The Tools We Trust: Why We Use BILL for Accounts Payable
If you've ever juggled vendor invoices, missed a payment deadline, or run into unexpected cash flow shortages, you know just how important a smooth Accounts Payable (AP) process is. For small businesses and nonprofits alike, keeping your AP organized is key to staying financially healthy and stress-free.
At Clean Finances, we’re big believers in using tools that make your life easier, not more complicated. One of the tools we trust the most? BILL (formerly Bill.com). It’s our go-to platform for clients who want to simplify their workflow, reduce errors, and get a clearer picture of their cash flow.
Whether you’re leading a nonprofit that needs to steward every dollar wisely or growing a business and looking to scale sustainably, here’s a closer look at how BILL can support your AP process—and why it might be the solution you didn’t know you needed.
Why Accounts Payable Deserves More Attention
First things first—what is Accounts Payable? In short, AP refers to the money your organization owes to vendors, suppliers, or service providers. It includes everything from your internet bill to that consultant you hired last month. If you receive an invoice and need to pay it later, that’s AP.
Even if you’re not thinking about it by name, AP is already part of your operations. And when it’s managed well, it can be a powerful lever for improving cash flow, reducing financial stress, and building trust with your vendors.
For nonprofits, clear and timely AP is essential for maintaining transparency and trust. For small businesses, it’s a critical piece of your overall financial strategy. A clean AP process supports tax-ready financials, keeps your books current, and helps you make more informed financial decisions.
Ultimately, optimizing AP is one more way we help clients reclaim their time, elevate their profits, and maximize their impact.
Why We Standardized on BILL for AP
Recently, we shared with our clients that Clean Finances will now exclusively support BILL for those who want our help managing accounts payable. This wasn’t a quick or casual decision—it came from years of working with different platforms and seeing what truly helps organizations thrive. BILL gives our clients the control, visibility, and structure they need to stay ahead of vendor payments without the chaos.
By standardizing on one tool, we’re able to deliver a more consistent, streamlined experience that aligns with our purpose: to deliver a premium bookkeeping experience that empowers leaders with the financial clarity they need to reclaim their time, elevate their profits, and maximize their impact.
What Makes BILL So Useful
We’ve worked with many platforms, and BILL continues to stand out when it comes to managing payables. It’s not just about automation—it’s about giving you practical tools that simplify the process while protecting your time and your money.
Here’s what we love about it:
Centralized Inbox: Every invoice goes to one spot. No more digging through email threads.
Approval Workflows: You decide who approves what and when. It’s easy to build checks and balances into your process.
Scheduled Payments: Whether it’s ACH, check, or virtual card, you stay in charge of your cash flow.
Audit Trail: Every action is logged. Perfect for internal accountability or nonprofit reporting.
Security: Vendors never see your bank account info—payments are routed through BILL’s secure system, which drastically reduces fraud risk and keeps your sensitive info protected.
And when paired with the right professional bookkeeping support? It becomes a real asset—not just another software tool you have to manage.
How to Make the Most of BILL
If you’re already using BILL or considering it, here are a few ways to maximize its value:
1. Route Every Invoice to One Inbox
Forward all vendor invoices to your BILL inbox to keep everything in one place. This prevents missed or duplicate payments and reduces clutter.
2. Set Clear Categories and Vendor Tags
Work with your bookkeeper to map vendors to categories that support your budget and reporting goals. Clean categorization makes monthly financial reporting more meaningful.
3. Build Smart Approval Flows
Even if your team is small, having clear approval steps matters—especially for nonprofit accounting. BILL lets you create custom workflows that fit your organizational structure.
4. Align Payments with Cash Flow
Use BILL’s scheduling features to time payments in a way that supports healthy cash flow. It’s a small habit with a big impact.
5. Reconcile Regularly
Make it a priority to reconcile your AP activity weekly. This keeps your financials accurate and your reports reliable.
A Local Lens: Bookkeeping Services in Dallas, Texas
We serve clients nationwide, but as a team based in Dallas, we love supporting the growth of local businesses and nonprofits. Our approach to bookkeeping services in Dallas, Texas includes implementing tools like BILL that save time, reduce risk, and bring clarity to your finances.
By standardizing AP through BILL, we’ve helped clients simplify their operations, reduce stress, and build stronger relationships with their vendors and stakeholders.
What About BILL Spend & Expense?
While most people know BILL for AP automation, they also offer a tool called BILL Spend & Expense—and it’s an excellent resource for managing team spending. Think of it as a corporate card system with real-time tracking, built-in budgeting, and easy employee card management. It’s especially useful for growing teams that want to stay in control of spending without micromanaging every transaction.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)
If your current AP process feels disorganized or manual, you’re not alone. Some of the most common issues we help clients fix include:
Duplicate or missed payments: These often happen when invoices are tracked manually or stored across multiple inboxes and folders. With BILL, all invoices go to one central inbox, and payment statuses are clearly marked to avoid duplication. Set regular review intervals with your bookkeeper to catch anything that slips through.
Poorly categorized expenses: When expenses aren’t tied to the right categories, it leads to messy books and misleading reports. Use BILL’s vendor mapping and sync it with your accounting software so that each invoice is properly coded. Your bookkeeper can also review mappings monthly to ensure alignment with your budget and financial goals.
Lack of proper invoice approvals: Without clear workflows, invoices can be paid without the right people reviewing them—or they can get stuck waiting for approvals. BILL’s customizable workflows let you route approvals to the right people based on dollar amounts, departments, or vendor types, keeping your team accountable without slowing you down.
Missing documentation for tax or audit purposes: Disorganized or missing records can create big headaches during tax season or audits. BILL stores all documentation—like invoices, approvals, and payment confirmations—in one place, accessible anytime. Your bookkeeping team can also periodically back up files or link them directly in your accounting system for extra peace of mind.
By combining these practices with expert bookkeeping support, you build a process that’s not just efficient—but scalable, accurate, and audit-ready.
Our Approach at Clean Finances
At Clean Finances, we deliver a premium bookkeeping experience that empowers leaders with the financial clarity they need to reclaim their time, elevate their profits, and maximize their impact.
When you work with us, we:
Set up and manage your BILL account
Customize approval workflows based on your organization’s needs
Train your team on submitting and reviewing invoices
Reconcile AP activity weekly
Provide insight and strategy in our ongoing meetings
We’re here to help you lead with clarity and confidence—not just keep your books up to date.
Ready to Make AP Easier?
If managing payables still feels clunky, time-consuming, or prone to mistakes, we’d love to help you simplify.
BILL is a tool we believe in, and when paired with our outsourced bookkeeping services, it becomes a dependable part of your financial strategy.
Let’s talk about what’s next for your small business bookkeeping or nonprofit financial planning. We’re here to help you grow—without the chaos.
