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France e-invoicing is live: What Accounts Payable needs to know on day one
France's B2B e-invoicing requirements begin September 1.
AP teams need approved platforms, accurate routing data,
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Automation Watch
Workday says AI agents are moving deeper into finance
More than 5,500 Workday customers now use at least one
Workday AI agent. For AP professionals, the shift raises
important questions about access, approvals, audit trails,
exception review, and the skills that will matter next.
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The Internal Revenue Service is reminding businesses
that the Filing Information Returns Electronically
(FIRE) system is approaching retirement. Organizations
that use FIRE to submit information returns must prepare
to transition to the Information Returns Intake System
(IRIS) for the 2027 filing season.
For accounts payable departments responsible for
Forms 1099-NEC, 1099-MISC, and other vendor-related
tax reporting, several important deadlines are approaching.
Three Dates to Know
November 1, 2026:
Final day for test submissions through the FIRE
Trading Partner Test System. This deadline has passed.
November 9, 2026:
Final day to modify existing FIRE Transmitter
Control Code (TCC) applications.
November 19, 2026, at 3 p.m. Eastern:
Final deadline to submit information returns
through FIRE.
Beginning in January 2027, IRIS will replace FIRE
for information returns previously filed through
that system, including prior-year returns and corrections.
What Changes for Accounts Payable?
Organizations transitioning to IRIS must obtain
an IRIS Transmitter Control Code. An existing FIRE
TCC does not automatically authorize filing through IRIS.
The IRS offers two filing methods:
IRIS Taxpayer Portal:
A free, web-based option supporting manual entry
and CSV uploads.
IRIS Application to Application (A2A):
Designed for organizations using tax-reporting
software or submitting larger volumes of returns.
AP teams should coordinate with their tax departments,
IT teams, and software providers to confirm which
filing method their organization will use.
APPG Action Points
Confirm whether the organization currently files
information returns through FIRE.
Verify that an IRIS TCC application has been completed.
Contact the tax-reporting software provider to
confirm IRIS compatibility.
Review vendor taxpayer identification information
and outstanding W-9 documentation.
Establish a filing and reconciliation process
for the 2027 reporting season.
The Bottom Line
With the November 9 application-update deadline
approaching, organizations still relying on FIRE
should confirm their transition plans now.
Early preparation can help reduce filing disruptions
and last-minute compliance problems.
Illustration: A conceptual AI-powered finance
dashboard showing how invoice review, exception
analysis and human approvals might work together.
This is not an actual Oracle product screenshot.
Automation Watch | Controls & Risk
Oracle is introducing AI tools that can investigate
financial problems, analyze purchasing activity
and help employees get work done. What could
this mean for accounts payable?
Imagine opening your accounting system and asking
it to investigate a problem instead of spending
the next hour searching through reports,
transactions and approval histories.
That is the kind of experience Oracle is working
toward with its latest artificial intelligence
announcements.
During Oracle AI World in Las Vegas on
October 26 and 27, 2026, the company introduced
and expanded AI capabilities across its
Fusion Cloud Applications, including finance,
procurement and business analytics.
The announcements point toward a future in
which employees can give business software
an objective, ask questions in everyday
language and receive help carrying out
authorized work.
For accounts payable professionals, the
implications could be significant.
What Exactly Did Oracle Announce?
Oracle announced a broader set of what it calls
agentic applications.
In simple terms, these are AI-powered tools
designed to work toward a defined business goal.
Rather than responding only to a single question,
they can examine information, evaluate options,
coordinate steps and carry out authorized actions
within established business rules.
Oracle says 25 applications powered by its
Fusion Claw technology are now available across
its enterprise application portfolio.
Several are particularly relevant to finance
and purchasing departments.
Investigating Accounting Exceptions
Oracle's Ledger agentic application is designed
to help finance teams reconcile accounting
information, investigate unusual entries and
identify exceptions that may require attention.
This could support the investigation of problems
that affect financial reporting and the
month-end close.
Although Ledger is an accounting application,
AP departments frequently contribute to
reconciliation work involving invoices,
liabilities and transaction records.
