1. Receive the invoice
Capture invoices from post, email or supplier portals in one place.
Finance
The accounts payable process
How the accounts payable process works step by step, the controls that keep it accurate, and where automation helps.
What accounts payable covers
Accounts payable (AP) is the money a business owes its suppliers. The AP process makes sure every supplier invoice is genuine, correct, approved and paid on time.
A well-run process protects cash, avoids duplicate or fraudulent payments and keeps supplier relationships healthy. A poor one leads to late fees, missed discounts and a scramble at month end.
The accounts payable process step by step
The stages most finance teams follow.
2. Check and match
Compare the invoice with the purchase order and goods receipt.
3. Approve
Route the invoice to the budget holder for sign-off.
4. Record
Post the invoice to the ledger with the right codes and VAT.
5. Pay
Schedule payment in line with terms and cash plans.
6. Reconcile
Match payments to bank and supplier statements.
Try Business Central in an environment built around your business
Most trials drop you into a generic demo company that looks nothing like the way you actually work. Ours doesn't. We configure your free trial around your business and the use case you care about, so you and your team can test real scenarios with data and processes you recognise.
It starts with a short questionnaire about your industry, your current systems and what you want to prove out. Once that's back with us, your tailored trial can usually be made available within a few working days. Prefer a guided walkthrough first? A standard demo is still on the table - just tell us which you'd like.
Tell us about your business
Complete a short questionnaire covering your industry, processes and the things you most want to test.
We configure your trial
We set up a Business Central environment around your use case, so you're not clicking through a generic demo company.
You're up and running in days
Your tailored trial is typically ready within a few working days of the questionnaire coming back to us.
Enquiry form
Get in touch
Tell us how your payables process runs today and we'll show you where Business Central could save time.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Receive the invoice, check and match it, approve it, record it in the ledger, pay it and reconcile the payment.
Checking a supplier invoice against the purchase order and the goods receipt before approving it for payment.
Segregation of duties, approval limits, invoice matching, supplier bank detail checks and regular reconciliations.
Finance systems such as Business Central can capture invoices, match them to orders, route approvals and prepare payment runs automatically.