When people say “accounts payable,” they typically mean the calculation that is used in the process of paying bills. The term is most commonly used in a business setting, where it’s about the process of making payments for services and products that have already been received and must be paid for with money from the company’s account—in other words, it’s about calculating how much to pay for what you’ve already bought. Of course, this is not always the case; sometimes accounts payable also means a list of all outstanding accounts payable, which in turn can be utilized as an overview of your company’s financial standing.