Accounts Payable Services & AP Automation Providers in Metairie, LA

Accounting Services Unlimited (ASU, LLC) is an outsourced accounting and bookkeeping firm headquartered in the New Orleans area, with its main Louisiana office in Metairie. It works mostly with small and mid-sized companies that want to stop handling day-to-day finance work themselves.

Besides Metairie, the firm has offices in Ponchatoula and Slidell, plus a fourth location in Chula Vista, California, near San Diego. It also takes on clients in other parts of the country. ASU says it has more than 25 years of experience and serves over 100 clients each month.

Accounts payable services

ASU offers AP as a full outsourced function rather than as a software product. Its staff can run the whole payables cycle, from receiving vendor bills to recording each payment in QuickBooks.

Clients can send invoices in whatever way suits them: by email, by having vendors bill ASU directly with the client's permission, or by letting ASU download bills from supplier portals. Many clients choose a hybrid setup in which ASU prepares and schedules payments and the business owner gives final approval before the money goes out.

• Review and general-ledger coding of vendor invoices
• Payment scheduling with a defined approval workflow
• Check runs, ACH transfers and use of the client's bank bill-pay tools
• Upkeep of vendor records in QuickBooks
• Year-round 1099-NEC tracking, W-9 collection and preparation of forms by the January deadline
• AP aging reports, accrual summaries and month-end reconciliation
• Cleanup of backlogged or miscoded payables

How engagements work

A new AP engagement starts with a vendor audit. ASU reviews the existing supplier list and payment terms, sets up proper coding, agrees on a payment calendar, and identifies which vendors will need 1099s.

After that, the firm takes over ongoing processing and sends monthly reports showing what has been paid, what is coming due, and what cash outflows to expect next. ASU says the service works for businesses with roughly ten vendors as well as those with a couple hundred.

Pricing depends on how many vendors and invoices a client has, and the firm does not require a long-term contract.

Because ASU also handles receivables, bookkeeping and payroll, buyers can bring all of these functions to one provider. Its separate bill-pay offering focuses on paying vendors on time and capturing early-payment discounts. Its receivables team issues invoices, runs aging reports and follows up on overdue accounts under the client's business name.

Industries and background

The firm has industry experience with restaurants and bars, construction, medical and dental practices, law firms, oilfield and energy companies, real estate, retail, professional services and nonprofits. Its staff includes Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors, CPAs and tax attorneys.

In addition to AP, ASU offers tax preparation, Louisiana parish sales tax filing, IRS audit representation, new business formation, licensing and permits, and catch-up bookkeeping. The firm guarantees its tax work: if it makes an error on a client's taxes, it pays any resulting penalties and interest. Bilingual service in Spanish is available.