Creating an Efficient Accounts Payable Policy & Procedures Manual

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A good policy and procedures manual should provide a roadmap for how any accounts payable function is run. It will help your staff avoid making duplicate or erroneous payments. It can provide assistance in shortening audits and help with training.

In this webinar, you'll learn how to create and update your accounts payable policy and improve the efficiency of your accounts payable function. 

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

  • Create an accounts payable policy from scratch without sidelining a staffer
  • Update an existing policy that hasn't been changed in years
  • Utilize your policy to run a more efficient accounts payable function
  • Avoid errors and fraud by correctly setting up the policy
  • Explain how to make the policy more user-friendly

Added Bonus Value: Each attendee will receive a three-page outline they can use to create a policy and procedures manual for their own organization.

Learning Objectives:

  • You will learn to create an accounts payable policy from scratch
  • You will learn to avoid errors and fraud
  • You will learn to make the policy more user-friendly
  1. Introduction
  2. Agenda 00:02:58
  3. Introductory Remarks 00:03:56
  4. AP Manuals and Remote Work 00:03:59
  5. What is a Policy and Procedures Manual? 00:07:47
  6. The State of AP Policy and Procedures Manual 00:10:06
  7. What It Is Not 00:11:28
  8. Crisis Management 00:12:16
  9. Problem #1 00:12:32
  10. The Remote Work Dilemma 00:15:25
  11. Remote Working Expenses  - Having A Policy 00:16:46
  12. Remote Working -  Expectations Of Problems And Issues 00:17:54
  13. Remote Work: Reimbursement Policy -  Update The Policy 00:19:06
  14. Remote Work: Reimbursement Policy - Employees And Unions 00:19:33
  15. Remote Work: Reimbursement Policy - Last Considerations 00:20:02
  16. The $15 hour Minimum Wage 00:20:58
  17. More on Minimum Wage As Of January 1, 2023 00:21:42
  18. Getting the Most Out of Your Manual 00:22:27
  19. What the Manual Represents 00:22:35
  20. Let’s Get the Most Out of It 00:23:39
  21. Documentation 00:24:22
  22. Training Guide 00:27:52
  23. Reference Guide 00:29:01
  24. Help with Auditors 00:31:47
  25. Other Ways 00:34:33
  26. What to Include/Not Include 00:37:36
  27. A Manual That Works 00:37:41
  28. Instructions 00:40:13
  29. Shareable Pages 00:43:11
  30. Just AP Processes or More 00:44:49
  31. Addendums 00:46:16
  32. Getting Started 00:48:51
  33. When You Have Nothing 00:48:53
  34. Borrow 00:49:31
  35. Using Someone Else’s Policy 00:51:19
  36. Creating From Scratch 00:54:14
  37. After the Outline 00:56:29
  38. When the First Draft is Completed 00:58:55
  39. Reviewing Accuracy Comments 01:00:24
  40. Creating the Final Document 01:01:31
  41. The Final Manual 01:03:42
  42. Tips on Creating a User-Friendly Manual 01:04:59
  43. Don’t Be Overwhelmed 01:05:03
  44. Where to Start 01:06:49
  45. Making the Policy Readable 01:09:34
  46. Making the Policy User-Friendly 01:10:56
  47. Things to Avoid 01:01:11:51
  48. The Importance of a Table of Contents 01:14:04
  49. Sample Information for Each Section 01:15:47
  50. Should the Manual Be Printed? 01:17:09
  51. Using AI 01:18:46
  52. AI Tools 01:18:53
  53. How to Use AI 01:19:39
  54. How You Can Use AI 01:21:36
  55. Some Caveats 01:25:54
  56. Can I Use It For Updates? 01:26:56
  57. Updating the Policy 01:28:20
  58. Frequency 01:28:25
  59. The Annual Review 01:31:24
  60. Reality Check: Frequency of Updates 01:34:09
  61. Timing of Review 01:35:00
  62. Best/Worst Practices 01:36:33
  63. Best Practices 01:38:38
  64. Worst Practices 01:38:04
  65. Worst Practices (Cont’d) 01:39:27
  66. Concluding Thoughts 01:39:56
  67. Don’t’ Forget 01:39:59
  68. Thank You/Questions/Comments 01:41:33
  69. Presentation Closing 01:42:31
  • Mary Schaeffer

    Mary Schaeffer

    Mary S. Schaeffer is the founder of AP Now, a B2B organization focused on creating business intelligence around the accounts payable and payment functions. She has written 18 business books and is a frequent and popular speaker at both online and live events. Schaeffer has created a number of CPE se [...]