According to Oracle, it can identify spending
outside approved purchasing arrangements,
investigate potential contract leakage and
recommend corrective actions for review.
That could be useful when finance and
procurement teams need to understand why
purchases were made outside established
agreements or why expected savings
were not realized.
Asking Questions in Plain English
Oracle also announced new capabilities
for Fusion Data Intelligence that allow
business users to explore information
through natural-language questions.
Instead of building a report from scratch,
a user could ask a question about business
performance and explore the results
through follow-up questions.
Oracle says its Data Agents are generally
available. Its more advanced Deep Insight
Agents are planned for general availability
within the next 12 months.
That distinction matters. Some capabilities
are available today, while others are
still part of Oracle's future product plans.
What If You Could Just Ask the System?
One of the more interesting announcements
involves Oracle Fusion Companion.
Oracle describes it as an intelligent layer
that connects business requests with the
appropriate transactions, workflows,
approvals and AI applications.
For example, imagine an AP supervisor
asking a connected finance system:
"Which invoices are holding up our
month-end close, and what needs
attention first?"
A properly configured AI-enabled workflow
might help gather the relevant information,
identify possible problems and direct
employees toward the next steps.
This is an illustrative AP scenario,
rather than a confirmed demonstration
of a specific Oracle feature.
Oracle says Fusion Companion can work
through supported AI tools and use
existing enterprise permissions and
approval processes to coordinate
authorized activity.
The important idea is that employees
may eventually spend less time navigating
multiple screens to find the information
they need.
How Could This Change Accounts Payable?
AP departments already use automation
for tasks such as invoice capture,
purchase order matching, approval routing
and payment preparation.
AI agents introduce the possibility of
assisting with work that requires
investigation and coordination.
Three areas deserve particular attention.
1. Faster Exception Research
When an invoice cannot be processed,
an AP specialist may need to review
the purchase order, receiving records,
supplier information and previous activity.
AI tools that can investigate related
records could help employees understand
the problem more quickly.
The actual benefit will depend on the
system's capabilities, data quality
and how the organization configures it.
2. Better Visibility Into Spending
AP teams often see the financial
results of purchasing decisions
after those decisions have been made.
Better connections between procurement,
finance and analytical systems could
help organizations identify unusual
spending patterns earlier.
For example, procurement teams may
be able to investigate purchasing
outside negotiated contracts and
work with AP to understand the
related invoice activity.
3. Less Time Searching for Information
AP professionals frequently move
between screens, reports and
transaction histories to answer
relatively straightforward questions.
Conversational tools could simplify
some of that research by bringing
information together in one place.
However, organizations should test
whether the answers are accurate,
complete and supported by the
underlying financial records.
Who Is Watching the AI?
Giving software greater responsibility
creates an important question:
who is accountable when something
goes wrong?
Oracle emphasizes that its agentic
applications operate within
organizational permissions,
policies and approval requirements.
Those safeguards will be especially
important in accounts payable,
where mistakes can result in
duplicate payments, incorrect
financial records or fraud losses.
Before expanding the use of AI,
AP and finance leaders should
consider several control issues:
Access:
Can the AI retrieve or change
information beyond the user's
authorized responsibilities?
Approval:
Which actions require a person
to review and approve them?
Audit trails:
Can the organization see what
information the AI examined
and what actions it performed?
Accuracy:
How are incorrect recommendations
detected and corrected?
Segregation of duties:
Could automated workflows
unintentionally bypass existing
financial controls?
These questions should be addressed
before AI is permitted to take
sensitive financial actions.
What Does This Mean for AP Jobs?
It is too early to determine how
Oracle's latest announcements will
affect AP staffing levels.
The company has described capabilities
intended to reduce manual investigation
and coordinate complex work, but
the announcements do not establish
how much time individual AP departments
will save.
What they do suggest is that
technology skills, problem-solving
and an understanding of financial
controls may become increasingly
valuable.
AP professionals who understand
invoice processing, purchasing
relationships, ERP systems and
internal controls will be better
prepared to evaluate AI-generated
recommendations.
