F. PAYMENTS

​Guidance on how to submit an invoice for payment:

Payment requests are submitted to the Business Office electronically via department, center and programs folders on the shared drive G:\BUSINESS_Payment_Requests. ​To learn how to submit a payment request to pay an invoice, follow these instructions: 

Instructions: Invoice/PO Invoice Electronic Submission

Request to pay an Invoice

To request an invoice to be paid, submit the following documents and be mindful of possible prerequisites for certain types of goods or services:

Cover Sheet – complete header and third column

Proof of Event – event flyer, agenda, email, or invitation reflecting the business purpose of the activity

Invoice – official document submitted to a Law School department by a vendor requesting payment for goods or services. The invoice should include the following:

• Supplier/Payee Name
• Bill-to Address (Columbia Law School)
• Payment Remit Address
• Invoice Date
• Invoice Number
• Description of goods or services Amount Due

Prerequisites – certain prerequisites may be required depending on the type of goods or services that must be completed prior to commencing work or requesting payment. 

• If a Purchase Order is required, reference the approved PO number in the Cover Sheet. Reference Purchase Orders for more information
• If a Contract or Agreement is required, include a copy of the fully executed document. Reference Contracts & Agreements for more information

Foreign Currency – to convert an invoice in foreign currency to US Dollars (USD), please use Oanda Currency Converter and include the print out with your request.

To make payment to an international payee by wire transfer, the following form is required in addition to an invoice or in place of a Check Request for Columbia to wire the funds to their foreign bank account: Wire Request

If the international vendor came to the United States, include copies of these documents for Columbia to validate their immigration status:

• Passport (ID page)
• Visa Type (ID page)
• Entry Stamp, I-94 (or ESTA receipt)

Please reference International Payment for more information. 

​Guidance on how to submit a request to reimburse a Non-Employee/Guest:

Payment requests are submitted to the Business Office electronically via department, center and programs folders on the shared drive G:\BUSINESS_Payment_Requests. ​To learn how to submit a payment request to pay a non-employee/guest, follow these instructions: 

Instructions: Non-Employee Reimbursement Electronic Submission

Request to reimburse a Non-Employee/Guest 

To request reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses for a non-CU individual, submit the following documents:

Cover Sheet – complete header and third column

Proof of Event – event flyer, agenda, email, or invitation reflecting the business purpose of the activity

Check Request – use this form to create a PDF document

Non-Profiled Payee Travel & Business Expense Worksheet

Receipts – must be original and identify date of purchase, vendor name/logo, itemized list and unit price of purchased items, total amount paid. 

Proof of Payment – receipts must indicate proof of payment by stating “Cash Tendered,” “Paid,” a zero balance due, or evidence of debit/credit charged. Proof of payment is required to validate that payment was tendered. If the receipt does not have proof of payment, submit the receipt along with the debit/credit card statement reflecting the transaction. 

Google Maps – for use of a personal vehicle, calculate total mileage x mileage rate and submit printout with the points of origin and destination as backup

Rental Vehicle – for use of a rental vehicle for domestic travel, use Hertz. At the time of making a reservation, provide the Columbia University account number CDP# 254158, to include Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) and Liability in the rental. The University will not reimburse for any additional coverage.

Foreign Currency – to convert an invoice in foreign currency to US Dollars (USD), please use Oanda Currency Converter and include the print out with your request.

To make payment to an international payee by wire transfer, the following form is required in addition to an invoice or in place of a Check Request for Columbia to wire the funds to their foreign bank account: Wire Request

If the international vendor came to the United States, include copies of these documents for Columbia to validate their immigration status:

• Passport (ID page)
• Visa Type (ID page)
• Entry Stamp, I-94 (or ESTA receipt)

Please reference International Payment for more information. 

Guidance for international payments:

Payment Eligibility

The types of payment Columbia can make to international guests depend on their immigration status and visa type. To view eligibility for payments or salary, based on DHS and IRS guidelines, please visit: Allowable Payments by Visa Type

Bank Wire Transfer

To make payment to an international payee by wire transfer, the following form is required in addition to an invoice or in place of a Check Request for Columbia to wire the funds to their foreign bank account: Wire Request

If the payee is an international guest who came to the United States, include copies of these documents for Columbia to validate their immigration status:

• Passport (ID page)
• Visa Type (ID page)
• Entry Stamp, I-94 (or ESTA receipt)

Customs and Border Patrol is phasing out the use of form I-94 and it's being replaced by a new automatic process to obtain the person’s arrival/departure information from their electronic travel records. Members of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) should use the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) instead of form I-94. 

