Submitting an Invoice and Invoice Processing

Submitting an Invoice

Please send invoices directly to invoices@iastate.edu. The subject line should include:

  • ISU Purchase Order Number or ISU Supplier Contract Number
  • Supplier Name
  • Invoice number

Purchase Order Example: PO-1135079 - Globex Corporation - Invoice #1234

Supplier Contract Example: SCN-1007017 - Acme Corporation - Invoice #1234

 

Invoices should NOT be sent to an individual ISU department. Sending invoices to the Sold-To or Ship-To Address may delay processing time.

ISU is in the process of moving to a paperless environment. We encourage our suppliers to email invoices@iastate.edu to ensure prompt payment according to contract terms. While electronic invoices are preferred, if necessary, hard-copy invoices can be sent to Accounts Payable’s address below.

 

Iowa State University

Accounts Payable - Financial Services Building

1015 HABER RD,

Ames, Iowa 50011-1004

 

Checks are printed daily, Monday through Friday, and mailed the following business day. Electronic payments are processed daily, Monday through Friday. Exceptions may occur because of holidays or other special circumstances.

Ames National Laboratory Invoices

Invoices for work done for Ames National Laboratory be submitted to invoiceinbox@ameslab.gov.

Subcontract/Subaward/Subrecipient Contract Invoices

Subcontract/Subaward/Subrecipient Contract invoices are not related to standard procurement agreements. These agreements are full collaborative relationships between ISU and the Subrecipient, whereby the terms of the prime award to ISU are flowed down to the subrecipient. Sponsored Programs Accounting must review all Subrecipient invoices. Invoices for work done on Subcontract/Subaward/Subrecipient contracts must be submitted to spa@iastate.edu.

Questions?

All inquiries regarding invoices, payments, and questions about checks received can be sent to invoices@iastate.edu.

Invoice Processing Steps

Payments to suppliers usually require a purchase order or supplier contract, which are executed by Procurement Services. Certain procurements and expenditures do not require authorization from Procurement Services prior to any commitment being made. Please refer to Procurement and Payment Methods on the Procurement Services website for complete payment instructions.

Click on each step below for additional information on the Accounts Payable process and important guidance to ensure timely payment.

Suppliers should release goods or perform services only after receiving a purchase order number from Iowa State University, e.g., PO-XXXXXXX or supplier contract number SCN-XXXXXXX.

Important Reminder:
If a purchase order number or supplier contract number is not received when the order is taken, the supplier cannot be assured that the person obtaining the goods or services has been authorized to obligate the university.

Payment of the invoice will be delayed until a valid purchase order or supplier contract number has been established or identified.

Alternative Option:
The supplier mails a hardcopy of the invoice to Iowa State University (not recommended)

 

Potential Delays and Problems:

Mailed hardcopy invoices must be scanned and submitted to invoices@iastate.edu.  Please note that, in addition to potential mail delays, invoices are only scanned once a week, which can further delay processing times.

If the supplier submits the invoice to the department receiving the goods or services, Finance is unaware that an invoice has been received, so the payment process does not begin. If the buying department receives the invoice, they should forward it to invoices@iastate.edu. The buying department should also notify the supplier to email future invoices directly to invoices@iastate.edu.

Important Reminder:
Supplier invoices should include a valid purchase order number or supplier contract number and a unique invoice number.

 

Potential Delays and Problems:
If the supplier does not provide a purchase order number or supplier contract number, time-consuming research must be performed that may delay processing time.

If the supplier does not provide an invoice number, one must be created to populate a required system field. This practice makes it more difficult to track which invoices are being paid.

Cost Center Managers must review and approve every supplier invoice for supplier contracts or Purchase Order payments before the supplier can be paid. The buyer is responsible for determining whether the goods have been received or provided.

 

Potential Delays and Problems:
Supplier payments will be made after all approvals. 

If there is a problem with the product or the performance of a service, add a note in the "Enter Your Comment" section and notify Procurement Services. Procurement Services agents can provide assistance in resolving the dispute with the supplier.

The payment process does not begin immediately after the last approver has approved the supplier invoice. If payment terms are Net 30, the payment will not take place until that period has passed. However, checks are printed (and bank transfers released) Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings (except University holidays) for eligible payments. Checks are mailed from Printing Services the next business morning.

 

Potential Delays and Problems:
Weekends and holidays will delay the mailing of the check to the supplier.

Checks for outside suppliers should not be mailed to campus addresses or picked up by employees unless a valid business need exists. These practices make check fraud more likely and are an inappropriate use of staff time.

Payments by wire transfer and foreign draft require special processing, including verbal confirmations, by the Treasurer's Office and our bank.

The invoice information is printed on the check stub.

 

Potential Delays and Problems:
Large companies sometimes use a lockbox service, and the correct information about the invoices is not transmitted to the company. Some suppliers apply the payment to the oldest invoice, rather than the one identified with the remittance. Application errors can also be the result of human error. In all of these cases, Finance assists the supplier with resolving the discrepancies.

If a check is lost or delayed in the mail and has been outstanding more than twenty business days, the Accounting Office will replace a check. Please email invoices@iastate.edu if a check needs to be canceled and payment reissued.

If the supplier cannot determine where to apply a check, a copy of the remittance will be provided upon request. Requests may be submitted to invoices@iastate.edu.

Iowa State University is tax-exempt in most states. If sales tax is incorrectly added to an invoice, it will be deducted, and the invoice will be short paid.

If the supplier has not properly recorded adjustments we have included as remittance information, our records will not match. Assistance will be provided to suppliers to resolve such discrepancies.

The postal and banking systems in some countries are not as efficient as we sometimes expect. Even payments by wire transfer, which happen the same day within the United States, can take several days to reach foreign suppliers.