Greatest Bill Automation Software program 2025 [Updated]

Introduction: The Bill Chaos Drawback

Image a mid-sized firm dealing with 1,000–2,000 invoices each month—roughly 250–500 invoices per week. On the floor, this doesn’t sound unmanageable. However at a mean of 15–16 minutes per bill, that quantity rapidly snowballs into 200–400 workers hours each month spent on repetitive duties like information entry, coding, and chasing approvals. In sensible phrases, that’s the equal of one to 2 full-time staff devoted solely to pushing paper as an alternative of including strategic worth.

Past the labor drain, the monetary impression is staggering. Research present that handbook bill processing prices between $15 and $20 per bill, relying on complexity and error charges. For a enterprise processing 1,500 invoices monthly—about 18,000 yearly—that interprets to $270,000–$360,000 per yr spent on AP processing alone. Automation can cut back this price to as little as $3 per bill, unlocking $180,000–$300,000 in annual financial savings.

Time-to-payment is equally regarding. Handbook workflows stretch bill cycle occasions to 10.9–17.4 days on common, whereas best-in-class automated processes can shrink that to only 2.8–4 days. The outcome? Stronger vendor relationships, fewer late-payment penalties, and the flexibility to seize early-payment reductions.

Then there’s accuracy. Handbook methods see error charges of ~1.6% per bill, with errors like duplicate funds compounding over time. Clever automation reduces errors by as much as 80%, dramatically reducing the price of rework and compliance threat.

For finance leaders, these numbers spotlight a tough fact: handbook bill administration isn’t just inefficient—it’s a silent tax on development.

That is the place bill automation software program enters the image—remodeling bill administration from a gradual, handbook burden right into a streamlined, clever course of. An automated bill processing system turns this chaos into readability.

What’s Bill Automation Software program?

At its core, bill processing automation software program is designed to streamline the complete invoice-to-pay workflow. As a substitute of accounts payable (AP) groups manually getting into line gadgets, verifying buy orders, routing paperwork for approval, and scheduling funds, automation software program digitizes every step—from bill seize to validation, approval routing, and cost execution.

The inspiration of bill automation is information seize — executed in seconds, not minutes —extracting key data similar to vendor title, bill quantity, line gadgets, tax particulars, and cost phrases from paperwork. Early methods relied closely on optical character recognition (OCR), which converts scanned textual content into machine-readable codecs.

However conventional OCR instruments are inflexible: they require pre-built templates for every bill format, and even minor adjustments (like a vendor updating their format) can break extraction accuracy.

That is the place AI-first approaches—usually known as Clever Doc Processing (IDP)—basically change the sport. In contrast to template-based OCR, AI-driven methods study patterns throughout invoices, adapt to new codecs dynamically, and repeatedly enhance with utilization. This enables them to deal with invoices from 1000’s of distributors with out requiring fixed template upkeep.

Why does this distinction matter? As a result of at scale, template fragility turns into a bottleneck. A mid-sized firm may course of invoices from lots of of suppliers, whereas enterprises handle tens of 1000’s. Every vendor might have a number of codecs, currencies, or tax codes. In template-based OCR methods, each variation wants handbook configuration. With AI-first platforms, invoices are captured precisely no matter format, enabling AP groups to spend time on exceptions and approvals as an alternative of fixing damaged templates. In contrast to outdated template-based OCR, these bill automation options guarantee accuracy at scale.

Merely put, bill automation software program—particularly when powered by AI-first seize—turns a fragmented, error-prone course of right into a seamless, touchless workflow, permitting companies to cut back prices, enhance accuracy, and scale operations with out scaling headcount.

However past effectivity, why does this matter a lot for companies at the moment? The reply lies within the very actual financial savings and aggressive benefits automation delivers.

Why Companies Want Bill Automation

Even in organizations which have digitized different finance capabilities, AP usually stays stubbornly handbook—with out an automated bill processing system to streamline workflows. As we noticed earlier, processing invoices manually consumes lots of of workers hours, prices upwards of $15 per bill, and introduces error dangers that undermine accuracy and compliance. Add to that scattered invoices throughout inboxes and submitting cupboards, and the result’s poor money circulation visibility and lack of real-time management.

The ripple results are vital. Corporations miss out on early-payment reductions, take in late charges, wrestle with compliance, and pressure relationships with distributors. What must be a simple operational course of turns into a bottleneck that drains working capital and productiveness.

