University Accounting Services

Accounts Payable

accounts payable business picture

Accounts Payable Department is responsible for the issuance of various University payments. Following is a brief outline of some of the more common items processed by the department along with tips to help staff and vendors alike submit proper payment requests. If a particular situation is not covered below, or you would like more details about a particular transaction, please email cpp-ap@cpp.edu and one of our team members will contact you to address your inquiry.

General Information

The standard processing timeline for Accounts Payable is 10 business days for all payments from the date of receipt in our office. Invoices/Payment requests should be received in our office with enough lead-time for the 10-day processing standard that our office follows. In the event additional documentation is needed from the requestor/department, payment processing may exceed the ten (10) business day standard.

♦ Invoice/Payment requests should be submitted electronically via email to cpp-ap@cpp.edu for processing. One (1) payment request should be submitted per email, with all supporting documentation combined into one (1) PDF document.

♦ All invoices should include department approval to process payment, acknowledging goods have been received/service(s) rendered.

♦ All invoices going through the regular purchase order (PO) process must reference the PO number issued authorizing the purchase. For multi-line PO's, the dollar amount to be paid from each line should be documented on the invoice.

♦ A Direct Pay should be prepared and accompany invoices for authorized purchases that are not required to go through the normal procurement process. Refer to the Direct Pay Procedures webpage for further details.

The University is subject to California sales and use tax. Vendors are expected to charge the appropriate sales tax for any taxable items/services. For purchases made from out of state vendors that do not collect California sales tax, the University self-assesses the required tax and reports it to the CA Department of Tax and Fee Administration as required.

Cal Poly Pomona is located in an Unincorporated area of Los Angeles County. Therefore, the applicable Sales and Use Tax Rate for this area is 9.5%.

As required by the State of California, all freight charges of more than $50.00 must be supported by a copy of the actual freight bill. Payment of freight charges will be withheld until the proper documentation is provided.

Checks are printed and distributed every Wednesday. For special handling requests, including check pick-up and payments to be mailed with attachments, instructions should be clearly annotated on the invoice or in the body of the email submission.

Invoices are paid according to the terms on the purchase order. The Buyer can negotiate special terms with individual vendors.

Vendors and/or Departments contacting Accounts Payable inquiring about payment status of an invoice should be prepared to provide the following information: purchase order number, invoice number, and invoice amount. Payment status inquires should be submitted via email to cpp-ap@cpp.edu.

All vendors doing business with the State of California are required to complete a Vendor Data Record (std. 204 Form), prior to payment. This information is utilized for 1099 reporting and for withholding on payment to nonresident vendors. Timely completion on this form will ensure payments will be processed without delay.

It is mandatory for vendors to furnish the information requested. Federal law requires that payments for which the requested information is not provided may be subject to federal withholding.

All Vendor Data Records are submitted through a secure file submission process via "PolyDoc", which provides vendors with a unique submission code to upload their completed documents. Completed forms should not be submitted via email. Please contact Accounts Payable at cpp-ap@cpp.edu if a new or updated std. 204 Form needs to be submitted.