File BEARs Now for FY 2024 E-rate Reimbursements
July 10, 2025
Attached: Invoicing-Status-of-ALL-FY-2024-FRNs-as-of-7-10-25.xlsx
~ FY 2025 BEARs Also May Now Be Submitted if Purchases Made ~
~ Invoicing Status of All FY 2024 FRNs Attached ~
~ New BEAR Filing Guide Available ~
The last day to receive FY 2024 recurring services was June 30, 2025 and so now is the time to submit the Form 472 BEAR to USAC for services in which you paid vendor bills in full from July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025. How do you know if you need to submit a BEAR? The easy answer is that if you received discounted bills from your vendor, you do not need to submit a BEAR (your E-rate discounts were applied to your bill). If you did not receive discounted bills, then you likely will have to file a Form 472 BEAR to collect your reimbursement. Attached is a list showing the invoicing status of every FY 2024 FRN (including internal connections and FRNs where vendors have already provided discounted bills) so you can get a holistic picture of your FY 2024 funding requests. Column R shows the status of the FRN and those highlighted in yellow require your attention and those highlighted in green may require possible action. All subsequent BEAR reminders with lists will only include FRNs where a BEAR should be submitted.
Deadlines: The deadline for FY 2024 recurring services BEARs is October 28, 2025. The deadline for FY 2024 non-recurring purchases (mostly internal connections) is January 28, 2025.
Where Can I Find the BEAR Form? – A Guide to the Form 472 BEAR Invoicing System is available at: Form-472-BEAR-Filing-Guide.pdf. To access the EPC Invoicing System, log into EPC and select “EPC E-rate Invoicing” from the shortcuts menu in the top right corner of your Landing Page. If you don’t see this link, it means that your EPC Account Administrator must change your User Permissions in their EPC portal (see Slide 11 for instructions on changing User Permissions). Hint: the new BEAR allows (not requires) you to upload a copy of the relevant vendor invoice and I encourage you to do so for Category 2 funding requests.
FY 2025 Purchases: Many applicants purchased FY 2025 internal connections equipment after April 1, 2025 and paid for the equipment in full. Assuming they have received an FCDL, those applicants may now submit BEARs for those purchases as well.
BEAR LOG-IN INFORMATION:
- Log into EPC at: forms.universalservice.org/portal/login and proceed through the multi-factor authentication steps.
- When you reach the One Portal Dashboard, you should see two links in this order: EPC, ECF. If you don’t see the Form 472 BEAR link, it means you are not set up with BEAR access credentials. See Slide 11 for information on how to obtain these credentials from your EPC Account Administrator.
Form 498 – Direct Deposit Banking Data Form:
- Before you file the BEAR, you must have an approved Form 498. The Form 498 provides USAC with the banking information so that your BEAR reimbursements can be directly deposited into your account.
- You do not need to complete the Form 498 annually. To determine if you have an approved Form 498, log into the Online BEAR System, and if a Form 498 ID doesn’t appear in the form, it means you don’t have an approved 498 on file with USAC. If you don’t have access to the BEAR System and want to see if you have an approved 498, log into EPC > Records > Form 498s > Click on 498 if one is showing to see the Status. If no 498 is showing, then there isn’t one on file with USAC.
A few important Q & A’s:
1) Can I put all of my reimbursement requests on a single BEAR?
A. Yes! The new BEAR system no longer limits each BEAR to a single SPIN.
2) Am I required to have the service provider approve the BEAR before it’s submitted?
A. No. Your BEAR will be submitted directly to USAC for processing.
3) How long will it take for my BEAR reimbursement to arrive?
A. BEAR reimbursements will be directly deposited to the bank account that is in your SAM.gov account as soon as a few days of BEAR submission. However, USAC often requests additional information, such as a copy of the vendor invoice(s), as part of an invoice review (common with C2 BEARs).
4) I was committed more funding than I actually spent. Can I request reimbursement for the full amount that was originally committed?
A. No. Applicants may only seek reimbursement for the exact amount paid for the service instead of just listing the full funding cap (for example, if you were committed $10,000, but then only spent $6,000, you can only request E-rate reimbursements based on the $6,000). Please know that USAC has increasingly been requesting copies of invoices when they review the BEARs as proof that you are requesting the accurate amount.
5) I spent more than what was committed on my funding commitment letter (my cap). What should I list on my BEAR — the cap or the actual amount spent?
The new BEAR system will only allow you to list up to your cap.
6) What if I receive my BEAR Remittance Letter and it lists that $0 was approved?
A. This typically means that there was an error made on the BEAR Form and the applicant must correct the error and resubmit to USAC. There is an explanation on the BEAR explaining what was incorrect to help identify the error. If you’re still unsure of the error, call CSB at 888-203-8100 and they can give you a more detailed explanation. The most common denial reason is listing the wrong service start date year. Note: If the deadline to invoice has not passed, you can simply resubmit a corrected BEAR – no need to appeal.
7) What if I actually received a slightly different service/equipment than what was originally listed on my Form 471 application?
A. USAC has increased scrutiny of the BEARs to make sure that reimbursement requests are for exactly what services were approved for on the FCDLs. If you changed services from what you originally listed on your Form 471, you should first seek a “correcting service substitution request” from USAC by using the Service Substitution link in the upper right side of the EPC Landing Page.
8) What should I do if I didn’t use the equipment and want the C2 funds returned to my C2 budget for use in future years?
A. FY 2025 was the last year of the C2 budget cycle, and you cannot carry unused funds to the FY 2026 – 2030 budget cycle. Therefore, there is no advantage or reason to file a Form 500 and reduce or cancel the FRN.
If you have any questions about the FY 2024 or FY 2025 Invoice Deadlines or completing the BEAR, please contact me at jtschell@comcast.net.
— Julie
Julie Tritt Schell
Pennsylvania E-rate Coordinator
717-730-7133 – o
jtschell@comcast.net
www.e-ratepa.org