Before an Invoice Can Be Submitted
An invoice is a document submitted to Columbia University by a vendor for payment of goods or services provided to a department. The vendor must be established in the vendor master file in Accounting and Reporting at Columbia (ARC) before an invoice can be paid.
Certain goods and services require a purchase order prior to doing business with the supplier, which must be initiated in the CU Marketplace.
Invoices are audited to ensure compliance with Columbia University policies and Accounts Payable procedures.
Key Details
The following basic information is required on the invoice:
All Invoices:
- Supplier Name: Legal name as registered with Columbia University
- Supplier Remittance Address: As registered with Columbia University
- Invoice Date: When your invoice was created or sent
- Invoice Number: Use a unique invoice number (from your entity) for each invoice
- Bill To: Must be Columbia University, noting if a Specific school or department should also be included
- Attention To: Name of the individual at Columbia University that requested the good and/or service (Include “Attn To” if space allows)
- Invoice Amount: Amount for current activity only - only current activity will be paid on each invoice
- Line Item Description: details about the good and/or service provided
Additional data for PO Invoices (if related to a Columbia Purchase Order):
- PO Number: (e.g., CU123456) in your Invoice header clearly and exactly as it appears on the PO issued
Columbia University only pays for current activity. If there is a previous balance, the department must obtain a new invoice for the current activity amount.
A legitimate business purpose that pertains to Columbia University business must be documented on the invoice.
Columbia University is tax-exempt in most states. Please be sure not to include sales tax charges. Contact the Finance Service Center below for a copy of our tax-exempt certificate.