Step 7 Invoicing

After USAC has processed your FCC Form 486, you or your service provider can begin the process of invoicing USAC for the discount share of the approved eligible services. There are two methods that can be used to invoice USAC. Once USAC has processed an invoice for a funding request, that method of invoicing must be used for that particular funding request for the remainder of the invoicing process.

Invoice Method #1

Applicants file FCC Form 472, Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement (BEAR) Form if they have paid the service provider in full for the services and want to be reimbursed for the discount amount.

The service provider must approve the form before it is submitted to USAC. USAC will review the invoice and process a payment to the service provider if payment is approved. The service provider then passes the reimbursement on to the applicant.

Invoice Method #2

Service providers file FCC Form 474, Service Provider Invoice (SPI) Form if they have provided discounted bills to their customer and want to be reimbursed for the discount amount.

Under both invoice methods, USAC will review the invoice and process a payment to the service provider if payment is approved. Note that applicants are required to pay the non-discount portion of the cost of the services.

BEAR Filing Requirements

You can file a BEAR Form after all of the following have occurred:

• you have received a Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL),
• you have filed, and USAC has processed, an FCC Form 486,
• your service provider has filed an FCC Form 473, Service Provider Annual Certification (SPAC) Form,
• you have paid for the service in full, and
• in general, the services must have been delivered (an exception can be made for progress payments specified in a contract).

Filing Deadline

You must file, and your service provider must approve, BEAR Forms no later than 120 days after the last day to receive service or 120 days after the FCC Form 486 Notification Letter date, whichever is later. If you miss this deadline you can request an invoice deadline extension.

USAC Communications

After processing your BEAR Form, USAC issues a BEAR Notification Letter with information about the processing of your form. If you need more information about a reduction or denial of payment, you should refer to the invoice error code(s) featured on your letter.

After the end of each calendar quarter, USAC issues a Quarterly Disbursement Report that details all invoicing activity, BEAR Forms and SPI Forms, processed during that quarter for all funding years. This report allows you to track all of the invoicing activity related to your Billed Entity Number (BEN). If you would like to be notified each time your service provider submits a SPI Form, you can initiate an invoice check.

Next Step

For many applicants, invoicing is the last step in the process. However, if you have changes, corrections, or other activities outside of the regular application process, you should review the information in Before You're Done.