Sri Lanka
- Time zone
- UTC+5:30
- Behind AEST / AEDT
- 4.5 hrs / 5.5 hrs
- 9:00am AEST is
- 4:30am in Colombo
- Typical shift to overlap
- Early local start, e.g. 6:00am–3:00pm (10:30am–7:30pm AEST)
Bookkeeping & accounts · Full-time · Sri Lanka & Philippines
Outsource Accounts Receivable to a Dedicated Offshore AR Officer
An offshore accounts receivable officer raises your invoices, allocates customer payments, sends polite reminders and keeps your aged debtors report accurate. Elephant Teams recruits full-time AR officers in Sri Lanka and the Philippines for Australian businesses. Most AR roles are filled in 3 to 4 weeks.
Australian businesses building offshore teams with Elephant Teams
Why accounts receivable deserves its own person
Late payment is one of the most common cash-flow problems for Australian small and medium businesses. Much of it comes from slow invoicing, wrong invoices and reminders that never get sent. Those are process problems, not customer problems. A dedicated AR officer invoices on time, gets the details right first time and follows up on a fixed schedule. Your team only steps in when a conversation needs a senior voice.
AR is the routine side of getting paid: invoicing, allocation and reminders. If you also need credit checks, payment plans and hard-to-collect debts handled, see our Credit and Collections Officer role.
What your offshore AR officer handles
- Invoicing. Raise invoices from job sheets, timesheets, contracts or sales orders, with the right purchase order numbers and supporting documents attached.
- Recurring and progress billing. Run monthly retainers, subscription billing and progress claims on schedule.
- Payment allocation. Match receipts from bank feeds, Stripe, GoCardless and BPAY to the right invoices, and clear unapplied cash.
- Reminder cadence. Send statements and reminders at set points, such as 3 days before due, on the due date, then 7 and 14 days overdue, using your templates.
- Customer account queries. Answer requests for invoice copies, remittance questions and address or contact updates.
- Aged debtors reporting. A weekly aged debtors report with notes on every account over 30 days.
- Customer master data. Keep billing contacts, terms and ABNs accurate so invoices reach the person who pays.
Software and tools
Our AR candidates work in Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks Online and ERPs such as NetSuite and Business Central. Reminder tools include Xero's invoice reminders, Chaser, Debtor Daddy and ezyCollect. Payment platforms include Stripe, GoCardless and BPAY reporting. Billing often starts in a job or practice system such as simPRO, ServiceM8, WorkflowMax or Xero Practice Manager, so we check experience with yours.
Qualifications we screen
- Sri Lanka: commerce or business graduates, often AAT Sri Lanka or CIMA part-qualified, with billing or AR experience in a shared-services or outsourcing centre.
- Philippines: BS Accountancy or business graduates, frequently from customer-facing finance roles where written and phone contact with overseas customers was a daily task.
- Everyone: a skills assessment that can include allocating a messy batch of receipts, writing a firm but courteous overdue reminder, and producing an aged debtors summary.
Sri Lanka vs the Philippines for an accounts receivable officer
| Sri Lanka | Philippines | |
|---|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 | UTC+8 |
| Behind AEST / AEDT | 4.5 hrs / 5.5 hrs | 2 hrs / 3 hrs |
| 9:00am AEST is | 4:30am in Colombo | 7:00am in Manila |
| Typical shift to overlap | Early local start, e.g. 6:00am–3:00pm (10:30am–7:30pm AEST) | Standard local day, e.g. 7:00am–4:00pm (9:00am–6:00pm AEST) |
Philippines
- Time zone
- UTC+8
- Behind AEST / AEDT
- 2 hrs / 3 hrs
- 9:00am AEST is
- 7:00am in Manila
- Typical shift to overlap
- Standard local day, e.g. 7:00am–4:00pm (9:00am–6:00pm AEST)
Swipe to compare 2 options →
Sri Lanka (UTC+5:30) is 4.5 hours behind AEST, 5.5 behind AEDT. Invoicing and allocation suit the time difference well. Yesterday's jobs can be invoiced and today's receipts allocated before your team starts work. Reminder emails can be scheduled to land in your customers' morning. Sri Lankan AR candidates are typically strong on written accuracy and reconciliation.
