How to Automate Prepaid Expenses in Ramp While Doing AP

Tom Zehentner
Growth & Product

While many accounts payable automation solutions promise to streamline your workflow, the combination of Ramp and Accruer offers a uniquely powerful approach for businesses using QuickBooks Online. This integration brings best-in-class accounts payable automation software capabilities to your financial operations, with a surprisingly simple implementation.

Why QuickBooks AP Automation Matters

For businesses using Ramp and QuickBooks Online, managing prepaid expenses often feels like a complex juggling act. While Ramp excels at expense management, AP, and corporate cards, the manual work of tracking and accounting for prepaid expenses can still bog down your accounting team. And on top of that, finding the right QuickBooks accounts payable automation solution can be challenging. Most systems require complex setup processes and significant changes to your existing workflow. However, the integration between Ramp and Accruer delivers automated prepaid expense processing while doing AP in Ramp with just three magic words: "for the period."

The Power of "For the Period"

What if you could transform your entire accounts payable automation process by simply adding three words to your Ramp descriptions? That's exactly what Accruer enables. When processing bills or expenses in Ramp, adding the phrase "for the period" along with the relevant dates triggers Accruer to automatically handle all the complex accounting work behind the scenes.

How It Works

The process is beautifully simple:

  1. Log into Ramp as you normally would
  2. Enter your bill or expense information
  3. Include "for the period" and the dates in the description
  4. Complete your usual Ramp categorization

That's it. From there, Accruer takes over, automatically:

  • Determining whether it's an asset or liability
  • Calculating the appropriate monthly allocations
  • Creating and posting all necessary journal entries
  • Generating audit-ready documentation

Real-Time Financial Visibility with AP Automation

When Ramp syncs with QuickBooks Online, Accruer immediately goes to work. As one of the best accounts payable automation software options available, the system automatically straight-lines your expenses across the specified period, ensuring your P&L reflects the correct monthly expense allocation. For example, a $24,000 annual subscription is automatically broken down into $2,000 monthly expenses, with the prepaid balance properly reflected on your balance sheet.

Automatic Documentation

Beyond the calculations and journal entries, Accruer creates comprehensive backup documentation. The system generates traditional roll-forward schedules showing:

  • Beginning balances
  • New additions
  • Recognized amounts
  • Ending balances

This automatic documentation saves hours of manual work while ensuring your books are always audit-ready.

Why This Matters for Your Business

The integration between Ramp and Accruer transforms your accounting workflow by:

  1. Eliminating Manual Data Entry: No more spreadsheets or manual journal entries for prepaid expenses
  2. Reducing Errors: Automated calculations ensure accurate expense allocation
  3. Saving Time: What once took hours now requires just three words
  4. Maintaining Compliance: Ensure GAAP compliance with consistent treatment of prepaid expenses
  5. Supporting Growth: Scale your accounting processes without adding headcount

Getting Started with AP Automation

Ready to streamline your prepaid expense management and accounts payable process? The setup process is straightforward:

  1. Sign up for Accruer
  2. Connect it with your QuickBooks Online account
  3. Start using "for the period" in your Ramp descriptions

There's no complicated implementation process or extensive training required. Your team can continue using Ramp exactly as they do now, with the simple addition of three words to unlock powerful automation capabilities.

The Future of Accounting Automation

The seamless integration between Ramp and Accruer represents the future of accounts payable automation – where complex accounting processes are handled automatically while maintaining accuracy and compliance. This allows your accounting team to focus on strategic analysis and decision-making rather than manual data entry and calculations.

Ready to Transform Your Prepaid Expense Management & AP Process?

Don't let manual accounts payable management slow down your accounting processes. With Ramp and Accruer working together, you can automate this crucial aspect of your financial operations with just three words: "for the period."

Tom Zehentner
Growth & Product

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