Matching Algorithms in AP Software: What You Need to Know
Managing invoices manually? It's basically asking for chaos. You've got stacks of POs, receipts, and invoices floating around, and keeping everything in sync? Yeah, it's easier said than done.
At this point, adopting AP automation becomes a smart, strategic move. It's not just about going paperless or speeding things up—it's about creating a smarter, more reliable way to handle payments. And, the key point of this process is matching process—quietly working in the background to make sure everything checks out.
You might not think much about how an invoice gets matched to a PO or a receipt, but honestly, it's one of the most critical steps in avoiding payment errors, overcharges, or worse — fraud.
Remembering a case where a company paid twice for the same shipment just because things didn't line up properly. A solid matching algorithm could've flagged it instantly.
Ideally, this process would become quite streamlined, where purchase orders and receipts can easily match invoices. But not in reality. Errors quietly develop, such as duplicate invoices, missing documents, pricing errors, etc. These mistakes do not just mean accounting headaches; they can lead to overpayments, strained supplier relationships, and even compliance risks.
So, in this blog, we're exploring how these algorithms actually work, why they matter, and what businesses should know if they're serious about streamlining AP processes and keeping their finances squeaky clean.
Common Obstacles Businesses Encounter in Matching Process
Despite automation, businesses tend to face bottlenecks when it comes to matching invoices. These issues can delay approvals, lead to payment delays, and heighten the risk of errors or fraud. Some of the most typical ones include:
1. Incomplete or Inaccurate Data
If purchase orders (POs), invoices, or receipts lack essential details—such as item numbers, quantities, or prices—matching algorithms will not be able to validate the documents.
Example: A vendor invoice references a product as "Item A" whereas the PO has a different naming convention, confusing the system.
2. PO-Invoice Discrepancies
When the PO details doesn’t match up with the invoice—like quantity, price, or amounts of tax—the system can prompt a manual review of the document.
This slows things down and usually needs back-and-forth communication with vendors or internal stakeholders.
3. Missing Purchase Orders
Not all spending is accompanied by POs—particularly for small or one-off purchases. Matching these invoices is difficult and poses a threat of double or unauthorized payments.
Non-PO invoices often bypass the standard validation process.
4. Poor Vendor Practices
Vendors may send invoices with incorrect formatting, missing references, or inconsistent data, making it difficult for the system to complete a successful match.
Things like typos in company names or missing PO numbers are more common than you'd think.
5. Lack of Standardization Across Departments
If other teams are employing multiple systems or processes, there will be differences in how the documents are constructed and managed—making the matching more difficult.
Finance could use a structured format, yet procurement continues to work from email and spreadsheet.
6. Limited Tolerance Settings
A few systems are too draconian—filing even minimal acceptable differences in invoice and PO information (such as rounding differences or minor taxation variances), causing undue hold-ups.
Setting smarter, more flexible thresholds can help minimize false mismatches.
7. Manual Exception Handling
If the system is unable to finish a match, someone must intervene by hand. Without a streamlined process for exception handling, invoices may remain unresolved for days—or even weeks.
This impacts cash flow, vendor relations, and readiness for audits.
8. Lack of Integration with Other Systems
If your AP software doesn't fully integrate with your ERP, procurement, or inventory systems, the reconciliation process becomes disjoined and unreliable.
Core Matching Processes in the Accounts Payable Cycle
2-Way Matching in Accounts Payable
Let's begin with the fundamentals—2-way matching. It's the easiest and fastest method of invoice verification employed in accounts payable. Under 2-way matching, the system verifies two documents: the purchase order (PO) and the invoice. The intention? To get a confirmation of what was purchased equates to what is being charged. Simple enough, isn't it?
Thus, for instance, if your company bought 10 laptops at $800 per unit, the invoice would read just that—10 units, $800 each. If it does not match, the payment is flagged for verification. This approach accelerates the invoice processing cycle and is typically best suited for low-risk, low-value transactions where merchandise does not need to be physically received or inspected.
