mandatory on the invoice for purchases over €1,500. A request for authorisation from the bank may be required depending on the amount of the purchase or service.
Bank transfer
Le transfer banking operation reflects a transfer a certain sum d’silver between two accounts. The transfer is referred to as a’internal when it involves two accounts opened at the same bank. It is referred to as’external when there are two accounts belonging to two different banks.
In addition, the transfer can be either domestic, that is, between two banks belonging to the same country or between two countries with the same currency (as is the case for countries in the Euro zone); or international, when the transaction involves two banking institutions from different countries outside the European Union.
Finally, transfers can be one-off, automatic or permanent. In the first case, the transfer takes place on the occasion of a specific transaction and is not intended to be repeated. In the second case, the transfer is automatic insofar as it punctuates a transaction that takes place regularly so that it can be programmed into the bank's files.
Direct debit
This is a repetitive operation whereby the bank periodically transfers money from one account to another. background of the payer to that of beneficiary.
In practice, the samplingautomatic requires a « authorisation permanent direct debit» on the part of the payer. The payer communicates his contact details the beneficiary to withdraw funds from the beneficiary's account. debtor, In other words, the payer, the sums due to it.
The specificity of this authorisation is twofold in that it is not limited either in duration (in time) or in amount (there is no ceiling that must not be exceeded). It is permanent, which means that the payer does not need to repeat it periodically (monthly, quarterly or otherwise).
Interbank payment orders (TIP)
Unlike direct debits, for which the payer gives a standing authorisation for an unlimited amount, the TIP is subject to a renewable authorisation each payment which only concerns the current operation.
Businesses make widespread use of this method of payment, which enables them to pay a invoice, This can be done on a one-off basis, with no need to travel and no emissions. cheque.
Commercial paper
In this case, it is the bill of exchange and promissory note, used in particular when one of the two parties is a retailer.
For bills of exchange, commonly known as « trafficking »The procedure is simple: the shooter, in other words, the creditor gives the’order, by virtue of a document drawn (the debtor) to pay him a specified sum on a specified date. due date given. The bill of exchange allows the amount owed to the drawer to be split into several payments instead of a single payment.
A promissory note is a document issued by the debtor to the beneficiary fixing a sum to be paid at a later date, on the due date.
In conclusion, the plurality of payment methods is adapted to the diversity of situations in which companies may find themselves in the course of their transactions. The aim of this flexibility is to facilitate financial transactions and ensure that they run smoothly, while keeping potential disputes to a minimum. All this without forgetting the means of payment electronic, in e-commerce.
