AP and AR backlogs rarely announce themselves dramatically. They build quietly: a few invoices that didn't get processed on time, a handful of overdue collections nobody followed up on, a vendor payment held up in an approval queue. Individually, none of it feels critical. Together, it adds up to a cash flow problem that moves faster than most finance leaders expect.
For growing companies, the compounding nature of AP/AR backlogs is what makes them genuinely dangerous. The bigger the transaction volume, the faster a backlog grows if nobody is actively managing it – and the longer it sits, the more it costs to clear.
On the AR side, the math is direct: every dollar in an aging receivable is a dollar not in your bank account. Industry benchmarks show companies without dedicated AR collections follow-up see DSO drift 15–25 days longer than those with active management. When receivables aren't collected consistently, that DSO climb translates directly into working capital shortfalls.
On the AP side, the costs are different but equally real. Unprocessed invoices lead to late payment penalties – typically 1.5–2% monthly on outstanding balances – and damaged vendor relationships. Without a clean view of outstanding payables, cash flow forecasting becomes unreliable. Duplicate payments and undetected errors average $50–$100 per incident in manual AP environments and accumulate in ways that are expensive to unwind.
Both backlogs create downstream accounting problems. An AP backlog means the close is delayed or inaccurate because payables aren't captured correctly. An AR backlog means the balance sheet doesn't reflect reality. Finance leaders dealing with both describe the same experience: the clean close they need keeps getting pushed back because the transactional layer underneath is perpetually behind.
The root cause is almost always the same: AP and AR work is being handled by someone whose primary job is something else. This work needs dedicated ownership. It's high-volume, time-sensitive, and requires consistent follow-through – qualities that erode when the person doing it is constantly switching to more complex accounting responsibilities.
When a dedicated AP/AR Specialist takes over, the change is fast. Invoices get processed the day they arrive. Vendor payments go out on schedule. Collections follow-up happens according to a defined aging schedule rather than when someone has time. The aging report starts to shorten.
Finance leaders who place AP/AR Specialists through MAVI consistently describe the transactional backlog clearing within the first two to three weeks. MAVI AP/AR Specialists come pre-vetted for high-volume transaction environments with three to five-plus years of experience, fluent in QuickBooks, NetSuite, Bill.com, Stripe, and Ramp.
The fastest path is dedicated headcount – someone who gets oriented on the systems and starts working through the backlog while keeping current work current. A six-week recruiting process for a role that needs to start fixing a cash flow problem today isn't practical.
Through MAVI, pre-vetted AP/AR Specialists can be placed in as few as five days, at 50–70% less than a US-market equivalent, with no upfront fees and no minimum commitment, and a 14-day risk-free trial. Book a call to explore AP/AR Specialist profiles in our network.
Check your DSO trend and aging report. If DSO has been climbing over the past two to three months, or more than 20% of receivables are 60-plus days outstanding, the backlog is already affecting working capital. The earlier you address it, the less remediation is required.
It depends on transaction volume. Many growing companies start with one AP/AR Specialist covering both functions. As volume scales, splitting the roles makes sense. MAVI supports both combined and dedicated placements.
At minimum: QuickBooks Online or NetSuite for core accounting, and at least one AP automation tool like Bill.com or Ramp. AR-focused specialists should also have experience with billing platforms like Stripe or subscription billing systems. MAVI vets for finance stack proficiency as part of every placement.
Most contribute meaningfully within the first week. They arrive pre-vetted for the tools and transaction environments they'll be working in, which significantly reduces onboarding time.