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ATATX Credit

Aurora Training Advantage is offering continuing education points designed to recognize dedication to training and excellence in accounting.
  • Accounts Payable (AP) 00:00:07, 00:04:53, 00:08:32, 00:21:25, 00:22:56, 00:31:10, 00:45:04, 00:55:14
  • Addendum 00:46:29
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) 00:03:44, 01:18:50
  • Audit 00:31:58, 01:36:10
  • Bard 01:19:14
  • ChatGPT 01:19:11
  • Expense Reimbursement 00:07:09, 00:16:56, 00:18:23
  • Expense Report 00:35:03, 00:42:46
  • Form 1099-MISC 00:05:45 
  • Form 1099-NEC 00:05:49
  • Form W-9 00:44:07, 01:11:46
  • Invoice 01:33:22
  • Minimum Wage 00:20:20, 00:21:10
  • PDF 00:44:16, 01:17:16
  • Policy and Procedures Manual 00:00:08, 00:03:50, 00:08:00, 00:12:19, 00:24:20, 00:31:10, 00:34:42, 00:38:40, 00:48:27, 00:50:59
  • Purchase Order 00:39:24
  • Vendor 00:44:07, 01:11:51
  • Wage 00:20:34

Accounts Payable (AP): The amount of money a company owes creditors (suppliers, etc.) in return for goods and/or services they have delivered.

Addendum: An addendum or appendix, in general, is an addition required to be made to a document by its author subsequent to its printing or publication.

Artificial Intelligence (AI): Artificial intelligence is intelligence demonstrated by machines, as opposed to the natural intelligence displayed by humans or animals.

Audit: A formal examination of an organization's or individual's accounts or financial situation

Bard: Bard is a conversational generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Google, based initially on the LaMDA family of large language models and later PaLM.

ChatGPT: ChatGPT, which stands for Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer, is a large language model-based chatbot developed by OpenAI and launched on November 30, 2022, notable for enabling users to refine and steer a conversation towards a desired length, format, style, level of detail, and language used.

Expense Reimbursement: Expense reimbursement is a method for paying employees back when they spend their own money on business-related expenses. These expenses generally occur when an employee is traveling for business but can occur in other work-related situations. (www.thebalancecareers.com)

Expense Report: A report that tracks expenses incurred during the course of performing necessary job functions. Examples include charges for gas, meals, parking or lodging. If your employees spend a lot of money in cash, you need to make sure you have them list these expenditures on an expense report form.

Form 1099-MISC: The Form 1099-MISC is an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax return document used to report miscellaneous payments made to nonemployee individuals, such as independent contractors, during the calendar year. (www.shrm.org)

Form 1099-NEC: In the context of 1099 tax filing, NEC stands for “Nonemployee Compensation” (the first letters of the three words None, Employee and Compensation). Most tax payers recognize NEC as box 7 on Form 1099-MISC. NEC is used to report income paid to independent-contractors / the-self-employed (referred to as 1099 employees for simplification purposes). So, while employers report income that gets paid to employees on Box 1 (Wages, tips, other compensation) of the W2 form, payers report income that gets paid to none-employees on Box 7 (NEC) of the 1099-MISC form. As an individual, if you received form 1099-MISC instead of Form W-2 then the payer did not consider you an employee and did not withhold income tax or social security and Medicare tax.