​Guidance on how to submit an honorarium request for a Lecturer:

Payment requests are submitted to the Business Office electronically via department, center and programs folders on the shared drive G:\BUSINESS_Payment_Requests. ​To learn how to submit a payment request to pay an honorarium to a lecturer, follow these instructions: 

Instructions: Honorarium Electronic Submission

“An honorarium payment is a gratuitous payment to a lecturer or a professional person outside the University community (not a University faculty or staff member) as an expression of thanks. It is taxable income and is reportable to the Internal Revenue Service.” Please reference related Policy Statement for more information. 

Request Honorarium for a Lecturer

To request an honorarium payment for a lecturer or a professional person from outside the University community (not a University faculty or staff member) as an expression of thanks, submit the following documents:

Cover Sheet – complete header and third column

Proof of Event – event flyer, agenda, email, or invitation reflecting the business purpose of the activity

Check Request – use this form to create a PDF document

Honorarium Letter – official letter on department letterhead, addressed to the payee, including the amount of the honorarium and signature of department authority

To make payment to an international payee by wire transfer, the following form is required in addition to an invoice or in place of a Check Request for Columbia to wire the funds to their foreign bank account: Wire Request

If the international vendor came to the United States, include copies of these documents for Columbia to validate their immigration status:

• Passport (ID page)
• Visa Type (ID page)
• Entry Stamp, I-94 (or ESTA receipt)

Please reference International Payment for more information. 

Columbia Law School issues Letters of Credit to Local Preferred Vendors and Venues for the following reasons:

1. Refreshments for TA sessions and in-class Faculty-Student Events (P-Card payment)
2. Sit down events at Local Preferred Venues with 29 or fewer attendees (Invoice payment)
3. Faculty hosting events in their home (Invoice payment)
4. Alcoholic Beverages purchase at Local Preferred Vendors (Invoice payment)
5. Columbia Bookstore purchase (Invoice payment)

To request a Letter of Credit Template* from the Business Office, email payments@law.columbia.edu with the Subject: Letter of Credit Template and provide the following information:

• Your Full Name
• Name of your Department, Center, or Program
• Mailing Address
• Email Address
• Phone Number

For occasional, one-off events, email payments@law.columbia.edu with the Subject: Letter of Credit* and provide the following information:

• Vendor
• Person Making Purchase 
• Name of your Department, Center, or Program
• Faculty Name & UNI (if applicable)
• Purpose
• Event Date
• Location
• Attendees #: List full names of attendees if 10 or fewer

*Only authorized employees can issue Letters of Credit on behalf of Columbia Law School. 

To request a chartstring for an event, email payments@law.columbia.edu with the Subject: Chartstring Inquiry and provide a brief description of the event.  

​Guidance on how to submit a prize/award request for a Student:

Payment requests are submitted to the Business Office electronically via department, center and programs folders on the shared drive G:\BUSINESS_Payment_Requests. ​To learn how to submit a payment request to award a student, follow these instructions: 

Instructions: Student Prize/Award Electronic Submission

Awards to Columbia students who receive Financial Aid must be submitted to the Financial Aid office for processing. Awards to Columbia students who do not receive Financial Aid, or payments to non-Columbia students, may be submitted to the Business Office for processing, and do not need to go through the Financial Aid office. If your department does not know whether or not a student receives Financial Aid, check with the Financial Aid office first to determine the appropriate route for payment. Please note, prizes are won in a competition; awards are achieved or granted.

Request a Prize or Award

To request a prize or award for a qualified Columbia student, submit the following documents:

Cover Sheet – complete header and third column

Proof of Event – event flyer, agenda, email, or invitation reflecting the business purpose of the activity

Check Request – use this form to create a PDF document

Prize or Award Letter – official letter on department letterhead, addressed to the payee, including the amount of the award or prize, and signature of department authority

To request an internal transfer or journal voucher, email payments@law.columbia.edu with the Subject: Internal Transfers/Journal Voucher explaining where the expenses should be allocated and attach the following:

• Cost Transfer Justification Form explaining the extenuating circumstances 
• Trial balance by account detail report highlighting the row of the expense

Questions? payments@law.columbia.edu