Bill automation flips this equation. By digitizing seize, validation, and approval workflows, organizations dramatically cut back cycle occasions, minimize prices, and enhance accuracy. Extra importantly, automation frees finance groups from repetitive information entry, permitting them to deal with evaluation, planning, and provider technique.

The advantages are clear:

• Price financial savings: Automation reduces bill prices by greater than 80%, unlocking six-figure financial savings yearly for mid-sized corporations.
• Velocity: Cycle occasions fall from weeks to only a few days, serving to firms keep away from late charges and seize early-payment reductions.
• Accuracy: Error charges drop dramatically, chopping duplicate funds and handbook rework.
• Capability: Finance groups liberate the equal of 1–2 FTEs yearly to deal with higher-value duties.

📌 Case Examine: Asian Paints + Nanonets

One in every of Asia’s largest paint producers adopted an automated bill processing answer to deal with this burden. With Nanonets, they minimize bill processing time from 5 minutes to ~30 seconds per doc—a 90% discount. By automating extraction and routing into SAP, the corporate saved 192 hours monthly (~10 FTE days) and positioned itself to handle 22,000+ distributors with minimal handbook intervention.

👉 Learn the total case examine

📌 Case Examine: SaltPay + Nanonets

SaltPay, a fast-growing funds supplier, manages over 100,000 distributors. Handbook processing was slowing down development. By integrating Nanonets with SAP, SaltPay achieved near-100% accuracy in information seize and realized 99% time financial savings in comparison with handbook workflows. Finance groups shifted from bill coding to provider administration and strategic finance tasks, strengthening each throughput and vendor relationships.

👉 Learn the total case examine

In brief: automation transforms AP from a expensive legal responsibility right into a strategic enabler of money circulation visibility, compliance, and provider belief.

Should-Have Options of the Greatest Bill Automation Software program

When you perceive why bill automation is important, the following query is clear: what options separate the most effective platforms from the remaining?

Not all options ship true automation; some nonetheless rely closely on templates, handbook intervention, or clunky integrations. The proper software program ought to mix intelligence, flexibility, and scalability to suit your enterprise at the moment—and develop with you tomorrow.

These are the non-negotiable options each bill automation answer ought to present:

1. AI-First Knowledge Seize

On the coronary heart of bill automation lies correct information extraction. Legacy OCR methods require templates for every bill format, making them fragile and maintenance-heavy. A small change in a vendor’s format can break extraction and flood AP groups with exceptions. In contrast, AI-first methods study bill layouts with out templates. They adapt to new codecs dynamically, making certain excessive accuracy throughout 1000’s of distributors and doc sorts. That is important for scaling with out creating new back-office burdens.

2. Enterprise Rule Validations

Capturing information is simply step one. Greatest-in-class methods apply enterprise rule validations mechanically, making certain invoices adjust to organizational and regulatory necessities earlier than they ever hit approval queues. Examples embrace:

• 3-way matching (bill vs. buy order vs. items receipt).
• Vendor compliance checks, similar to validating provider financial institution particulars in opposition to grasp information.
• Duplicate detection, flagging invoices with the identical quantity or quantity already processed.
• Tax and VAT compliance, mechanically verifying charges and jurisdiction-specific guidelines.
• Threshold alerts, flagging invoices above a set quantity for extra approval.These guidelines not solely cut back exceptions but in addition safeguard in opposition to fraud and compliance dangers.

3. Versatile Approval Workflows

AP processes are hardly ever linear. Invoices may have a number of reviewers throughout departments, particular dealing with based mostly on worth, or emergency escalation when deadlines loom. Search for platforms with configurable approval workflows that may:

• Route invoices mechanically by vendor, division, or spend class.
• Apply role-based and conditional approvals (e.g., invoices >$10K routed to the CFO).
• Escalate overdue approvals to backup reviewers.
• Permit cell approvals, enabling busy executives to approve on the go.
• Help delegation when an approver is out of workplace.By automating these workflows, firms remove bottlenecks, cut back back-and-forth emails, and maintain cost cycles on observe.

