# AP automation software to help you work smarter, not harder The best AP automation software for saving your accounts payable team time & money. Manage procurement spend across invoices & purchase cards, all in one place. **URL Source:** https://www.brex.com/solutions/accounts-payable-automation-software --- ![PayablesHero-R1](https://brand.brex.com/m/50385bdf6c71fc8b/original/PayablesHero-R1.mp4) AP automation built to help you work smarter, not harder Streamline your AP process with automation that eliminates manual tasks, prevents errors, and delivers unmatched accuracy. [Get started](https://www.brex.com/sales) Don’t settle for the AP status quo. Most companies use multiple solutions for bill pay, purchase cards, and T&E — creating an accounts payable mess: ### Poor controls - Poor controls ### Manual workflows - Manual workflows ### Ghost invoices - Ghost invoices ### Low compliance - Low compliance ### Difficult ERP integration - Difficult ERP integration ### Inaccurate data - Inaccurate data ### High costs - High costs ### Slow month-end close - Slow month-end close Upgrade to the future of payables. Manage all your spend, invoiced or otherwise, in one place. Brex gives you both bill pay and purchase cards as part of our unified [spend management platform.](https://www.brex.com/product/spend-management) ![Payables-Card-Billpay](https://brand.brex.com/transform/45a7073a-72ec-4e59-959f-d9ac9002a337/Payables-Card-Billpay) Procure-to-pay Create and send POs directly from Brex with 2-way invoice matching, so you know about operational spend before it happens. ![Payables-Card-Pcard](https://brand.brex.com/transform/9643f1d8-a023-4b3c-a7a9-1d74ca62f6c0/Payables-Card-Pcard) Purchase cards Provision Brex credit cards for any need, including for vendors and indirect procurement, such as operational spend — with per-transaction limits and controls. ![Alchemy](https://brand.brex.com/transform/9270cd3b-c4a4-44c5-ae06-65937f554d7b/Alchemy) “Brex delivers the next AI-powered version of spend management for accounts payables teams. It's a modern way of running virtual cards, p-cards, bills, invoices — everything is aggregated within a centralized platform.” — [Sean Soper](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssxyz/), Head of Accounting and Financial Operations Power your procurement with AI. Brex payables offers the controls your AP team needs to manage all procurement spend — plus the automation and ease of use everyone wants. ### Text Proactively control operational spend. Create purchase orders in Brex, or have employees request them, and send them directly to vendors. Brex will automatically match incoming invoices to POs for you. ### Image ![Payables-merchant controls](https://brand.brex.com/transform/75c42531-089b-4562-a04e-0b46ab9d093d/Payables-merchant-controls) ### Image ![Payables-payment wires](https://brand.brex.com/transform/4eb6ac90-650d-4787-9ab2-13f430c5b890/Payables-payment-wires) ### Text Automate payments globally, from any source. Set up one-time or recurring domestic and international payments in the local currency in 50+ countries. Use ACH, wire, or card, and fund payments from a [Brex business account](http://brex.com/product/business-account) or external account. ### Text Sync with your ERP to close the books fast. With Brex, your [purchase card](https://www.brex.com/product/credit-card/purchase-card) and [bill pay](https://www.brex.com/product/bill-pay) transactions will be automatically mapped to your ERP fields and GL codes, and you can view all your spend in one place, in real time. ### Image ![Payables-ERP](https://brand.brex.com/transform/87ad7ef3-34d7-465d-954b-f64fc95047d2/Payables-ERP) ### Image ![Payables-AI](https://brand.brex.com/transform/61b0dff2-c9c5-44b2-b8b4-abd35f854240/Payables-AI) ### AI Eliminate manual work, ensure compliance. Capture invoices, draft payments, and generate receipts and memos all without human data entry for greater accuracy and expense compliance across [card](https://www.brex.com/product/credit-card), [travel](https://www.brex.com/product/travel), and [invoice](https://www.brex.com/product/bill-pay) spend. ### Text Transform payables, and your business. The benefits of using a single, AI-driven platform for every type of spend goes far beyond the AP team. [See how we're redefining procurement](https://brex.com/journal/employee-centric-approach-to-procurement-spend) ### Image ![Payables-Transformation_Gradient](https://brand.brex.com/transform/40713f70-bb06-4774-a60c-8ecbb46efea0/Payables-Transformation_Gradient) Scalability and flexibility. Use AI to process more invoices and payments without adding resources, and transfer purchase cards instantly when employees leave. Better decision making. Get a single source of truth for all spend, use automation to control it before and when it happens, and get insights to adjust it in real time for maximum impact. Efficiency and savings. Let machine learning catch duplicate costs or find opportunities for discounts with recurring vendors for you, and eliminate manual work and overpayments. Tax and audit readiness. Capture and organize massive amounts of spend data without human error or effort to ensure accurate recordkeeping for compliance with tax laws. ### Content AP automation built for scale. Brex is the first unified spend platform across [bill pay](https://www.brex.com/product/bill-pay), [procurement](https://www.brex.com/budgets/procurement), [cards](https://www.brex.com/product/credit-card), and [travel](https://www.brex.com/product/travel). Let’s talk about how we can empower your business. [Get started](https://www.brex.com/sales) ### Image ![Money out](https://brand.brex.com/transform/6f2e7714-af06-4dd2-9f55-a72d14117d01/Money-out) ## Frequently asked questions ### What is accounts payable (AP) automation? Accounts payable (AP) automation software allows businesses to automate manual tasks like invoice processing, approvals, and payments. This allows AP teams to focus on higher-value activities, such as managing vendor relationships, analyzing spending trends, and identifying opportunities for cost savings. ### What are some of the benefits of using accounts payable automation? Traditional AP processes are often manual and time-consuming, leading to errors and inefficiencies. Automating your AP process can offer several benefits: - Increased efficiency: Eliminate unexpected invoices and charges by pre-approving [procurement budgets](https://www.brex.com/platform/spend-limits) with embedded policies, and customized approval flows. Brex will automatically enforce it all across purchase card transactions and invoice payments. - Faster payments: Set up one-time or recurring domestic and international payments in 40+ currencies via ACH, wire, or card. - Improved accuracy: Capture invoices, draft payments, and generate receipts and memos all without human data entry for more accuracy and expense compliance across all spend. - Simpler month-end close: Brex automatically syncs every transaction with your ERP fields and GL codes — and you can view all your spend in real time. - Enhanced controls: Set approval workflows and spending limits to ensure greater control over your finances. ### How does AP automation software work? AP automation software streamlines the entire bill payment process by replacing manual tasks with automated workflows. Here's a breakdown of how it typically works: - Automated invoice capture: Invoices are submitted electronically (via email, portal, etc.) or scanned into the system using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. OCR extracts key data like vendor information, invoice amount, and due date. - Data extraction and processing: Extracted data is automatically populated into the AP automation software's digital format. - Approval workflows: The software automatically routes invoices to the appropriate person(s) for approval based on pre-defined rules.Approvers can review invoices electronically and provide their approval within the system. - Automated payments: Once approved, the software can initiate payments electronically through various methods like ACH or wire transfer. - Record keeping and reporting: The software stores all invoices and payment information electronically for easy access and retrieval. It can also generate reports on spending trends, vendor performance, and other key metrics. ### What ERPs does Brex connect to? Brex [integrates](https://www.brex.com/product/integrations) with nearly every ERP, including NetSuite, QuickBooks Online, Xero, and Sage Intacct — allowing you to sync data bidirectionally in real time. Once your ERP is connected, your accounting fields will be imported and available for use on Brex transactions. Importing ERP metadata brings accounting categories that are important to your reporting process into Brex. And exporting Brex expense data directly to your general ledger allows you to close your books faster and reduce errors. You can also save templated CSVs tailored to your ERP to make closing the books easier every month. ### How does accounts payable automation software overcome common AP challenges? By simplifying the entire AP process in a centralized place. For example, manually handling invoices can lead to a ton of errors, delays, and lost documents. By automating the process such as with Brex [bill pay](https://www.brex.com/product/bill-pay), you minimize these risks by handling everything from invoice creation through to approvals within one automation software like Brex. This not only reduces the time it takes to manage your AP, it reduces errors and increases efficiency. With Brex [purchase cards](https://www.brex.com/product/credit-card/purchase-card), you can set up automated, PO-like approval flows with preset controls to avoid delays in critical procurement processes. Accounts payable automation also gives businesses more visibility and control over their financial data. Traditional AP processes often lack real-time insights, making it difficult to track expenses and manage cash flow effectively. [Accounting automation tools](https://www.brex.com/platform/accounting-automation) offer dashboards and reporting features that allow finance teams to monitor spending, identify bottlenecks, and forecast future expenses instantly. This level of visibility enables organizations to make informed decisions, optimize cash management, and better adhere to budgets. ### What AI-powered features does Brex offer for smarter accounts payable automation? Brex offers several [AI-powered features](https://www.brex.com/platform/brex-ai), including intelligent invoice matching and automated data extraction. These tools leverage machine learning algorithms to automatically match invoices with purchase orders and receipts, significantly reducing the time spent manual verifying items. Brex can also capture invoices, draft payments, and generate receipts and memos all without human data entry for greater accuracy and expense compliance across [corporate cards](https://www.brex.com/product/credit-card), travel, and invoice spend. This intelligent approach allows finance teams to focus on strategic tasks rather than routine administrative work. ### How can you integrate Brex's accounts payable automation software with your existing ERP? Brex [integrates](https://www.brex.com/product/integrations) with nearly every ERP, including [NetSuite](https://www.brex.com/product/integrations/netsuite), QuickBooks Online, Xero, and [Sage Intacct](https://www.brex.com/product/integrations/sage-intacct) — allowing you to sync data in real time across platforms. Once synced, your [purchase card](https://www.brex.com/product/credit-card/purchase-card) and bill pay transactions will be automatically mapped to your ERP fields and GL codes, and you can view all your spend in one place, in real time. ### What is Brex's approach to eliminating manual workflows through AP automation? Through an AI-powered platform, Brex eliminates the manual work from your workflow by automating more steps of the process. You can capture invoices, draft payments, and generate receipts and memos all without manual, human data entry. This results in: - Scalability and flexibility: AI helps process more invoices and payments without adding resources. Plus, you can transfer purchase cards instantly when employees leave. - Better decision making: Get a single source of truth for all spend, use automation to control it before and when it happens, and get insights to adjust it in real time for maximum impact. - Efficiency and savings: Let machine learning catch duplicate costs or find opportunities for discounts with recurring vendors for you, and eliminate manual work and overpayments. - Tax and audit readiness: Capture and organize massive amounts of spend data without human error or effort to ensure accurate record keeping for compliance with tax laws. ### How does Brex's accounts payable automation software enhance financial control? Brex's AP automation software enhances financial control by providing real-time visibility into spending and cash flow management. The platform allows finance teams to track all invoices, approvals, and payments in one centralized place, making it easier to monitor expenses and compliance. Plus, Brex allows for customizable approval workflows that ensures all spending aligns with budgets and spend policies — enhancing accountability. By offering detailed reporting and analytics, Brex empowers organizations to analyze spending patterns, forecast future expenses, and make more informed financial decisions.