Invoicing and Payment Terms

Payment Terms

Suppliers providing goods and services to UC Berkeley are expected to transact invoices and payments with us electronically. We have standardized the channels through which we receive invoices and issue payments and the extent to which suppliers support electronic transactions directly impacts payment terms.

Effective September 15, 2018, the following payment terms will be implemented on all new supplier records.

Payment Terms Matrix

Please note that "Net" in relation to Net 0, Net 30, Net 60, and Net 90 means "Net calendar days."

Invoice AcceptancePayment MethodPayment Terms
Preferred Electronic

Catalog suppliers: cXML

Non-catalog suppliers: Transcepta

 Payment Plus Net 0 upon final approval
Traditional Electronic

Catalog suppliers: cXML

Non-catalog suppliers: Transcepta

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) or International Wire Transfer

Net 30, or if agreed to early early payment discount:

  • 4% 5, Net 30
  • 2% 10, Net 30
  • 1% 20, Net 30
Exceptional Manual Combo Combination of PDF invoice via email and electronic payment Combination of paper check and electronic invoice Net 60
Exceptional Manual PDF via email Paper check Net 90

Sending an Invoice

A valid UC Berkeley Purchase Order number is required on all invoices. All UC Berkeley POs start with "BB" and are 10 digits in total (i.e. BB00120075). Invoices without a valid UC Berkeley purchase order number will not be processed. Please be sure that your invoiced items match those on the purchase order. If the quantities differ, or if lines on a purchase order have been combined on your invoice, the transaction will require additional research which may cause a delay in payment.

Please obscure or remove any sensitive or confidential information, including Social Security Numbers or Bank account numbers.

Electronic

  • All BearBuy Catalog suppliers should submit catalog order invoices via cXML
  • Non-catalog suppliers submitting more than 25 invoices per year should register with Transcepta, our invoicing partner
    • For information about enrolling in the Transcepta program, please visit UC Berkeley - Connect Now and click Contact Transcepta

Manual

  • Submit directly to the Accounts Payable Office preferably via the email instructions below
  • Sending invoices to campus departments will delay the payment as it adds additional steps to the payment process
  • Please refer to the Exceptional Processing section for more information

Email

Email and attachments interface automatically to our imaging system. Please follow these instructions:

  • Create an email to ucinvoice@berkeley.edu
  • Attach the invoice using a PDF or similar file type
    • If the invoice is multi-pages, please include all pages in one attachment
  • Only one invoice can be accepted per email
    • If more than one invoice is attached to an email, or if more than one invoice is included in a single PDF, the invoice(s) cannot be processed
  • Obscure or remove any sensitive or confidential information, including Social Security Numbers or Bank account numbers
  • In the subject line of the email:
    • Type the Purchase Order Number followed by the number (#) sign and then type the Invoice Number followed by underscore (please do not enter spaces)
      • For example, PO# BB00027195 and Invoice # J156987 should be inserted into the subject line as: BB00027195#J156987_

Please do not use the body of the email for questions, comments, or other correspondence. Only the attachments are viewed.

Exceptional Processing

The following departments have unique payables processing procedures which require that suppliers send the invoices directly to the departments. Invoices for these departments should not be sent to the above Accounts Payable Office address, as it will delay the processing of your payment:

  • Physical Plant - Campus Services
  • Facilities Services/Capital Projects
  • The Library

Contact

Suppliers who go through our BearBuy Purchase Order process can register with our supplier portal for self-service, 24/7 inquiries, including payment status. To request access, please send an email to disburse@berkeley.edu and include in the subject line "requesting access to supplier portal."

  • This will create a service ticket and your ticket will be routed to staff who can best address your inquiry
    • If you have an open ticket for an issue, please do not open a duplicate ticket by sending a new inquiry
    • Please respond to the notification received when the ticket was originally created and that will update the existing ticket
    • If your ticket is closed, please do not reply as this will reopen the ticket

We are not exempt from Sales/Use tax. The University of California is subject to State–administered sales and use tax laws to the same extent as private individuals or businesses.

  • If you need UC Berkeley's Taxpayer Identification Number, you may obtain it from the IRS Form W-9
  • Refund checks for overpayments should be made payable to UC Regents and sent to our mailing address