Accounts Payable Operations

How Big Can an Accounts Payable Department Really Get?

Accounts Payable is often described as a “back-office” function, but at scale, it becomes a major operational engine. This article examines what the largest Accounts Payable departments in the United States actually look like today, using conservative, defensible benchmarks rather than inflated estimates or guesswork.

First, let’s define scope (this matters)

For clarity, “Accounts Payable” in this article refers to:
Vendor invoice processing, supplier payments, AP help desk activity, and exception handling.

It does not include:
Procurement, payroll, insurance claims, customer refunds, treasury investing, or benefits administration, unless explicitly stated.

Many published headcount estimates become misleading because they quietly expand the definition of AP. The ranges below intentionally stay narrow and conservative.

Executive handout (PDF)

For readers who want a concise, executive-safe summary of the definitions and benchmarks used in this article, APPG has prepared a short Executive FAQ on Accounts Payable headcount and scale.

View the Executive FAQ (PDF)

So, how big is the biggest Accounts Payable department?

Based on AP benchmarking data, shared services research, and observed operating models, the largest modern, in-house Accounts Payable organizations in U.S.-based companies typically fall within this range:

Practical upper range (modern enterprises):
500 to 1,200 Accounts Payable full-time equivalents (FTEs)

In rare cases with unusually high invoice complexity or limited automation, totals may approach about 2,000 FTEs, but this is not typical.

Why do Accounts Payable headcounts vary so much?

• Invoice volume: Millions of invoices per year require scale, even with automation.
• Invoice complexity: Services, partial shipments, and multi-PO invoices increase manual work.
• Automation maturity: Best-in-class teams process 25,000–30,000 invoices per FTE.
• Centralization model: Shared services are often 30–40% more efficient.
• Scope definition: What counts as “AP” varies widely between organizations.

Supplementary executive reference

For readers who want a concise, forwardable summary of the definitions, benchmarks, and framing used in this article, APPG has prepared a short executive FAQ on Accounts Payable headcount and scale.

View the Executive FAQ (PDF)

Sources and methodology

This article synthesizes publicly available benchmarking data, industry research, and practitioner insights, including commonly referenced metrics from APQC and IOFM related to invoices per FTE, staffing efficiency, cost per invoice, and automation maturity. Ranges reflect practical operating models rather than theoretical maximums.

Accounts Payable Around the World

APPG Quick Read

Accounts Payable Around the World (Same Job, Different Words)

AP is global. The invoices change, currencies change, even the tools change, but the mission stays the same: keep vendors paid and the business moving. What’s fun is what AP is called in different places.

One function, many names

Work in Accounts Payable long enough and you’ll notice a pattern: different languages describe AP in slightly different ways. Some emphasize “accounts.” Others emphasize “suppliers.” A few go straight to “money we owe,” which feels extremely AP.

A quick world tour

In Spanish and Portuguese, it’s refreshingly direct (literally “accounts to pay”). In French and Italian, the focus shifts to the vendor or supplier. German takes the scenic route with a longer phrase that reads like “liabilities from deliveries and services” (no shortcuts, just precision). Head north and you’ll see the “supplier debt” theme across the Nordics. In many Asian languages, the meaning lands close to “accounts that should be paid” or “purchase liabilities.”

Different words, same responsibility: trust, timing, accuracy, and strong vendor relationships.

Common translations for “Accounts Payable”

Note: These are common business and accounting terms, not just literal translations.

Language	Common term
Spanish	Cuentas por pagar
French	Comptes fournisseurs
German	Verbindlichkeiten aus Lieferungen und Leistungen (often shortened to Verbindlichkeiten)
Italian	Conti fornitori
Portuguese (Brazil / Portugal)	Contas a pagar
Dutch	Crediteuren
Swedish	Leverantörsskulder
Norwegian	Leverandørgjeld
Danish	Leverandørgæld
Finnish	Ostovelat
Polish	Zobowiązania handlowe
Czech	Závazky vůči dodavatelům
Hungarian	Szállítói kötelezettségek
Romanian	Datorii către furnizori
Greek	Υποχρεώσεις προς προμηθευτές
Russian	Кредиторская задолженность
Ukrainian	Кредиторська заборгованість
Turkish	Borç hesapları
Arabic	الحسابات الدائنة
Hebrew	ספקים / חשבונות לתשלום
Hindi	देय खाते
Chinese (Simplified)	应付账款
Chinese (Traditional)	應付帳款
Japanese	買掛金
Korean	매입채무
Thai	เจ้าหนี้การค้า
Vietnamese	Phải trả người bán
Indonesian	Utang usaha

