Invoice Decision Codes

Beginning in Funding Year (FY) 2026, E-Rate program applicants are required to select their preferred invoicing mode, either the Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement (BEAR / FCC Form 472) or Service Provider Invoicing (SPI / FCC Form 474), on their FCC Form 471. For more information visit the E-Rate applicant invoicing page. After program participants file an invoice form, USAC processes the invoice request and issues an invoicing decision.

USAC sends an FCC Form 472 BEAR Notification Letter to the E-Rate Productivity Center (EPC) Newsfeed of both the applicant and the service provider featured on a BEAR Form. Service providers receive a BEAR Remittance Statement from USAC in their EPC Newsfeed after filing an SPI Form.

In the BEAR Notification Letter and in the BEAR Remittance Statement, USAC identifies the reimbursed invoice line item(s) as well as erroneous or improperly formatted invoice line item(s) submitted on the associated form. Erroneous or improperly formatted invoice line item(s) are identified in the letter with a decision code, decision code explanation, and in some cases, modification reason(s).

For reference, the Invoice Decision Codes Table describes the most common invoice decision codes in plain language and contains historical decision explanations for letters issued before October 1, 2020. Applicants can also explore invoice actions in Open Data using the E-Rate Invoice Disbursements Data Lookup Tool. Use the E-Rate Invoicing Requirements Guide to help avoid common errors.

Invoice Modification Reasons

While invoice decision codes inform you if a payment will be reduced, invoice modification reasons explain why.

At the end of each calendar quarter, USAC issues a Quarterly Disbursement Report to each applicant’s EPC Newsfeed, detailing all billing activity, BEAR forms, and SPI forms processed during the previous quarter. Applicants can use the report to track all billing activity related to their Billed Entity Number (BEN), including the reasons for any modification of reimbursements.

If you disagree with a modification or denial decision, you may file an appeal with USAC.