Accounts payable (AP), or “payables,” refer to a company’s short-term obligations owed to its creditors or suppliers, which have not yet been paid. Payables appear on a company’s balance sheet as a current liability.
Another, less common usage of “AP,” refers to the business department or division that is responsible for making payments owed by the company to suppliers and other creditors.
A company’s total accounts payable balance at a specific point in time will appear on its balance sheet under the current liabilities section. Accounts payable are obligations that must be paid off within a given period to avoid default. At the corporate level, AP refers to short-term payments due to suppliers. The payable is essentially a short-term IOU from one business to another business or entity. The other party would record the transaction as an increase to its accounts receivable in the same amount.
AP is an important figure in a company’s balance sheet. If AP increases over a prior period, that means the company is buying more goods or services on credit, rather than paying cash. If a company’s AP decreases, it means the company is paying its prior period obligations at a faster rate than it is purchasing new items on credit. Accounts payable management is critical in managing a business’s cash flow.
When using the indirect method to prepare the cash flow statement, the net increase or decrease in AP from the prior period appears in the top section, the cash flow from operating activities. Management can use AP to manipulate the company’s cash flow to a certain extent. For example, if management wants to increase cash reserves for a certain period, they can extend the time the business takes to pay all outstanding accounts in AP.
However, this flexibility to pay later must be weighed against the ongoing relationships the company has with its vendors. It’s always good business practice to pay bills by their due dates.
Receivables represent funds owed to the firm for services rendered and are booked as an asset. Accounts payable, on the other hand, represent funds that the firm owes to others. For example, payments due to suppliers or creditors. Payables are booked as liabilities.