Invoice Coding in Accounts Payable: Process and Challenges The AI-powered spend management suite

what is invoice coding

When done right, it empowers finance professionals with actionable insights, enabling informed decision-making. In a world where data drives success, efficient invoice coding is the key to unlocking your organisation’s financial potential. Before getting started, your A/R team should identify which billing details and metadata need to be captured through your coding efforts. This may include aligning with industry standards, meeting customer-specific requirements, or ensuring compliance with local regulations, especially if certain data points are needed for audit trails. Instead of spending hours manually coding invoices, AP teams can focus on exception handling, supplier relationship management, and strategic initiatives that improve financial performance. Each invoice must be reviewed and coded manually, often requiring AP staff to look up GL accounts or verify department ownership.

  • The way invoices are coded depends on whether they’re tied to a purchase order (PO) or submitted independently.
  • Automated workflows come into play, orchestrating the seamless routing of invoices through the approval process.
  • While top performers in an accounts payable department might memorize the list, it often takes a long time for new members of the payable team to learn the system and become productive.
  • Commonly used in larger organizations, multi-dimensional coding allows AP teams to apply multiple attributes to a single invoice, such as GL account, department, business unit, region, and project code.
  • Now that we’ve set the stage, let’s explore the topic further, starting with traditional methods and gradually venturing into the realm of automation and innovation.

No extra cost

In this guide, you’ll discover what invoice coding involves, get a step-by-step look at the process, and learn how effective coding practices can transform your financial accuracy and business operations. In addition, coding specialists are still human, introducing the possibility of human error when adding those codes during trial balance invoice processing. The real problem with GL codes is that they’re called “codes” for a reason.

what is invoice coding

Our platform

Whiz Consulting is an Outsourced Accounting Service Provider, providing what is invoice coding bookkeeping and financial reporting services. Whiz Consulting does not provide services that would require a license to practice public accountancy. You can use AP tracking tools to match invoices with due payments, review aging reports, and automate reconciliation to keep cash flow stable and records accurate.

what is invoice coding

Hybrid coding systems

  • Traditionally, AP staff had to manually review each invoice, determine the right codes, and painstakingly enter them into the accounting system.
  • Create an invoice and send it to your customers in minutes – no code required.
  • In general, manually a team can handle 50–100 invoices daily, but with AP automation, businesses can process thousands efficiently with fewer errors and delays.
  • And as part of your search, we recommend considering our Accounts Receivable Automation platform.
  • Coding varies from one property, team, region, entity, department, company, budget account to another.
  • However, manual invoice coding processes can be inefficient and don’t scale up easily when your business grows.

Many invoice capture solutions can lift and enter this information into your system. While some rely on services and outsourced data entry, many are smart enough to recognize and enter the information requiring someone to type. To demonstrate how automated invoice coding https://www.bookstime.com/articles/audit-risk-model works, we’ll show you how Billy the Bot™, Stampli’s AI assistant, codes an invoice.

  • Invoice coding isn’t just about neat categorisation; it’s about harnessing the power of data.
  • As you consider the path forward for your accounts payable process, remember that automation is not just a tool; it’s a catalyst for efficiency, accuracy, and financial success.
  • Within financial processes—especially accounts payable—invoice coding serves as the bridge between receiving an invoice and recording the expense in the business’s accounting system.
  • For example, an invoice from a vendor might include charges for consulting services, software licenses, and office supplies, all of which need to be coded to different GL accounts and cost centers.
  • DOKKA significantly reduces human error by automating data extraction and coding processes.

If an invoice is related to the IT department, the cost should be assigned to them. Once you have verified that all invoices and payments match up, update your general ledger to reflect the correct amounts. This ensures that your company’s financial records are always accurate and ready for audits or reporting.

what is invoice coding

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