Form W-9: Form W-9 (officially, the "Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification") is used in the United States income tax system by a third party who must file an information return with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It requests the name, address, and taxpayer identification information of a taxpayer (in the form of a Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number). - Wikipedia (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/)

Invoice: An invoice, bill or tab is a commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer, relating to a sale transaction and indicating the products, quantities, and agreed prices for products or services the seller had provided the buyer. Payment terms are usually stated on the invoice.

Minimum Wage: The lowest wage paid or permitted to be paid specifically fixed by a legal authority or by contract as the least that may be paid either to employed persons generally or to a particular category of employed persons.

PDF: Portable Document Format, a universal document format created by Adobe that allows cross-platform compatibility of documents.

Policy and Procedures Manual: A policies and procedures manual is a comprehensive text that details every aspect of company policy, the procedures for following those policies and the forms needed to complete each process. A policies and procedures manual is a reference tool for managers and supervisors.

Purchase Order: A legal contract between a buyer and a vendor. It lists the materials or services to be purchased on specified terms and conditions (quantity, price / pricing conditions, delivery date).

Vendor: A vendor is a person or business that supplies goods or services to a company. Another term for the vendor is the supplier. In many situations, a company presents the vendor with a purchase order stating the goods or services needed, the price, delivery date, and other terms.

Wage: A fixed regular payment, typically paid on a daily or weekly basis, made by an employer to an employee, especially to a manual or unskilled worker.

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Webinar Survey Overall Rating

This webinar received a total of 8 survey responses. Attendees have given an average rating of 4.3 stars out of a possible 5, reflecting the quality and value of the content presented.

Average rating

4.3 / 5
Webinar Presentation
How many of the objectives of the event were met?
4.4 Stars
How useful was the information presented at this event?
4.1 Stars
Overall, how satisfied were you with this event?
4.0 Stars
Speaker Performance
Overall, how satisfied were you with this presenter?
4.3 Stars
How closely did the presenter follow the schedule?
4.9 Stars

Reviews From Webinar Survey

Our webinars are crafted to deliver exceptional value and insight to business professionals. Below, you'll find genuine feedback from attendees.

George J.
October 15, 2025
5.0 / 5
Webinar Rating:
5.0 Stars
Speaker Rating:
5.0 Stars
Do you have any other comments, questions or concerns?
Very informative course.
Gina J.
October 23, 2023
4.2 / 5
Webinar Rating:
4.3 Stars
Speaker Rating:
4.0 Stars
Do you have any other comments, questions or concerns?
no comment
Paula D.
October 23, 2023
4.8 / 5
Webinar Rating:
4.7 Stars
Speaker Rating:
5.0 Stars
Do you have any other comments, questions or concerns?
Very good presenter
Robin G.
October 23, 2023
4.2 / 5
Webinar Rating:
4.0 Stars
Speaker Rating:
4.5 Stars
Do you have any other comments, questions or concerns?
A few sample outlines for a P&P would have been useful.
Melanie H.
October 23, 2023
2.6 / 5
Webinar Rating:
1.7 Stars
Speaker Rating:
4.0 Stars
Do you have any other comments, questions or concerns?
It would have been very useful if we had been given actual examples of AP manuals and policies, or an outline on how to create a manual. This was a very generic class and not very informative
Michelle O.
October 23, 2023
5.0 / 5
Webinar Rating:
5.0 Stars
Speaker Rating:
5.0 Stars
Do you have any other comments, questions or concerns?
Mary is always very informative!
Janean B.
October 23, 2023
4.4 / 5
Webinar Rating:
4.3 Stars
Speaker Rating:
4.5 Stars
Do you have any other comments, questions or concerns?
I enjoyed the content of the training session relating to AP procedure manuals but will incorporate for all processes within our Accounting department
Debra L.
October 23, 2023
4.4 / 5
Webinar Rating:
4.3 Stars
Speaker Rating:
4.5 Stars
Do you have any other comments, questions or concerns?
Would have like a blank policy outline.

