AP automation often lands on the “someday” list of accounts payable leaders, despite the clear efficiency gains it brings. Yet waiting has a cost. Manual processing consumes staff hours, increases error rates, and delays reporting. The good news is that with some planning, budgeting for AP automation software is well within your reach.
Start by putting hard numbers to your existing processes. How many hours are spent keying invoices, chasing approvals, or correcting mistakes? What do you spend on labor, error correction, check issuance, and storage? Even modest error rates can be costly when multiplied across hundreds of invoices.
Creating a baseline lets you compare those costs to what automation delivers. AP automation software eliminates manual data entry and errors with AI-powered invoice capture, accelerates approvals through digital workflows, and posts directly to your ERP for payment. Build a simple model that projects time, error reduction, and paper costs saved annually. Present that in your budget conversations as future capacity your team gains back.
In addition to saving costs, automation generates revenue. Many organizations capture rebates through virtual payment cards. By routing more supplier payments digitally, your business can reduce check-processing costs and even earn back a percentage in rebates.
When assessing the best AP automation software, look for providers with integrated electronic payment options. The more you move away from paper checks, the more you offset implementation costs.
Funding automation doesn’t have to mean finding new money. Funding can come from existing allocations. For example:
For AP teams, this often means shifting tasks from clerical work to more analytical or vendor-facing roles once software reduces invoice handling. In effect, you are converting fixed staffing costs into scalable capacity.
If a full rollout feels out of reach, stage your approach. Many of the best AP automation solutions allow for phased deployments. For example, you can begin implementing invoice capture and approval routing, then layer on payments, reporting, or purchase requisitions later.
This spreads costs over multiple budget periods and helps your team adapt gradually. Phasing also provides early wins, giving leadership tangible proof of value before committing to additional modules.
Budgeting for AP automation is easier when you know the investment will pay off. Fraxion automates the entire accounts payable process, from invoice receipt and AI data extraction to approvals and posting for payment.
Finance teams gain accuracy, speed, and complete visibility, while reducing processing costs and compliance risks. If you’re planning next year’s budget, don’t postpone automation again. See how Fraxion helps finance leaders reduce costs and operate with confidence.
Explore Fraxion’s AP automation solution.
Most AP teams begin to see value within the first 3–6 months. Savings come from reduced processing time per invoice, fewer errors, lower paper and postage costs, and early-payment discounts. Some organizations offset software costs entirely through rebates from digital payments. Companies can expect 20 - 30% operational cost savings and 70-80% time savings for AP staff
No. The best AP automation software is built to integrate with systems like Microsoft Dynamics, Sage, QuickBooks, NetSuite, and others. Fraxion, for example, enhances your existing ERP by adding automation, visibility, and control—without the cost or disruption of replacing core financial tools.
You can phase the rollout. Many AP workflow solutions allow you to start with invoice capture and approval routing, then add payments, or even procurement later. You can also spread implementation costs over monthly payments.
Manual processes often leave gaps that create audit risks. AP automation centralizes records, enforces approval workflows, and generates a complete audit trail. With every invoice, PO, and approval tracked digitally, finance teams can produce reports quickly and confidently during audits.
For organizations needing a complete procure-to-pay solution, Fraxion offers AI-driven AP automation within its product suite for end-to-end spend management across the P2P life cycle. Additionally, Fraxion provides a standalone AP automation solution, powered by AI agents and augmented verification to ensure accuracy, speed up processes, and reduce errors. This standalone solution also enables easy non-PO invoice workflows with multiple approval levels and automates three-way matching with flexible tolerance settings, giving finance teams enhanced control, efficiency, and auditability.