What this tells us about AP

• Supplier-first language: Many regions talk about the vendor or supplier first (because that’s who feels the impact).
• Debt and obligations: Plenty of translations highlight “liability” or “debt,” which is the accounting reality.
• Action-oriented: Some versions basically say “what must be paid,” which is the most honest definition of AP on earth.

Quick question for the APPG community:

If you’ve worked with international teams or global vendors, what’s the biggest communication challenge you’ve run into (terms, payment methods, tax forms, time zones, something else)?

Visit AP-Professionals.com

AI Invoice Scams

Image by DC Studio / Freepik

AI Is Making Invoice Scams Smarter: How AP Teams Can Stay Ahead

AI has made fraud attempts look more legitimate, from convincing invoices to vendor email impersonation and urgency tactics that pressure AP teams to pay fast. The good news is that the strongest defenses are still practical and repeatable.

Why AI Has Supercharged Invoice Fraud

Business email compromise (BEC) remains one of the most costly fraud patterns for organizations, and AI lowers the effort it takes to imitate vendor language, fabricate documents, and tailor messages to your process.

How to Protect Your AP Process

Start with these five controls:

1. Require two-person verification. One person enters, another approves. Make it standard, not optional.
2. Verify vendor changes using trusted contact information. Confirm banking or remit-to updates by calling or messaging the vendor using details already on file, not what appears in the request.
3. Create an “expected invoice” habit. Regular check-ins with purchasing and operations help you spot surprises early.
4. Slow down urgency. New email domains, odd tone, or “pay today” pressure should trigger a pause and verification.
5. Train like fraud evolves (because it does). Short refreshers beat annual once-and-done training.

A 3-Minute AP Fraud Self-Check

Use this quick checklist to spot gaps in your current process. If you hesitate on any item, it is worth tightening.

• Vendor changes: Do bank or remit-to updates require independent verification using previously saved contact details?
• Approvals: Are invoice entry and payment approval always handled by separate people, even under time pressure?
• Urgency signals: Does your team know to pause when emails push same-day payment, secrecy, or last-minute changes?
• Invoice quality: Would an AI-generated invoice blend in perfectly with your real ones today?
• Training cadence: Has your team discussed fraud scenarios within the last 90 days?

Tip: If you answered “not sure” to more than one item, that uncertainty is exactly what fraudsters exploit.

Looking Ahead

Finance teams are increasingly looking at AI for practical workflow automation and fraud detection, but strong controls and clean vendor data still do the heavy lifting.

Rule of thumb: When something feels off, verify first. Over-communicating is cheaper than cleaning up a bad payment.

Join the Accounts Payable Professionals Group

What fraud signal has your team seen most recently, vendor change requests, urgency pressure, or invoice formatting that looks “too perfect”?

Sources

• FBI: Business Email Compromise
• CFO.com: Payments fraud remains rampant
• CFO.com: Invoice fraud costs and deepfakes
• CFO.com: Gartner finance conference takeaways

Disclosure: Some links may be affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Stress, go away. Top 5 products to combat it

Written by Stephanie Danielle Garcia.

Work can take a real toll on a person’s well being. Stress is often the first sign that things are out of balance, both at work and in everyday life. So how do we calm the mind, relax the body, and bring things back to center?

Here are my top 5 products to help melt stress away.

Quick list: Eye mask | Headphones | Diffuser | Shower steamers | Tea

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1. USB-Powered Heated Eye Mask with Massage

Eye strain and tension headaches are two of the most common signs of stress. One simple solution is a heated steam eye mask. The gentle warmth helps relax tight muscles around the eyes and temples, creating the perfect moment of decompression.