Frequently Asked Questions

A comprehensive accounts payable policy and procedures manual should serve as a complete roadmap for how your AP function operates. Key sections include payment authorization workflows, vendor onboarding and W-9 requirements, invoice processing and approval procedures, expense reimbursement rules, duplicate payment prevention controls, and guidelines for handling Form 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC filings. The manual should also address remote work reimbursement policies, minimum wage compliance considerations, and crisis management protocols. According to AP expert Mary Schaeffer, founder of AP Now, the manual should function as both a training guide for new staff and a reference tool for auditors—helping shorten audits and reduce errors. Including a clear table of contents and shareable pages for specific departments makes it far more useful in day-to-day operations. Aurora Training Advantage's webinar on this topic provides a three-page outline attendees can use to build their own manual from scratch.
AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google Bard can meaningfully accelerate the creation and updating of accounts payable policy manuals, though they require careful oversight. These tools can help draft initial policy language, restructure existing sections, suggest industry-standard procedures, and identify gaps in coverage. AP expert Mary Schaeffer addresses AI usage directly in her webinar, explaining that AI works best when paired with a knowledgeable AP professional who can review output for accuracy and compliance. AI can also assist with annual policy reviews by generating suggested edits based on regulatory changes or operational updates you describe. Important caveats include verifying that AI-generated content reflects your organization's actual workflows and state-specific wage laws. AI is a drafting accelerant—not a replacement for subject matter expertise. Organizations using AI for policy work should always route draft content through an experienced AP manager or controller before finalizing.
A well-designed AP policy is one of the most effective fraud prevention tools available to finance teams. By clearly defining authorization levels, segregating duties between invoice receipt and payment approval, and establishing vendor verification procedures—including mandatory W-9 collection—organizations create multiple checkpoints that prevent unauthorized or erroneous payments. Policies that require purchase orders for all vendor transactions above a threshold eliminate many opportunities for fictitious invoice fraud. Duplicate payment controls should include three-way matching (PO, receipt, invoice), unique invoice number tracking, and periodic vendor statement reconciliations. AP expert Mary Schaeffer emphasizes that the policy must be actively used—not just filed away—and that training staff on its contents is essential. Regular policy updates ensure controls keep pace with operational changes, remote work dynamics, and new vendor relationships. The Aurora Training Advantage webinar on this topic includes specific guidance on configuring policies to minimize both intentional fraud and accidental errors.
A user-friendly AP procedures manual is one that staff actually consult—rather than avoid. Best practices include organizing the manual with a clear, detailed table of contents so users can navigate directly to relevant sections. Use plain language and avoid jargon; where technical terms are necessary, include a glossary. Break procedures into numbered steps with decision trees for common scenarios like disputed invoices or missing purchase orders. Incorporate visual aids such as flowcharts for approval workflows. Mary Schaeffer recommends including shareable pages that individual departments can extract without needing the full document. Digital-first formatting—PDF or searchable intranet documents—makes the manual easier to reference than printed binders. Avoid overloading the manual with addendums that obscure core procedures; keep addendums clearly labeled and separate. Finally, pilot the manual with new employees before finalizing—their confusion points reveal what needs clarification. Aurora Training Advantage's webinar covers these formatting and usability principles in depth.
AP policy manuals should undergo a formal annual review at minimum, with targeted updates triggered by specific events such as regulatory changes, system implementations, staffing restructures, or audit findings. Mary Schaeffer recommends scheduling the annual review at a consistent time each year—often tied to fiscal year-end or tax season prep—so it doesn't get deferred indefinitely. In practice, many organizations allow manuals to go years without updates, which creates compliance gaps, especially around areas like minimum wage laws, remote work reimbursement rules, and 1099 filing requirements that change frequently. A realistic update cadence also includes a mid-year scan for any urgent regulatory or operational changes that need immediate incorporation. When updating, version-control the document clearly with a revision date and change log. Some organizations also benefit from quarterly reviews of high-risk sections such as payment authorization limits and fraud controls. Aurora Training Advantage's webinar with Mary Schaeffer covers both the ideal frequency and a practical reality-check on what most organizations actually do.