Accounts Payable Description
Companies and businesses have huge transactions pertaining to their accounts payable process. They receive goods and services from various suppliers and they need to manage timely payments to these creditors to avoid default and adhere to the payment terms.
Accounts Payable Description
“Accounts Payable” is used as a generic term to represent various different things related to AP process. Some of the common usage of the term is:
Accounting Entry: As explained before “Accounts Payable” refers to the accounting entry that indicates a short term liability payable to the supplier of goods and services for the goods supplied or services rendered. It is a short term liability and categorized as Current Liabilities under the balance sheet head “Liabilities”.
Accounts Payable Sub Ledger: Companies and businesses have huge transactions pertaining to their accounts payable process. They receive goods and services from various suppliers and they need to manage timely payments to these creditors to avoid default and adhere to the payment terms. They use a subsidiary ledger generally referred to as “Accounts Payable Sub Ledger” and sometimes just as “Accounts Payable”.
Accounts Payable Process: Accounts Payable term is also used to refer to the accounts payable process. This process involves receiving the goods or services, verifying the quantity and quality with the Supplier Invoice and releasing the payment as per the agreed payment terms.
Accounts Payables Department: As companies have large number of transactions related to AP Process, hence many a times they need a separate division, branch or department to manage and handle all the AP related transactions. That department is referred to as Accounts Payable Department and sometimes just as Accounts Payables.
Eventually once we understand the accounts payable process and what are its elements we can easily understand what is being referred to at any point in time.
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Subsidiary Ledgers – AP Ledger
An accounts payable invoice gets recorded in the Account Payable sub-ledger at the time an invoice is received and validated that the respective goods corresponding to the invoice have been received. Then it is verified and vouchered for payment as per the payment terms agreed with the Supplier.
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