4. ERP & Accounting Integrations in Bill Processing Automation Software program

Automation solely delivers full worth if it connects seamlessly to your finance stack. Main platforms provide native integrations with ERP and accounting methods similar to QuickBooks, NetSuite, SAP, and Oracle. This ensures that bill information, approvals, and cost standing circulation mechanically into your system of file—eradicating duplicate entry and lowering reconciliation complications.

5. Analytics & Reporting

Prime-tier platforms transcend processing to ship visibility and management. Dashboards ought to observe KPIs similar to:

• Common cycle time per bill.
• Exception charges and bottlenecks.
• Spend by vendor or class.
• Proportion of invoices captured and authorized touchlessly.

These insights assist CFOs and controllers optimize working capital, determine course of inefficiencies, and negotiate higher vendor phrases.

6.Scalability & Consumer Expertise

Lastly, the platform ought to develop with your small business. Meaning dealing with quantity spikes gracefully (suppose quarter-end bill surges), supporting multi-entity or world buildings, and sustaining excessive accuracy at the same time as complexity will increase. Simply as essential: a clear, intuitive interface. If AP workers discover the system clunky, adoption will lag and the worth of automation will erode. A robust consumer expertise ensures groups embrace the device as an alternative of working round it.

Greatest Bill Automation Software program in 2025

Understanding the must-have options is one factor; discovering the correct answer is one other. The marketplace for bill automation has exploded, with dozens of distributors promising velocity, accuracy, and integration. However not each platform delivers the identical worth. Some excel at end-to-end AP automation, whereas others deal with area of interest strengths like AI-first seize or small enterprise simplicity.

That can assist you navigate the choices, we’ve grouped the main bill processing automation software program into 4 classes—every suited to a unique enterprise profile:

• Finish-to-Finish AP Automation for firms in search of complete management from bill to cost.
• Small Enterprise Instruments for corporations that need affordability and ease of use.
• Enterprise ERP Options for big organizations needing deep system integration.
• AI-First Extraction Engines for companies seeking to modernize seize with out overhauling their ERP stack.

Within the sections that observe, we’ll break down every vendor by goal use case, key options, pricing, professionals and cons, integrations, and ultimate buyer profile.

📊 Automated Bill Processing Software program Panorama at a Look

Now let’s take a more in-depth take a look at every of those options to see how they evaluate in apply.

a. Greatest for Finish-to-Finish AP Automation (Tipalti & Stampli)

Tipalti

• Goal use case: Companies needing full-spectrum AP—from bill seize to world payouts—particularly the place compliance and scalability matter.
• Key options: AI-driven bill seize; 2-/3-way matching; provider self-onboarding and built-in tax compliance; world mass funds; real-time reconciliation; spend visibility instruments.
• Pricing: SaaS plans beginning at $99/month; enterprise pricing on request.
• Professionals: Automates world payables; integrates broadly; sturdy controls.
• Cons: Could also be overkill for small groups; complexity is usually a barrier.
• Integrations: NetSuite; QuickBooks; Acumatica; Dynamics; Sage; SAP Enterprise One; Xero; SAP S/4HANA; Workday; Infor; and in style efficiency advertising platforms.
• Very best buyer: Mid-market to enterprise corporations managing high-volume, cross-border payables.

Stampli

• Goal use case: Groups needing fast AP workflow upgrades that don’t disrupt present ERPs, with heavy emphasis on collaboration and AI help.
• Key options: AI assistant (“Billy the Bot”); seamless QuickBooks integration; 2-/3-way PO matching; vendor portal; unified communication; built-in funds together with home and worldwide choices.
• Pricing: Bundled licensing tied to bill quantity and consumer roles; connector charges might apply.
• Professionals: Deploys quick; an “AP-first” answer that integrates with, relatively than replaces, an organization’s present ERP – lowering friction in change administration.
• Cons: Connector charges and bundled pricing could also be opaque for small groups.
• Integrations: QuickBooks; NetSuite; Xero; Sage Intacct; Microsoft Dynamics; SAP; Oracle; workflow instruments (Slack, Groups); and over 70 different methods.
• Very best buyer: Mid-market finance groups wanting AP automation with out ERP rip-and-replace.

b. Greatest for Small Companies (QuickBooks Invoice Pay & Melio)

