Resource
AP Audit Guide
A practical AP audit starts by lining up invoices, payments, contracts, statements, rate sheets, and vendor accounts across the same service periods.
- Normalize vendor names, remit-to addresses, account identifiers, entity names, and location codes before comparing payments.
- Check credits and statements against the invoices, service periods, accounts, and payments they reference.
- Document the amount, discrepancy, source records, likely recovery path, and recommended next action for each finding.
Minimum file set
- AP payment export with vendor, invoice number, invoice date, payment date, payment reference, amount, entity, and account or location when available.
- Invoice PDFs or line-item exports for the target vendor categories.
- Contracts, rate sheets, POs, statements, credit memos, and vendor correspondence for high-value or disputed accounts.
Review logic that catches real issues
- Match exact and near-duplicate payments by vendor account, amount, service period, invoice reference, and entity.
- Compare line-item rates to the governing contract or rate sheet effective on the invoice date.
- Reconcile vendor statements against payments and credits so unapplied balances do not disappear inside month-end close.
- Separate recoverable overcharges from future negotiation ideas before reporting totals.