---
title: What Is Straight Through Processing (STP)? | Aavenir
url: https://aavenir.com/glossary/straight-through-processing-stp/
description: Straight through processing (STP) is a fully automated flow, most often for payments, that runs on electronic transfers from start to finish with no manual step.
updated: 2026-11-07
---

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# What is straight through processing?

Straight through processing (STP) is a fully automated flow, most often for payments, that runs on electronic transfers from start to finish with no manual step.

## How it works

In straight through processing, data is captured once and moves electronically through every step, from initiation through checks and approval to settlement, without anyone rekeying it. Financial institutions use it to speed up payment and securities processing while keeping it secure. In accounts payable, the same idea applies to invoices that match cleanly and pass all checks.

## Why it matters

What once took days can now finish in minutes. Removing manual steps cuts processing cost, eliminates keying errors and shortens the time from invoice to payment. People are freed to handle the exceptions that genuinely need judgment.

## What makes it possible

- Structured electronic data rather than paper or images.

- Clean master data for suppliers and items.

- Clear, automated rules for matching and approval.

- Integrated systems that pass data without rekeying.

## How Aavenir handles it

[Invoiceflow](https://aavenir.com/solutions/accounts-payable-automation/) reads invoices, matches them against the purchase order, receipt and contract and sends clean invoices through approval automatically. Exceptions go to a person, and a person approves every AI action.

## Keep reading

[Invoice matching Invoice matching checks a supplier invoice against the purchase order and the receipt before the invoice is paid. Read more](https://aavenir.com/glossary/invoice-matching/)[Automated Clearing House The Automated Clearing House is the United States network that moves money electronically between bank accounts. Read more](https://aavenir.com/glossary/automated-clearing-house-ach/)[Invoice management Invoice management is how accounts payable receives, checks, approves and pays supplier invoices, and records each payment. Read more](https://aavenir.com/glossary/invoice-management/)

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

## Common questions

###

### What is a straight through processing rate?

The share of transactions, such as invoices, that complete with no manual touch. A rising rate means more clean data and fewer exceptions. It is one of the clearest measures of how well accounts payable automation works. [Read about invoice matching](https://aavenir.com/glossary/invoice-matching/).

###

### What stops invoices from going straight through?

Missing or wrong purchase orders, missing receipts, price or quantity mismatches, poor supplier data and invoices that arrive as images without clean data. [Read about invoice data extraction](https://aavenir.com/glossary/invoice-data-extraction/).

###

### Does straight through processing remove human control?

No. Rules decide what passes automatically, and anything outside them goes to a person. Good systems keep a full audit trail of each automated step. People stay in control of every exception. [See Invoiceflow](https://aavenir.com/solutions/accounts-payable-automation/).

Have a question we have not answered? [Ask the Expert](https://aavenir.com/contact/)

Schedule a demo

## See your contracts run on one record.

- **1****A 30 minute walkthrough**Built around your team, whether that is procurement, legal, IT or finance.

- **2****Your contracts, not ours**Bring a few sample agreements and watch Aavenir AI extract and review them.

- **3****ServiceNow or standalone**We show the deployment that fits the systems you already run.

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