How to Automate Your Accounts Payable Audit Trail

Having your organization’s financial statements and AP processes audited can be both stressful and time consuming. Technology has made it easier for AP audits though, thanks to automation. Audit trails complete with all of the connected documents, messages between team members in your company, and timestamps are included in robust AP automation systems.

Importance and Value of an Audit Trail

An audit trail or audit log is a history of every transaction and includes all of the documents involved in the purchasing and payment process, including messages between employees, invoices, purchase orders, and more. It is a record of all the steps involved in the transaction. The benefits of having a software-based audit trail in place include:

Fraud Prevention

Once employees realize that everything is being tracked by software, they will think twice about attempting something they shouldn’t. A good AP automation platform will record each and every transaction and auditing is usually the default setting.

Reduction of Manual Errors

How many times have people in accounting or finance spent hours searching for all the documents related to one transaction? A software audit trail can access all records instantly. The audit trail will also show corrections or other changes made to a transaction, and provide visibility into who made them and when.

Reduction of  Stress Levels

Tax audits can be painful and expose the business to tax penalty risk any time it happens. Audit fees are based on the time involved and paper processes will take up a considerable amount of it. Showing a lack of an audit trail, or having missing documents and transactions raises red flags for auditors, so it’s wise to ensure everything is available for review, and quickly.

Ensuring Compliance Regulations and Investor Concerns

Companies in every industry, whether they are regulated by government or other regulatory body, need to show that they are compliant with policies and procedures. As well, lenders and investors need to be assured that the organization is transparent and accountable for all the transactions it undertakes.

Comprehensive AP automation software is engineered to provide an audit trail complete with all of the documents and messages involved in each and every transaction.

For more information about EchoVera AP Automation with Archive & Audit, visit our solution page here.