Check price on Walmart

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2. Noise canceling headphones

A noisy office, honking traffic, or loud household can make it hard to relax. Noise canceling headphones lower the background chaos and create a personal bubble of quiet or music. They are one of the best investments for peace of mind. My personal favorite brand is Bose.

Check price on Walmart

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3. Aromatherapy diffusers

There is nothing better than walking into a room that feels peaceful the moment you enter it. A diffuser with essential oils can transform your space with calming scents like lavender, eucalyptus, or chamomile. It is a simple way to create an atmosphere that supports relaxation.

Check price on Walmart

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4. Shower steamers

A warm shower already feels relaxing. When you add shower steamers infused with essential oils, it becomes a full stress relieving ritual. These dissolve in the steam and fill your shower with soothing aromas. They are especially great before bed to wash the day away.

Check price on Walmart

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5. Tea

A cup of tea can work wonders for the mind and body. Herbal teas like chamomile, lemon balm, lavender, and peppermint contain natural compounds that support relaxation. Tea has been used for centuries because it works. Take a break from coffee and make space for something calming.

Check price on Walmart

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However you choose to unwind, remember that stress relief is not a luxury, it is a form of self care that helps you show up better at work and at home.

4-Day Workweek

AP teams live on service levels, vendor response, and month-end deadlines. Can a 4-day workweek fit that reality?

Could Accounts Payable Teams Make a 4-Day Workweek Work?

In this article

1. Why AP leaders are looking at a 4-day week
2. Where AP is different, risk and control
3. Coverage models that can work
4. Month-end close, practical playbook
5. Automation that closes the gap
6. What pilots and studies say
7. Open questions for the AP community

1) Why AP leaders are looking at a 4-day week

Across multiple pilots, companies reported improved well-being, lower burnout, and stable or better revenue after switching to a 4-day model. In the UK's coordinated pilot, ninety two percent of participating companies kept the policy, with stress and burnout falling, and revenue holding or improving.

2) Where AP is different, risk and control

AP is a service hub, not a back-office island. Vendor inquiries, urgent payment runs, check and ACH cycles, fraud controls, and approval routing all require predictable availability. Any redesign must preserve SLAs, segregation of duties, and audit trails, while keeping reconciliation and close timelines intact. Guidance from HR and operations groups highlights policy clarity and coverage rules as success factors, which is highly relevant to AP.

3) Coverage models that can work

• Staggered teams (Team A Mon to Thu, Team B Tue to Fri), creates five day vendor coverage with individual four day weeks.
• Core day model (all hands Tue to Thu, rotating Mon or Fri), preserves collaboration while maintaining external support.
• Compressed hours (four 10 hour days), useful for AP groups with daily processing cycles that cannot shrink.
• Follow the sun coverage for global AP teams, pairing regions to reduce overtime at month end.

4) Month-end close, practical playbook

Goal: maintain DPO targets, aging discipline, and close calendar while protecting staff well-being and focus time.

1. Front-load approvals during core days, auto-remind approvers, enable mobile approvals for executives.
2. Green lane processing for critical vendors and statutory payments, publish cutoff dates a week in advance.
3. Split responsibilities by role, with clear ownership for accrual prep versus journal posting.
4. Daily 15 minute huddles during the close window to surface blockers quickly.
5. Exception dashboards to track duplicates, holds, missing POs, and SLA risks.

5) Automation that closes the gap

Shorter workweeks work best when routine tasks are automated. Key enablers include invoice digitization, automated three way match, vendor self service portals, automatic reminder workflows for approvers, and exception routing rules. HR and operations sources emphasize that policy clarity and process design must come before structural schedule changes, which aligns closely with AP workflow design.

6) What the pilots and studies say

• UK 4-Day Week pilot, sixty one companies, most kept the policy, stress and burnout down, revenue stable or improved.
• Iceland national trials, productivity held or improved, service levels stable, well-being significantly improved.
• Microsoft Japan experiment, productivity up roughly forty percent, electricity and printing costs down.
• Implementation cautions, coverage rules, eligibility standards, overtime controls, and performance baselines must be set before launch.