It's fast, effective, and in all honesty, it does the trick—until it gets a little more complex.
3-Way Matching in Accounts Payable
As things go along, things become interesting—3-way matching. This method includes an additional layer of confirmation by adding a third document to the process: the receipt of goods or services (also referred to as a goods receipt note or delivery confirmation).
So, rather than comparing only the PO and the invoice, you're also verifying what actually arrived. That can make a huge difference in catching errors before money exchanges hands.
N-Way Matching Mechanism
And then there's the big one—n-way matching. If you're in a complex purchasing environment (think: manufacturing, construction, or big supply chain ops), this might be the gold standard.
With n-way matching, you go beyond the standard three documents and start validating everything involved in the purchasing process—POs, invoices, receipts, inspection reports, contract terms… whatever needs to be reviewed for that transaction to be cleared.
It might sound like too much, but have faith, when you're dealing with multiple shipments, milestone-based payments, or highly customized orders, this kind of matching can be a life-saver. It prevents costly mistakes and keeps fraud at bay by ensuring there is verification at every step in the procurement and delivery chain.
Interestingly, in one client implementation, I saw, they actually caught a vendor trying to sneak in extra shipping charges that weren't part of the agreement—just because their n-way match flagged it, saved them thousands.
How does this help businesses? A few ways:
Better Accuracy: Let's be honest, mistakes happen. Prices can get entered wrong, quantities might not match, and sometimes items are back ordered or delivered in parts. By comparing the PO, invoice, and receipt, you're far more likely to spot issues early.
Fraud Prevention: Not to sound paranoid, but fraud is a thing—especially when dealing with large volumes of invoices. 3-way matching helps sniff out suspicious invoices that don't match any actual delivery or purchase order.
Improved Internal Controls: Having this process in place shows that your team has structure and accountability. It's something auditors and compliance teams appreciate, and it reduces the risk of errors slipping through the cracks.
Is it a bit more effort than 2-way matching? Sure. But for high-value or high-risk transactions, it's worth it.
How Does SutiAP Help?
• Prevents overpayment: The matching process lowers the chances of overpaying a supplier and protects companies from avoidable expenditure. It also ensures that having correct data saves time and money.
• Assists in auditing: The matching process simplifies auditing and accounting. Proper documentation ensures that the purchasing process is transparent.
• Strengthens supplier relations: The matching process enhances and builds strong supplier relations by paying suppliers on time.
• Enhanced Accuracy: With AP software, invoice data are matched with enterprise resource planning (ERP), where duplicate/ fraudulent payments can easily be identified. Since each invoice can be imported, you need not enter invoices, which minimizes the chances of human error manually.
• Easy auditing: Automation facilitates the auditing process since it can readily connect all the documents and messages associated with every transaction and match receipts with invoices and purchase orders.
• Accuracy: Automation ensures accuracy by avoiding human mistakes and discrepancies using standardized algorithms.
• Efficiency: Automation simplifies invoice settlement against POs and accelerates invoice processing.
• Cost Savings: Reduces the expense of manual labor involved in the matching process to lower operational costs involved in doing the task.
Conclusion
Matching algorithms may quietly work behind the scenes, but their impact on Accounts Payable operations is substantial.
By automating the comparison of invoices, purchase orders, receipts, and even quality checks, these algorithms help finance teams catch errors, prevent fraud, and accelerate approvals.
As businesses grow and shift towards digital-first finance operations, the need for accurate, intelligent, and flexible matching becomes essential. Whether you’re relying on 2-way, 3-way, or even n-way matching, the right AP software can dramatically reduce manual effort, improve compliance, and give you full control over your financial workflows.
SutiAP is built with powerful, AI-driven matching algorithms that simplify invoice processing, reduce exceptions, and ensure every payment is accurate and audit-ready. If you're looking to modernize your AP processes and reduce risk, SutiAP is the smart choice to help you get there.