QuickBooks Invoice Pay

• Goal use case: SMBs embedded inside the QuickBooks ecosystem (QuickBooks On-line or QuickBooks Desktop) in search of primary but dependable invoice cost automation.
• Key options: Bill seize by way of add or electronic mail utilizing OCR; batch funds; automated buy order matching; primary approval workflows; provider self-service portals; helps ACH/credit score/examine choices (worldwide funds are restricted); offers instruments for 1099 compliance for US distributors.
• Pricing: Native to QuickBooks subscriptions; obtainable as an add-on.
• Professionals: Low friction; aligned with bookkeeping workflows.
• Cons: Restricted superior workflow or AP analytics past Small Enterprise wants; lacks the strong, customizable 3-way matching that’s commonplace in additional superior AP automation platforms; approval workflows are much less versatile than these provided by devoted options.
• Integrations: Constructed-in with QuickBooks On-line/Superior.
• Very best buyer: Small companies utilizing QuickBooks with light-to-moderate AP quantity.

Melio

• Goal use case: Very small companies needing intuitive payables and receivables in a single, budgeting simplicity with flexibility on charges.
• Key options: Seamless QuickBooks On-line sync; free for normal ACH transactions, with month-to-month charges for premium plans; prolonged pay phrases; easy vendor onboarding; encrypted information and compliance.
• Pricing: Free for normal use; charges apply for expedited or credit-based funds.
• Professionals: Pleasant UX; reasonably priced; prolonged liquidity choices.
• Cons: Restricted P2P or procurement options.
• Integrations: QuickBooks On-line; QuickBooks Desktop; Xero; and FreshBooks, with an open API for customized integrations.
• Very best buyer: Micro-businesses or solo operators in search of pay-on-demand flexibility.

c. Greatest for Enterprise ERP Workflows (SAP Concur & Coupa)

SAP Concur

• Goal use case: Massive and world enterprises combining journey, expense, and bill administration underneath one compliant ecosystem.
• Key options: Automated bill seize (paper, electronic mail, fax) with ML/OCR; cell expense/receipt matching; real-time spend visibility; AI fraud detection and coverage enforcement (Joule AI Copilot); complete analytics.
• Pricing: Customized pricing (~$9/consumer/month baseline, with quotes scaling up); massive footprints probably in five-figure SaaS budgets.
• Professionals: Deep protection throughout T&E, invoicing, compliance; highly effective analytics; means to implement insurance policies and supply a single supply of fact for all employee-initiated spend.
• Cons: Steeper studying curve; clunky UX; costly setup and scaling.
• Integrations: NetSuite; SAP ERP (S/4HANA, ECC); Oracle; Microsoft; QuickBooks; HR methods; reporting instruments; and a large ecosystem of lots of of third-party apps.
• Very best buyer: World enterprises needing end-to-end spend visibility and governance.

Coupa

• Goal use case: Enterprises on the lookout for superior bill/PO capabilities, AI validation, vendor collaboration, and wealthy enterprise spend administration (procurement, invoicing, funds, and provide chain administration).
• Key options: AI-powered bill validation; 2- and 3-way matching; e-invoicing; provider self-service; multi-currency/multi-country dealing with; optimized cost scheduling; cell entry; dashboards.
• Pricing: Quote-based, usually in ~$90K/yr mid-tier vary.
• Professionals: Robust AI and fraud instruments; unified view of all spend, powered by AI to automate duties, enhance compliance, and drive financial savings; scalable.
• Cons: Excessive price; provider adoption might require further change administration.
• Integrations: Deep ERP connectors with SAP; Oracle; plus APIs for customized use.
• Very best buyer: Massive, usually world, enterprise matrixed organizations needing full-suite spend intelligence.

d. Greatest for AI-First Bill Extraction (Nanonets & Rossum)

Nanonets

• Goal use case: Companies in search of a nimble, AI-native (Clever Doc Processing) seize layer that may inject automation into present methods.
• Key options: Template-free AI OCR customization; integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, and different accounting and ERP methods; extremely correct area extraction; cost-effective for top volumes of invoices; automates 2- and 3-way matching and flags anomalies or duplicate invoices; provides options that help compliance and audit readiness.
• Pricing: Versatile, usage-based pricing with clear prices.
• Professionals: Quick ROI; versatile deployment; accuracy features.
• Cons: Requires pairing with workflows or ERP to finish automation; not a full-suite AP automation or ERP system with native cost and reconciliation capabilities.
• Integrations: Native integrations with in style accounting software program (QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks) and strong API connectors for deeper ERP integration (NetSuite, SAP, and so on.).
• Very best buyer: Mid-sized corporations and enterprises needing smarter seize with out full suite dedication.