Experience still matters when
a supplier disputes an invoice,
an exception requires judgment
or a payment request raises
concerns about fraud.
The Bigger Picture
Oracle's announcements are another
sign that enterprise software
companies are giving AI a larger
role in everyday business processes.
For accounts payable, the most
interesting possibility may be
the ability to investigate
problems and coordinate work
without requiring employees
to search through multiple
systems manually.
Whether these tools deliver
meaningful improvements will
depend on implementation,
reliable data, appropriate
controls and measurable results.
AP professionals should pay
close attention as these
capabilities develop.
Understanding how AI works
within financial systems
will be an important part
of evaluating the next
generation of AP automation.
Editorial note: Product capabilities and
availability are based on Oracle's
announcements. AP scenarios and potential
operational benefits are APPG analysis,
not independently verified customer results.
The feature image is a conceptual illustration.
Three factors that every accounts payable professional
should understand.
Why do trusted employees sometimes commit fraud?
The answer may lie in a concept known as the
Fraud Triangle, developed from the
research of criminologist Donald Cressey.
The model identifies three conditions commonly
associated with occupational fraud.
1. Pressure or Incentive
Financial difficulties, personal debt, family obligations,
or workplace expectations can create pressure.
While most people facing these challenges remain honest,
pressure can become a motivating factor in fraudulent behavior.
2. Opportunity
Weak internal controls can create opportunities for fraud.
In accounts payable, these may include inadequate
segregation of duties, unrestricted vendor master file
access, or payments processed without independent approval.
Of the three factors,
opportunity is the one organizations can
most directly control.
3. Rationalization
Individuals may justify dishonest actions with statements
such as "I'm only borrowing the money," "I'll pay it back,"
or "The company owes me."
These rationalizations can make unethical behavior
seem acceptable.
What This Means for Accounts Payable
AP departments can reduce fraud opportunities through
proper segregation of duties, independent verification
of vendor banking changes, regular reconciliations,
and consistent approval procedures.
Even long-serving, trusted employees should be subject
to the same controls.
The Bottom Line
The Fraud Triangle reminds us that fraud involves
human behavior as well as weaknesses in financial processes.
Trust your people, but build controls
that protect everyone.
Editorial Note:
This article was developed with the assistance
of artificial intelligence and edited, reviewed,
and approved by Robert Ruhno, Executive Director
of the Accounts Payable Professionals Group (APPG).
The Dominican Republic's tax authority has confirmed
a November 1 electronic invoicing deadline for
large local and medium-sized taxpayers.
Global AP Compliance
Large local and medium-sized taxpayers must switch
to electronic fiscal invoices, while smaller businesses
face a separate November 15 deadline.
By Accounts Payable Professionals Group
October 27, 2026
The Dominican Republic is moving into another phase
of mandatory electronic invoicing, with new requirements
taking effect November 1, 2026.
The country's tax authority, the
Dirección General de Impuestos Internos
(DGII), issued a reminder on October 26
confirming that businesses classified as large local
taxpayers and medium-sized taxpayers must begin
issuing fiscal documents exclusively in electronic
format.
The requirement forms part of the country's broader
effort to modernize tax administration, improve
financial transparency and reduce paperwork.
Key Compliance Dates
October 31, 2026:
Previously assigned non-electronic type B
fiscal receipt sequences expire for affected
large local and medium-sized taxpayers.
November 1, 2026:
Large local and medium-sized taxpayers must
issue electronic fiscal receipts using
type E sequences.
November 15, 2026:
Extended electronic invoicing implementation
deadline for small, micro and unclassified
taxpayers.
What Changes November 1?
Affected taxpayers must issue electronic fiscal
receipts, known as
comprobantes fiscales electrónicos
(e-CF), using the designated type E
numbering sequences.
Previously assigned non-electronic fiscal receipt
sequences, identified as type B, remain valid for
these taxpayers only through October 31, 2026.
Beginning November 1, the use of non-electronic
receipts will generally be restricted to exceptional
contingency situations permitted under
Regulation No. 587-24.
