Invoicing Deadlines and Extension Requests

Invoicing Deadlines

After a Form 486 has been properly filed, the SLD must receive an invoice from either the applicant or the service provider in order to make payments for approved discounts on eligible services.  Form 472, Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement (BEAR) Form, is filed by the applicant; Form 474, Service Provider Invoice Form, is filed by the service provider.

Invoices must be postmarked no later than:

• 120 calendar days after the last date to receive service or
• 120 calendar days after the date of the Form 486 Notification Letter

whichever is later.

If an invoice is postmarked after the deadlines listed above, payment will be denied.

Example 1.  If your last date to receive service was June 30, 2002 and your Form 486 Notification Letter was dated October 26, 2001, then invoices must be postmarked no later than October 28, 2002 (120 days after the last date to receive services, June 30, 2002, which is later than October 26, 2001).

Example 2.  If your last date to receive service was September 30, 2002 and your Form 486 Notification Letter was dated October 20, 2002, then invoices must be postmarked no later than February 17, 2003 (120 days after the date of the Form 486 Notification Letter, October 20, 2002, which is later than September 30, 2002).

The SLD will base the billing mode (reimbursement or discounting) on the first invoice type that it processes for payment.  Applicants and service providers should work together, before the first invoice is submitted, to determine whether a Form 472 (BEAR) or a Form 474 (SPI) will be filed.  That type of invoice must then be used for the remainder of that funding year.

Invoice Deadline Extension Requests

The SLD provides for the extension of invoice deadlines under certain conditions.  These conditions include:

• Authorized service provider changes,
• Authorized service substitutions,
• No timely SLD notice (e.g., the service provider's Form 486 Notification Letter is returned to the SLD as undeliverable),
• SLD errors (for example, in the data entry of a form) that ultimately result in a late invoice,
• SLD delays in data entering a form that ultimately result in a late invoice,
• Documentation requirements that necessitate third party contact or certification,
• Natural or man-made disasters that prevent timely filing of invoices,
• Good Samaritan BEARs, and
• Circumstances beyond the service provider’s control.

Applicants can use the FRN Extension Table to determine if their deadline for postmarking an invoice to the SLD has been extended.  Applicants whose deadlines have been extended should locate the Funding Request Number (FRN) in the table and then look to the far right of the FRN to find the extended deadline for postmarking an invoice to the SLD.

To request an invoice deadline extension, send a letter to the SLD detailing your request and including the following information:

• Contact Person name
• Contact Information (including e-mail address)
• Form 471 Application Number
• Funding Request Number (FRN)
• Service Provider Name
• Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN)
• SLC Invoice Number (If known)
• Amount of Invoice
• Reason for Invoice Deadline Extension request

Send your letter to the following address:

Invoice Deadline Extension Request
Schools and Libraries Division
Box 125 — Correspondence Unit
80 South Jefferson Road
Whippany, NJ  07981

Requests may also be filed electronically, either by electronic mail (e-mail) or by facsimile. Requests submitted by electronic mail will be considered filed on a business day if they are received at the SLD at any time up to 12:00 a.m. (midnight) ET. Requests received after that time will be considered received on the next business day. Similarly, facsimile transmissions will be considered filed on a business day if the complete transmission is received by any time up to 12:00 a.m. (midnight) ET.

• Requests may be filed by e-mail. Documents filed by e-mail can be submitted in any widely used word processing format, such as Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), Word or WordPerfect. The SLD will automatically reply to incoming e-mails to confirm receipt. This e-mail address can only be used for requests.
• Requests filed by facsimile must be faxed to 973-599-6542. The fax transmission should include a cover sheet listing contact name, phone number, and — if available — an e-mail address.

For more information on deadlines for delivery of recurring and non-recurring services, please refer to the Service Delivery Deadlines and Extension Requests posted in the Reference Area of this web site.

For more information on deadlines for filing Form 486, please refer to the Form 486 Deadlines posted in the Reference Area of this web site.