Rossum

• Goal use case: Organizations that have already got AP workflows however want extra resilient, AI-based bill information seize capabilities.
• Key options: AI-driven doc understanding; customizable templates; validation guidelines; cloud extraction; real-time dashboards.
• Pricing: Quote-based, with tiered plans beginning at a excessive worth level ($18,000 per yr).
• Professionals: Greatest-in-class seize; simple integration with present DMS/ERP.
• Cons: Restricted end-to-end AP capabilities; have to be layered into present stack.
• Integrations: API-friendly with native integrations for main ERPs (SAP, Oracle, Coupa) and a variety of accounting and automation instruments.
• Very best buyer: Groups wanting best-in-class seize rather than brittle OCR methods.

Select the Proper Bill Automation Software program

With so many choices available on the market, the query isn’t whether or not to automate invoices—it’s which platform most closely fits your small business wants. Choosing the proper answer requires balancing scale, complexity, and organizational priorities.

Right here’s a step-by-step framework to information analysis:

Step 1: Assess Bill Quantity and Workflow Complexity

The scale of your AP workload is the one most essential determinant. An organization processing 200 invoices monthly has very totally different wants than one dealing with 20,000+ invoices globally. Contemplate not simply quantity, but in addition workflow complexity: multi-entity buildings, world distributors, tax/VAT guidelines, or multi-level approval chains.

Step 2: Map to Vendor Classes

Map your workload to the correct bill automation answer (as summarized within the earlier part):

• Small Enterprise Instruments → Very best when you course of fewer than 500 invoices/month and need low-cost simplicity.
• AI-First or Mid-Market Suites → Greatest match for corporations dealing with 1,000–2,000 invoices/month and needing workflow automation with ERP integration.
• Enterprise ERP/World Suites → Crucial for organizations processing 10,000+ invoices/month, with complicated compliance and multi-entity necessities.

Step 3: Contemplate Persona-Based mostly Priorities

Totally different stakeholders weigh various factors:

• CFO → Money visibility, compliance, auditability, ROI.
• Head of Operations → Effectivity, scalability, course of resilience.
• AP Supervisor → Usability, accuracy, ease of onboarding workers.

A profitable selection satisfies all three lenses, not only one.

Step 4: Apply a Fast Analysis Guidelines

Earlier than issuing RFPs or scheduling demos, use this five-point filter:

1. Quantity match: Can it deal with your present and future bill load?
2. Integrations: Does it natively hook up with your ERP/accounting system?
3. Approval workflows: Are they configurable to your construction?
4. Compliance & safety: Does it meet SOC 2, GDPR, SOX, and audit necessities?
5. Funds alignment: Is pricing clear, and does ROI justify the spend?

In brief: selecting bill automation software program is about match, not flash. By mapping your bill quantity, aligning with vendor classes, contemplating persona-driven wants, and making use of a structured guidelines, you’ll be able to confidently slim the sector to a shortlist that can ship impression at the moment and scale tomorrow.

Conclusion: Automating Right this moment, Future-Proofing Finance

Bill automation is now not nearly lowering information entry. The know-how is evolving quickly, and the following wave of innovation is ready to redefine how accounts payable capabilities inside fashionable finance organizations.

Rising Developments to Watch

• Touchless AP → The holy grail is a totally automated, “straight-through” course of the place invoices transfer from seize to validation, approval, and cost with zero human intervention. Early adopters already report vital cycle time reductions, and the expectation is that touchless AP will grow to be the usual relatively than the exception.
• Predictive Analytics → With historic bill information feeding into AI fashions, companies will achieve the flexibility to forecast spend, anticipate money circulation necessities, and determine anomalies earlier than they grow to be issues. This shifts AP from a reactive perform to a forward-looking companion in monetary technique.
• AI-Led Fraud Detection → Fraudulent invoices, duplicate submissions, and suspicious vendor exercise stay a persistent threat. Rising platforms are embedding machine studying to flag these anomalies in actual time, lowering monetary leakage and strengthening compliance.
• AI Brokers in Finance → Conventional automation instruments like RPA have been constructed for repetitive, rules-based duties, however they break down when workflows contain exceptions or context. The following leap is AI brokers—autonomous, goal-driven methods that may purpose, adapt, and collaborate with people. In AP, these brokers can negotiate exceptions with suppliers, study new vendor guidelines dynamically, route invoices intelligently, and set off downstream ERP actions with out express prompts. Early adopters report 65–75% reductions in handbook intervention, with brokers taking up approvals, compliance checks, and anomaly detection—making AP not simply sooner, however smarter and extra resilient.

