USAC Announces September 8 Transition to SAM.gov Banking Information
Good afternoon E-Rate Community,
USAC has announced that it will begin using SAM.gov banking information to remit payment for all Universal Service Fund (USF) invoices starting on September 8, 2026.
Per the announcement, USAC reminds E-Rate applicants who invoice using the Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement (BEAR) method, have an active SAM.gov registration, and have added their Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) to FCC Form 498 in EPC do not need to take any additional action. All invoices paid after September 8 will be disbursed to the bank account associated with their SAM.gov registration. If you only receive discounted bills where your service provider files the Service Provider Invoice (SPI), you are not required to complete this.
Payments Will Be Held for BEAR Filers Without an Active SAM.gov Registration and UEI
The announcement also states:
- All E-Rate applicants who use the BEAR method to invoice USAC and receive USF disbursements must have their current SAM.gov UEI on their FCC Form 498 in EPC and must have a valid bank account associated with their SAM.gov registration.
- BEAR filers who have not registered with SAM.gov or added their UEI to the FCC Form 498 in EPC should do so promptly. Once USAC transitions to SAM.gov banking information, BEAR filers without a UEI on their FCC Form 498 can submit invoices, but their payments will be held until these steps are completed.
- If a payment is held, USAC will send an email to the E-Rate remittance contact notifying them of the hold with the subject line “Action Required: Your Payment is on Hold.”
- For questions about a held payment, contact the USAC Customer Service Center at CustomerSupport@USAC.org.
- E-Rate applicants who do not wish to submit their UEI in EPC can elect to use the Service Provider Invoice (SPI) method. For FY2026 funding requests, if you selected the BEAR invoicing method on your Form 471, you should file a Form 500 to switch your invoicing method. Note: To switch to SPI invoicing, you must provide written confirmation from the service provider agreeing to discounted billing. This can be in the form of an email acknowledgment.
- SAM.gov requires users to renew their registration annually. The renewal process is conducted through the SAM.gov website. Once users complete their renewal, SAM.gov will inform USAC; E-Rate applicants do not need to take any action with their FCC Form 498.
Updating the Form 498
Using USAC’s E-Rate Applicant 498 UEI Confirmation Tool, I pulled the most current data for applicants listed as having a Form 498 without a UEI. You can access the list by clicking No UEI on Form 498 as of 9-2-2026. The list also shows the status of your Form 498. If your status is listed as “Rejected”, “Bank Rejected”, or “In Progress”, I’ve added notes on how to proceed.
For step-by-step instructions on updating/modifying the existing Form 498, I’ve provided a guide you can access by clicking on Form-498-Filing – Updating-Guide-UEI & Banking Info.
How do you know if you need to submit a BEAR?
The easy answer is that if you received discounted bills from your vendor, you do not need to submit a BEAR (your E-Rate discounts were applied to your bill). If you did not receive discounted bills, then you likely will have to file a BEAR to collect your reimbursement.
Where Can I Find the BEAR Form?
A Guide to the Form 472 BEAR Invoicing System is available at: Form-472-BEAR-Filing-Guide.pdf. To access the EPC Invoicing System, log in to EPC and select “EPC E-Rate Invoicing” from the shortcuts menu in the top right corner of your Landing Page. If you don’t see this link, it means that your EPC Account Administrator must change your User Permissions in their EPC portal (see Slide 11 for instructions on changing User Permissions). Hint: the BEAR allows (not requires) you to upload a copy of the relevant vendor invoice/s. I typically recommend not uploading invoices, but wait to see if USAC requests them, as most often they don’t.
FY 2026 Purchases
If you purchased FY 2026 internal connections equipment after April 1, 2026, and paid for the equipment in full, you may now submit BEARs for those purchases as well, assuming you have received an FCDL and filed the Form 486. For instructions on filing the Form 486, see Form 486 Filing Guide FY 2026.
I know this is a lot of information, so please let me know if you have any questions.
Take care and have a great Labor Day weekend,
Lorrie
Lorrie Germann
State E-Rate Coordinator
On behalf of the Ohio Department of Education
lorrie.germann@education.ohio.gov
www.ohio-k12.help/erate
Office: 740-223-2420
Cell: 740-253-1153