The Philippines (UTC+8) is 2 hours behind AEST, 3 behind AEDT. That suits AR roles that involve phone contact with customers' accounts teams during Australian business hours. Filipino candidates often bring customer-service experience from outsourcing centres, which helps when a reminder needs to stay friendly.
The people behind every placement
Our recruiters brief your role, run the skills assessment and interview every candidate before you see a shortlist.
How we screen candidates →
What a shortlist looks like
Example accounts receivable officer profiles
These illustrative profiles show the experience, qualifications and software we typically see on a accounts receivable officer shortlist. They are examples, not real candidates. Your shortlist is built from a fresh job ad for your role, and wages are confirmed with you before you commit.
Sri LankaExample profile
AR officer
- Experience
- 3 years
- Qualification
- AAT Sri Lanka
- Software
- Xero, MYOB, Excel
- Typical wage
- A$700–1,000 a month
- Daily receipt allocation
- Customer statements and reminders
- Aged debtor reporting
PhilippinesExample profile
Billing and AR specialist
- Experience
- 4 years
- Qualification
- BS Business Administration
- Software
- NetSuite, Stripe, Chaser
- Typical wage
- A$1,300–1,800 a month
- High-volume invoicing
- Written and phone follow-up with customers
- Dispute resolution notes
Plan options for an accounts receivable officer
Most businesses hiring AR already have an accountant or finance lead who sets credit terms, so Ready for You (employ them yourself or through us) keeps ongoing costs low. Managed for You suits owners making their first finance hire, or businesses adding AR alongside AP and payroll roles at once. Its onboarding and check-ins help several new team members settle at the same pace.
| Ready for You | Managed for You | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront | $5,999+GST one-off recruitment fee | $0 recruitment fee |
| Ongoing | You employ them ($0/month), or we employ them as Employer of Record ($350/month) | $1,000/month per team member, 12-month commitment (we employ and manage) |
| Who employs | You, or Elephant Teams (EOR) | Elephant Teams |
| Included | Sourcing, screening, interviews, offer and placement, IT setup coordination | Everything in Ready for You, plus onboarding playbooks, HR policy templates, regular check-ins and advisory support |
| Replacement guarantee | 3 months | 5 months, up to two free replacements in the first 12 months |
Ready for You
- Upfront
- $5,999+GST one-off recruitment fee
- Ongoing
- You employ them ($0/month), or we employ them as Employer of Record ($350/month)
- Who employs
- You, or Elephant Teams (EOR)
- Included
- Sourcing, screening, interviews, offer and placement, IT setup coordination
- Replacement guarantee
- 3 months
Managed for You
- Upfront
- $0 recruitment fee
- Ongoing
- $1,000/month per team member, 12-month commitment (we employ and manage)
- Who employs
- Elephant Teams
- Included
- Everything in Ready for You, plus onboarding playbooks, HR policy templates, regular check-ins and advisory support
- Replacement guarantee
- 5 months, up to two free replacements in the first 12 months
Swipe to compare 2 options →
Team member wages are paid on top of either plan. Multi-hire savings are available.
IT options (pick any, with any plan): Self-managed, where you or your team member supply the equipment. Hardware coordination, where we buy and configure a laptop that you own. IT management, where we handle devices, setup and security, with leasing available. See IT security.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between an accounts receivable officer and a collections officer?
An AR officer handles routine invoicing, payment allocation and scheduled reminders. A credit and collections officer focuses on credit checks, overdue accounts, payment plans and disputes. Many businesses start with AR and add collections as volume grows.
Can an offshore AR officer call my customers about overdue invoices?
Yes, using your scripts and escalation rules. Phone follow-up during Australian business hours suits the Philippines best because of the closer time zone.
Which accounting and billing systems do your AR officers use?
We screen for Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks Online, NetSuite and Business Central, plus reminder tools such as Chaser, Debtor Daddy and ezyCollect, and job systems such as simPRO and ServiceM8.
How much does an offshore accounts receivable officer cost?
A local AR officer costs about $7,250 a month including super, based on SEEK's median salary (our estimate). Offshore wages are confirmed before you commit. Our fee is a one-off $5,999+GST, or $1,000 a month on a 12-month plan.
Will an offshore AR officer damage my customer relationships?
Not with clear rules. Your AR officer uses your templates and tone, follows your reminder schedule, and passes sensitive accounts to your team. We look for courteous written communication during screening.
Related roles
Hire your accounts receivable officer in 3–4 weeks
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