Strategic Affect on Finance

As automation matures, accounts payable will now not be seen as a price heart. As a substitute, it is going to grow to be a finance intelligence hub—a supply of real-time insights into money circulation, vendor threat, and dealing capital developments. The largest shift is cultural: AP groups transfer from chasing invoices to influencing strategic finance choices, from liquidity planning to provider negotiations.

AI brokers will speed up this transition. In contrast to static workflows, they will study from context, purpose by way of exceptions, and work together straight with each methods and folks. This implies AP groups are supported by autonomous assistants that not solely course of invoices, but in addition optimize working capital, monitor compliance repeatedly, and floor insights proactively.

Key Takeaways

• Price financial savings: Mid-market corporations can liberate 200+ hours and save $180K–$300K yearly.
• Compliance & accuracy: AI-driven automation reduces error charges by as much as 80% and strengthens audit readiness.
• Future developments: Touchless AP, predictive analytics, AI-driven fraud detection, and finance-focused AI brokers are shifting from experimental to plain.
• Strategic development: Bill automation—powered more and more by AI brokers—is the bridge from back-office effectivity to finance-led decision-making.

Closing Thought: Bill automation is now not a “nice-to-have”—it’s an operational necessity. Corporations that undertake AI-first platforms at the moment place themselves not solely to chop prices, however to construct the finance perform of the long run. The following wave will probably be pushed by AI brokers—autonomous assistants that may deal with exceptions, optimize money circulation, and proactively floor insights. The query isn’t if you must undertake automated bill processing software program, however how rapidly you’ll be able to put AI brokers to work in your finance group.

Often Requested Questions on Bill Automation

1. What’s bill automation and the way does it differ from handbook processing?

Bill automation (or automated bill processing software program) makes use of AI to seize, validate, route, and pay invoices—chopping prices, rushing up cycle occasions, and lowering errors. In contrast to handbook processing, which depends on information entry and spreadsheets, automation offers touchless workflows that scale with your small business.

2. How does AI-first bill seize outperform conventional OCR?

AI-first seize doesn’t require inflexible templates. It learns bill patterns dynamically, adapts to format adjustments, and maintains accuracy throughout 1000’s of vendor codecs. Conventional OCR usually fails when distributors replace codecs—resulting in exceptions and handbook fixes.

3. Can bill automation deal with a number of currencies and tax methods?

Sure. Most bill automation options help multi-currency processing and native tax/VAT guidelines, making them efficient for world operations. This ensures compliance and accuracy throughout jurisdictions whereas minimizing errors from handbook entry.

4. What sort of time and price ROI can mid-sized companies count on?

For firms processing 1,000–2,000 invoices/month, automation can liberate 200–400 workers hours month-to-month, minimize prices from $15–20 per bill right down to ~$3, and unlock $180K–$300K in annual financial savings.

5. How lengthy does implementation usually take?

Implementation will depend on complexity and integrations, however most companies go dwell in just a few weeks to some months. Many platforms embrace vendor help and pre-built connectors to speed up rollout.

6. Will my group nonetheless want handbook oversight after automating invoices?

Sure. Automation handles the vast majority of invoices, however exceptions—similar to disputes, lacking POs, or uncommon spend—nonetheless require human evaluate. This implies AP groups spend much less time on information entry and extra time on technique.

7. What measurement of enterprise advantages most from bill automation?

All enterprise sizes profit. Small corporations achieve effectivity and error discount, mid-sized firms see the quickest ROI (200+ hours and six-figure financial savings yearly), and huge enterprises achieve world compliance, scalability, and spend visibility.

8. How does automation enhance vendor relationships?

By lowering delays and errors, automation ensures sooner, extra correct funds. Provider portals and higher visibility enhance communication, whereas well timed funds strengthen belief and permit companies to seize early-payment reductions.