The DGII is urging affected businesses to complete
their administrative and technology preparations
before the deadline to avoid interruptions in
their invoicing operations.
Smaller Businesses Have Until November 15
The November 1 requirement does not apply to
every taxpayer on the same schedule.
The DGII has granted businesses classified as
small, micro and unclassified taxpayers an
extension through November 15, 2026,
to complete their transition to electronic invoicing.
These businesses should confirm their classification
and applicable requirements directly with the
tax authority.
The DGII reported on October 19 that
100,000 taxpayers had already
become electronic invoice issuers.
In its October 26 announcement, the agency also
reported that 195 authorized electronic
invoicing service providers were available
to support implementation.
What This Means for Accounts Payable
Although the November 1 requirement primarily
concerns how affected businesses issue invoices,
the transition also has practical implications
for accounts payable departments receiving
those documents.
Companies purchasing goods or services from
Dominican suppliers should review their invoice
intake and validation procedures.
AP departments may need to confirm that supplier
invoices contain the appropriate electronic fiscal
identifiers and that their accounting or ERP
systems can properly record those identifiers.
Supplier communication will also be important.
Businesses should understand which suppliers
are affected by the November 1 deadline and
which qualify for the later November 15 transition.
Invoice exceptions may require additional attention
during the changeover, particularly when a supplier
submits a document using an outdated fiscal
receipt sequence.
AP teams should coordinate with their tax departments
before rejecting or processing questionable documents.
AP Action Point
Organizations doing business with Dominican suppliers
should take four practical steps:
Identify suppliers affected by the November 1
electronic invoicing requirement.
Confirm that invoice intake and ERP workflows
can accommodate the required electronic fiscal
documents and identifiers.
Review procedures for handling invoices
submitted with outdated non-electronic
receipt sequences.
Coordinate with tax and compliance teams
on permitted exceptions and the November 15
deadline for smaller taxpayers.
The Dominican Republic's transition is another
example of how electronic invoicing requirements
are changing the relationship between tax
compliance and everyday AP operations.
For accounts payable professionals, the immediate
concern is maintaining accurate invoice records
and avoiding unnecessary payment delays as
suppliers move to the new requirements.
By Accounts Payable Professionals Group |
October 27, 2026
IRS headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Photograph: Carol M. Highsmith /
Library of Congress.
Editorial graphic: Accounts Payable
Professionals Group.
The Internal Revenue Service is preparing
to retire its Filing Information Returns
Electronically (FIRE) system, with the final
filing cutoff set for November 19, 2026,
at 3 p.m. Eastern Time.
For accounts payable departments responsible
for Forms 1099 and other information returns,
the change means preparing for a different
electronic filing system before the 2027
reporting season.
The replacement is the IRS Information Returns
Intake System (IRIS). Companies that currently
use FIRE will need to transition to IRIS to
electronically file tax year 2026 information
returns in 2027.
Three Deadlines AP Teams Should Know
According to the IRS, three important dates
are approaching:
November 1, 2026:
Final day to submit test information returns
through the FIRE testing system.
November 9, 2026:
Final day to update existing FIRE Transmitter
Control Code (TCC) applications.
November 19, 2026, at 3 p.m. ET:
Final deadline to submit information returns
through FIRE.
These are FIRE system retirement dates,
not a replacement for the regular deadlines
to furnish and file 2026 tax information returns
during the 2027 filing season.
What Changes With IRIS?
IRIS offers two electronic filing methods:
the IRS Taxpayer Portal and an
Application-to-Application (A2A) channel.
The portal allows businesses to prepare
and submit information returns online.
A2A supports electronic transmissions
from compatible software systems.
Organizations must obtain an IRIS-specific
Transmitter Control Code. An existing FIRE
TCC does not automatically provide access
to IRIS.
That distinction is especially important
for companies using accounting software,
ERP systems, or outside filing providers
that previously relied on FIRE.
What AP Departments Should Do Now
AP managers should coordinate with tax,
accounting, IT, and any third-party filing
provider to confirm that their organization
is ready for the transition.