7) Open questions for the AP community

• How would vendor response time SLAs be maintained on shortened staffing days?
• Which close tasks would you shift earlier, and what would you automate first?
• Would you publish a vendor-facing service calendar?
• Which metrics would you report to leadership if you ran a pilot?

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References and further reading

1. UK four day week pilot results, continuation rates, stress and burnout reductions, revenue impact.
2. University of Cambridge summary of UK findings, sick day and retention improvements.
3. Iceland shorter workweek trials, productivity and service maintained or improved.
4. Microsoft Japan experiment, reported productivity and cost effects.
5. SHRM guidance on implementing four day policies and what employers should know.
6. apa.org | The rise of the 4-day workweek
7. opm.gov | Alternative Work Schedules

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Robert Ruhno Director Accounts Payable Professionals Group

🟥 LinkedIn 🟧 X (formerly Twitter) ⏹️ Facebook 🟨 Instagram

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When Vendors Keep Calling: 

Handling Payment Pressure in Accounts Payable

Anyone who has worked in Accounts Payable knows the feeling of getting call after call from vendors asking when they are going to be paid. It can be stressful, especially when you know that payments are scheduled but not yet released, and you may not even have the authority to release them yourself.

The first thing to remember is that these calls are not always personal. Most vendor representatives in Accounts Receivable are required to make regular follow-up calls as part of their process. They have checklists and call logs to complete, and their job performance often depends on showing that they have made contact. So even if they do not get a firm payment date, logging the call still counts as progress on their end.

From the AP side, it helps to have clear internal communication. If payments are being delayed due to cash flow decisions, that decision should not sit solely on the shoulders of the AP team. Once vendor inquiries become frequent or escalate in tone, it is time to involve the decision makers, such as the CFO, controller, or accounting manager.

AP’s role is to ensure invoices are received, processed, and ready for payment. But if funds are being strategically held, the responsibility to explain or manage vendor expectations should be shared by leadership. This not only relieves pressure on AP but also ensures consistency in messaging.

At the end of the day, vendor relationships are built on communication and trust. A professional, empathetic response, supported by management, goes a long way toward maintaining both.

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Robert Ruhno Director Accounts Payable Professionals Group

🟥 LinkedIn 🟧 X (formerly Twitter) ⏹️ Facebook 🟨 Instagram

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Connect with more than 65,000 AP professionals worldwide and share insights, job opportunities, and best practices.

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What do you do?

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“What Do You Do?” (A Moment That Speaks Volumes About Accounts Payable)

Inspired by an Instagram street interview

Sometimes, a quick question on the street captures more truth than a thousand surveys. In one Instagram clip, a passerby was asked, “What do you do?” Her answer, and what followed, says a lot about the quiet strength of Accounts Payable professionals.

Q: What do you do?

A: Accounts Payable.

Q: How long you been doing that?

A: 20 years plus.

Q: What do you like most about it?

A: It suits my lifestyle. I can pick up my kids by 6. It fits my life.

That brief exchange, originally shared on social media, has been making its way through professional circles because it captures something many of us feel but rarely say out loud. Accounts Payable may not always be flashy, but it provides something priceless: balance, purpose, and stability.

Why it resonates

• Consistency and reliability are qualities that make AP professionals the backbone of finance teams.
• Work-life balance is a value that grows more important with every passing year.
• Quiet mastery shows the kind of excellence that does not need to shout.

“It suits my lifestyle.” For many in Accounts Payable, that is the true definition of success.

Join the Accounts Payable Professionals Group on LinkedIn (connect with 65k+ peers and share your own story).

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Support Our Community

Our sponsors help AP teams reduce errors and speed approvals (fewer late fees and happier vendors).

Want tailored guidance on AP automation and vendor spotlights? Book a 15 minute chat

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Robert Ruhno Director Accounts Payable Professionals Group

🟥 LinkedIn 🟧 X (formerly Twitter) ⏹️ Facebook 🟨 Instagram

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