Slower AP Payments Risk Supplier Relationships

AP invoice processing speed has declined sharply in the last six months, according to recent surveys by IOFM. Payables leaders should treat this finding as an enterprise risk indicator and escalate it to Procurement and Treasury.

In the summer of 2025, 80% of organizations processed invoices in under a week; by the winter of 2025/2026, that figure plummeted to just 52%. Meanwhile, invoices taking more than 15 days surged from 5% to 25%, according to IOFM’s surveys of more than 150 AP leaders.

While the decline in the last six months is especially stark, it’s a trend IOFM has tracked since 2024. In the last three years, cycle time (the number of days between receiving a final invoice until that invoice is ready to pay), has plummeted. Those that could pay in less than three days has fallen from 36% to just 9%. On the flip side, those spending more than two weeks to process an invoice has climbed from 3% in 2024 to 25% though early 2026.

The most successful organizations are those investing through the turbulence, not waiting for stability that may not come. Companies that delay automation investment now risk falling permanently behind as the trade environment continues to grow more complex.

As an AP leader, you can’t afford not to read this report.