Identify your current filing method.
Determine whether your organization
or its filing provider uses FIRE.
Confirm IRIS registration.
Verify that the required IRIS TCC
application has been completed.
Review system compatibility.
Ask software providers whether their
filing process supports IRIS.
Check vendor records.
Review taxpayer identification numbers,
names, addresses, and other information
needed for accurate reporting.
Plan for testing and corrections.
Establish procedures for validating
files and handling rejected or
corrected submissions.
Why This Matters
Year-end information reporting is already
a demanding responsibility for many AP
departments. A filing-system transition
adds another operational risk if companies
wait until January to prepare.
Although the IRS is retiring FIRE, it is
not ending electronic information return
filing. IRIS will become the electronic
filing system for information returns
previously handled through FIRE.
The bottom line:
AP teams should treat November 19 as
the final FIRE submission deadline and
use the remaining time to prepare for
the 2027 filing season.
Federal prosecutors say checks intended for legitimate
suppliers were diverted into accounts controlled by
defendants, highlighting a payment risk that can survive
the invoice approval process.
By Accounts Payable Professionals Group |
October 26, 2026
AI-generated editorial illustration of alleged
check alteration. Not an actual check or evidence
from the case.
Four people have been charged in a federal case involving
corporate checks that prosecutors allege were stolen,
altered and deposited into accounts belonging to people
other than the intended recipients.
The case, announced by the U.S. Department of Justice
on October 5, 2026, involves checks issued by a
multinational corporation to legitimate vendors.
The allegations illustrate a troubling possibility
for accounts payable departments: a payment can pass
internal approval procedures and still fail to reach
the supplier it was meant to pay.
The Alleged Scheme
According to federal prosecutors, an eight-count
indictment names four defendants:
Cory L. Sims Jr., Dondre O. Daniels,
Christian M. Hill and Makhia L. Duncan.
Prosecutors allege that checks originally payable to
legitimate vendors were obtained and altered by
removing the intended payees' names and substituting
names associated with the defendants or an
identity-theft victim.
The altered checks were allegedly deposited into
accounts controlled by participants in the scheme.
Funds were then withdrawn or transferred through
various transactions.
The Justice Department alleges that Hill laundered
more than $45,000 and Duncan laundered more than
$34,000. The announcement does not establish a
single total loss amount for the entire alleged scheme.
Where Accounts Payable Comes Into the Picture
Many AP controls focus on what happens before
payment: vendor verification, invoice matching,
approval authority and duplicate-payment prevention.
Those safeguards remain essential.
But this case concerns a different exposure:
what happens after a legitimate payment
has been issued.
A properly approved check can still become the
target of theft or alteration before the intended
supplier receives it.
The indictment does not establish how the checks
were obtained or whether the corporation involved
had inadequate internal controls. The lesson for
AP professionals is therefore about the risk
illustrated by the allegations, not a finding
of wrongdoing by the company that issued the checks.
Four Controls Worth Reviewing
Positive Pay with payee verification.
Where available, use bank services that compare
presented checks against issued-check records,
including payee information rather than check
number and amount alone.
Bank reconciliation and check-image review.
Investigate unusual cleared checks and review
available images when payee details or payment
activity appear inconsistent.
Secure check distribution.
Limit access to printed checks, protect mailing
processes and evaluate whether electronic
payments can reduce exposure to physical
check interception.
Missing-payment investigations.
When a vendor reports nonreceipt, confirm
whether a check cleared, inspect the available
endorsement and deposit information, and
coordinate promptly with the bank.
The Lesson for AP
Effective payment controls do not end when
an invoice is approved or a check is printed.
They extend through payment delivery, clearing,
reconciliation and the resolution of supplier
inquiries.
A check marked as paid in the accounting
system does not necessarily mean the correct
vendor received the money.
That distinction matters when a supplier calls
about an overdue balance that AP records show
as already paid.
Legal note:
The defendants have been charged, not convicted.
An indictment contains allegations, and all
defendants are presumed innocent unless and
until proven guilty in court.
