Funding
BEAR payments are on hold without a SAM UEI on Form 498
If you file BEAR (FCC Form 472) and USAC remits the discount to the school, you need an active SAM.gov Unique Entity Identifier on FCC Form 498 in EPC and a valid bank account linked to that UEI. As of September 8, 2026, USAC pays those invoices from the SAM.gov bank account — not from whatever used to sit on the old 498.
You can still submit invoices without it. The money is held. The notice goes to the remittance contact with the subject line “Action Required: Your Payment is on Hold.”
Skip this briefing if you are SPI-only (Form 474), never take applicant remittance, and your provider owns invoicing. Do not switch invoicing methods this week to dodge a hold — that is a different decision with your provider, not a same-day fix.
Order of operations this week
- Confirm you are actually BEAR (2 min). If every FRN is SPI, stop. If you file 472s, continue.
- Check the 498 (5–10 min). In EPC, open FCC Form 498. Confirm an active SAM.gov UEI is on the form and that SAM.gov shows a bank account on that UEI. USAC’s Applicant 498 UEI Confirmation Tool on the Tools page will tell you whether a UEI is already on an approved 498 for applicants who have filed a 472 in the last two years. School/library official or account-administrator rights are required to modify the 498; recertify after any change. Registration and validation can take weeks — start now, not after the second hold email.
- If the hold email already arrived (10–20 min). Fix UEI and bank first. Then follow the hold notice, or call USAC at 888-203-8100. Do not invent a new invoice as a workaround.
- What to skip today. Do not re-read the FY2026 Eligible Services List for this problem. Do not burn the one-time 120-day invoice-deadline extension while you are only fixing banking. The Post Commitment Deadline Tool and Form 486 / 473 (SPAC) status are a separate invoice-clock job — same Tools page, after the 498 is clean.
Checklist
| Check | Who |
|---|---|
| BEAR vs SPI for the FRNs you care about | Director |
| Active SAM.gov UEI on Form 498 | EPC admin |
| Valid bank account on that UEI in SAM.gov | EPC admin / business office |
| Hold email received? Subject: Action Required: Your Payment is on Hold | Remittance contact |
| 498 recertified after any change | School/library official |
Two-person week
- Person A (director / EPC admin): steps 1–3 today if you file BEAR. About 30–60 minutes.
- Person B, or the same hat later: invoice-clock tools after banking is clean. About 15 minutes.
- Park: deep FRN archaeology, vendor SPAC nagging that is not blocking a held payment, Phoenix or DC training.
Hard facts
- Remittance via SAM.gov banking begins September 8, 2026 (USAC SAM.gov UEI Requirement page and the September 2, 2026 announcement).
- BEAR filers without a UEI on Form 498: invoices still file; payments are held until SAM.gov registration and the UEI on the 498 are complete.
- Older “August 2026 / delayed TBD” language is superseded.
Sources
- USAC — SAM.gov UEI Requirement
- USAC — E-Rate announcements (Sept 2, 2026)
- USAC — E-Rate tools (498 UEI Confirmation Tool)
This page is a field translation, not a filing. If EPC or SAM.gov shows something different, the portal wins.