Accounts Payable: Accounting and Management Best Practices

Why Attend

Accounts Payable (AP) is not just processing checks, mailing them, and filing backup paperwork. To effectively manage accounts payable, one must understand the AP department's building blocks, including, but not limited to, customer service, vendor management, check requests, and Purchase Orders (POs).

This course will discuss handling invoices, processing checks, preventing errors, conducting annual audits, and using technology in the department. You will also learn the best practices to adopt in your AP department and how to develop your department into an effective business partner.

Course Methodology

This course demonstrates theoretical and practical core topics and introduces Excel for managing accounts payable. The course also features role-playing and presentations by participants.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the function of Accounts Payable (AP) and its role in organizations
• Create efficient Accounts Payable process 
• Utilize best practices to improve the AP function
• Take a successful lead in the management of Accounts Payable
• Evaluate main issues affecting AP staff to increase their efficiency and productivity
• Play a real business partner role in your organization
• Apply tools and techniques in Microsoft Excel to effectively manage and monitor AP performance

Target Audience

Managers of accounts payable, AP staff and professionals, clerks, and specialists who wish to advance their careers. The course is also beneficial to professionals in accounting, finance, purchasing, and procurement who work closely with accounts payable.

Target Competencies

• Examining the role of accounts payable
• Performing month-end accruals
• Realizing the added value of three-way matching
• Preparing and analyzing accounts payable aging
• Preventing accounts payable fraud
• Applying accounts payable best practices
• Implementing early payment discount
• Utilizing Excel functions