From a blue lobster costume to a Rolex, expense reports have a way of reminding Accounts Payable professionals that almost anything can eventually land in the approval queue.
By Accounts Payable Professionals Group
October 23, 2026
If you have worked in Accounts Payable long enough, eventually an expense report lands in front of you that makes you stop and ask one simple question:
“They want us to reimburse WHAT?”
Most expense reports are routine. Airfare. Hotels. Mileage. Client meals.
And then there are the other ones.
A Blue Lobster Costume, a Monkey and a Patio Set
In 2023, finance publication CFO Brew asked readers to share some of the strangest reimbursement requests they had encountered.
The answers did not disappoint.
Among the reported expenses were a blue lobster costume, paddleboarding in Miami and a new patio set and gas grill purchased for a “team-building” event held at an executive's home.
One employee reportedly needed a replacement iPhone after a monkey stole the original.
There was even a last-minute tattoo involving the logo of expense-management company Expensify.
These stories were submitted by finance professionals and readers. APPG has not independently verified the individual anecdotes, but they illustrate something many AP professionals already know: unusual reimbursement requests are hardly unusual.
Accountants Have Seen Some Things
The stories did not stop there.
At the 2025 Accountex accounting conference, accountants and bookkeepers were asked about some of the most outrageous expenses they had encountered.
Reported claims included a Rolex watch, wedding dresses and engagement rings, cosmetic surgery, school fees, doggy daycare and an aquarium.
Someone reportedly attempted to claim approximately £500 worth of McDonald's.
And then there was the racehorse.
The explanations can be nearly as creative as the expenses themselves. One Rolex was reportedly justified as necessary “to get to meetings.”
And Then There Are the Really Expensive Ones
Some unusual expense claims go far beyond a questionable meal or an unconventional business purchase.
A 2026 roundup published by spend-management company Moss highlighted several well-documented corporate cases involving expense abuse.
In one case involving a former Atlanta Hawks finance executive, fraudulent spending included a $115,795 diamond ring along with other luxury purchases.
Another case involving former Walmart vice chairman Thomas Coughlin included personal expenses for hunting equipment, liquor and a $2,590 dog enclosure.
At that point, the stories stop being funny.
Funny Until It Isn't
Expense-report creativity has also entered the AI era.
Research released by travel and expense platform Perk in 2026 found that 20% of 8,000 surveyed employees across five countries said they regularly misrepresent expense claims. Eight percent said they regularly use AI-generated receipts.
Separate 2026 research from Medius surveyed 2,386 senior finance professionals in the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden and France. According to the study, 87% said they had ignored a small expense, reimbursement or claim they believed was fraudulent.
AP reality: The strange expense report can be funny. The control problem behind it may not be. Small questionable expenses can become larger losses when employees learn that nobody is looking.
Strange Doesn't Always Mean Wrong
There is also an important distinction between something being strange and something being improper.
Dog boarding might initially sound like an unusual business expense, for example. But some employers allow pet-care expenses when an employee is required to travel.
A strange expense therefore should not automatically be rejected.
The real questions are whether the expense has a legitimate business purpose, whether company policy allows it, whether the documentation supports it and whether the appropriate person approved it.
Sometimes the strangest-looking expense has a perfectly reasonable explanation.
And sometimes that $14.72 receipt deserves a second look.
APPG DISCUSSION
Now We Want to Hear From AP
What's the craziest, funniest or most questionable thing you've ever seen submitted on an expense report?
No employee names. No company names. No confidential information.
Just tell us what they tried to expense. If we receive enough responses, we'll collect some of the best stories for a follow-up featuring experiences from AP professionals themselves.
Sources and further reading
CFO Brew, “Odd, outrageous, and downright silly reimbursement requests,” March 24, 2023.
CFO Brew
Cloud2Me, “From Rolexes to Racehorses: The Most Outrageous Expense Claims Revealed at Accountex 2025.”
Cloud2Me / Accountex 2025
Moss, “The Most Ridiculous Expense Reports Ever Submitted,” 2026.
Moss