> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vis42.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Accounts Payable

> Bill capture, approvals, and payments — with agents handling reminders and reconciliation.

## How Agents Handle This

Two agents work together on payables:

* **Mercury** notifies you when bills are due, sends approval reminders, and alerts your team to pending actions
* **Themis** reconciles payables against bank transactions, generates AP aging reports, and computes DPO (Days Payable Outstanding)

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card href="/agents/mercury" title="Mercury — Reminders & Notifications">
    Keeps your team informed about approvals and due dates
  </Card>

  <Card href="/agents/themis" title="Themis — Reconciliation & Reporting">
    Matches bills to bank transactions and tracks AP health
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Key Concepts

| Term                  | Meaning                                                  |
| --------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Bill**              | A supplier invoice you owe payment on                    |
| **Approval Workflow** | The review process before a bill is cleared for payment  |
| **DPO**               | Days Payable Outstanding — average days to pay suppliers |
| **Counterpart**       | The supplier record in VIS42                             |

## Bill Status Lifecycle

Draft → Pending Approval → Approved → Scheduled → **Paid** (or Rejected / Cancelled)

* **Draft** — Being entered
* **Pending Approval** — Submitted, awaiting review
* **Approved** — Cleared for payment
* **Scheduled** — Payment date set
* **Paid** — Settled
* **Rejected** — Denied (with reason), returned to draft
* **Cancelled** — Voided

## Capturing a Bill

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Payables → Bills and click New Bill">
    Upload a PDF, image, or paste text. VIS42's AI parser extracts supplier name, amount, due date, and line items automatically.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review extracted data">
    Confirm the parsed fields. Correct any misreads before proceeding.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign a counterpart">
    Link the bill to an existing supplier or create a new counterpart record.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Categorize and submit">
    Assign an expense category, then click Submit for Approval to enter the workflow.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Forward supplier emails directly to your VIS42 capture inbox to skip the upload step entirely. Ask support for your capture email address.
</Tip>

## Approving or Rejecting a Bill

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the bill from the Pending Approval queue">
    Approvers receive an in-app notification and email when a bill is waiting.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the bill details and attached document">
    Verify amounts, supplier, and category against the original document.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Approve or Reject">
    **Approve** moves the bill to Approved status, ready for payment scheduling.
    **Reject** requires a reason and returns the bill to Draft for correction.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Rejected bills are returned to the submitter with your rejection reason. The submitter must correct and re-submit — they do not auto-escalate.
</Warning>

## Scheduling a Payment

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open an Approved bill and click Schedule Payment">
    Set the payment date, amount, and payment method.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    The bill moves to Scheduled. Mercury will send a reminder as the date approaches.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Recording a Manual Payment

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the bill and click Record Payment">
    Use this for payments made outside VIS42 (bank transfer, cheque).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter amount, date, and reference">
    For partial payments, the bill remains open. Record additional payments until settled.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Best Practices

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion icon="robot" title="Use AI bill capture consistently">
    Always upload the original PDF rather than entering bills manually. The AI parser improves accuracy over time and creates an audit trail.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="percent" title="Capture early-payment discounts">
    Review your AP aging report (ask Themis) weekly. Many suppliers offer 1–2% discounts for payment within 10 days.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="shield" title="Keep approval workflows tight">
    Set bill approval rules so high-value bills require senior sign-off. VIS42's RBAC controls who can approve.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>