Cos'è il Revenue Backlog nel SaaS?

SaaS revenue backlog refers to the money that a company has not yet billed but that it has more or less ‘committed’ to earning based on existing contracts. It applies to subscription and project-based businesses, which earn revenue on delivery. Workday’s total subscription revenue backlog, which also counts billed amounts, was $27.403 billion for the quarter ended July 31, 2026.

Sebbene i backlog di fatturato possano aiutare a valutare il potenziale di future opportunità commerciali digitali e la salute generale dell'azienda, è importante ricordare che si tratta solo di proiezioni e che i risultati effettivi potrebbero variare.

A revenue backlog refers to the estimated earnings to be realized, whereas deferred revenue refers to cash received for revenue not yet earned.

A revenue backlog is contracted future revenue from subscriptions or the sale of equipment or services that have not yet been invoiced or recognized in the records following US GAAP or IFRS.

Deferred revenue, on the other hand, refers to the amount paid for a product or service that has not yet been rendered. This income is recognized as revenue only upon completing an underlying transaction, that is, on delivering the goods or services.

The major difference is payment: revenue backlog is contracted revenue not yet billed, while deferred revenue has been paid but not yet earned. Together, they make up remaining performance obligations (RPO).

Revenue backlog is one important component in SaaS businesses as it considers revenues that are yet to be recognized in the existing customer contracts. The reason why revenue backlog is important is because of the popularity of the subscription-based model.

Though an organization keeps a relatively accurate picture of its revenue over a period, revenue can only be recognized, under IFRS 15, as the promised service is delivered (IFRS Foundation), not when the contract is signed.

Revenue backlog can be a factor in a company’s public standing, operational consistency, and resource utilization.

Monitoring revenue backlog has notable advantages for businesses, yet there are also some difficulties. It is necessary to comprehend both to make proper decisions as far as backlog management is concerned.

Vantaggi:

• La comprensione dei flussi di cassa futuri, come indicato dal backlog dei ricavi, consente una allocazione informata delle risorse e una gestione ottimizzata del flusso di cassa.
• Il riferimento ai backlog dei ricavi basati sulle vendite potenziali può migliorare l'affidabilità delle previsioni finanziarie, ma questo può anche avere dei limiti a seconda dei cambiamenti del mercato e di altri fattori.
• Monitorare il backlog dei ricavi può avvisare le aziende sui clienti con un rischio maggiore di abbandono.
• Il monitoraggio del backlog dei ricavi fornisce alle aziende un metodo per conformarsi ai principi contabili per la La rilevazione dei ricavi; US public companies disclose backlog and deferred revenue together as RPO under ASC 606 (The SaaS CFO).

Svantaggi:

• I backlog di ricavi comportano diversi rischi potenziali, che vanno dall'abbandono dei clienti e dalle fluttuazioni del settore ai ritardi nelle consegne.
• Per garantire analisi accurate, è fondamentale mantenere dati precisi sul backlog dei ricavi, poiché le incongruenze possono portare a interpretazioni errate.
• Il monitoraggio dei backlog dei ricavi è un'area che richiede risorse e processi specifici.

Revenue backlog shows how much of a revenue goal is already under contract, a starting point for la previsione dei ricavi. By estimating revenue backlog, SaaS businesses can evaluate the concentration risk of their customer base. This helps identify possible attritione points where clients stop or reduce their contracts.

Revenue backlog measurement deals with identifying unearned committed revenue. Incorporating backlog data into customer success and sales processes may influence their outcomes. Depicting revenue backlogs in the appropriate management leads to truthful representation of the current and future state of the company.

L'impiego dei metodi descritti potrebbe potenzialmente influenzare la probabilità che le aziende raggiungano gli obiettivi di fatturato; tuttavia, anche numerosi altri fattori possono contribuire al successo.

An example of revenue backlog classification would be based on a SaaS business that has obtained a contract valued at 120,000 dollars for 12 months. In this situation, the company’s backlog would contain the full amount of the contract, which is one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. This backlog could also be further segmented by customer, contract size, or time to evaluate risks and discover growth opportunities.

For instance, imagine that a customer signs up for a one-year plan costing $1200 and pays for it in installments every month. After the first installment is paid, there is a revenue backlog of $1100 due to this arrangement.

Public companies classify backlog by timing: Workday reported $9.034 billion of its $27.403 billion subscription revenue backlog (its RPO, billed and unbilled) as 12-month backlog for the quarter ended July 31, 2026 (Workday, quarterly filing).