Invoice Processing Platform (IPP): Enrollment, Submission, and Payment

To submit invoices in the Invoice Processing Platform, you sign in at ipp.gov, open the purchase order the agency loaded for you, enter or “flip” it into an invoice with every field required by the Federal Acquisition Regulation, attach supporting documents, and click Submit. Everything after that runs on whether your invoice qualifies as a “proper invoice” under federal rules — that single question controls when you get paid and whether interest accrues if the agency is late.

Getting Into IPP in the First Place

You cannot sign up for IPP on your own. When a federal agency loads your first purchase order into the system, IPP automatically enrolls your company and, within 12 to 24 hours, emails the administrative contact listed on your SAM.gov registration.1Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Invoice Processing Platform – Obtaining IPP Access The email contains a link to log in using an existing Login.gov or ID.me account, or to create one.

If your company’s Taxpayer Identification Number is already in IPP from a previous contract, you can invoice immediately with your existing account — no re-enrollment.1Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Invoice Processing Platform – Obtaining IPP Access If the enrollment email never arrives, check spam, then contact the IPP help desk at 1-866-973-3131 or IPPCustomerSupport@fiscal.treasury.gov.2Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Invoice Processing Platform Multifactor authentication is mandatory, so keep the mobile number or landline (no extensions) tied to your account current.3Invoice Processing Platform. Vendor Logging In

Two Things That Must Be Right Before You Invoice

IPP pulls your company data directly from SAM.gov, so any mismatch between your SAM profile and your invoice will block payment. SAM registrations expire every 365 days.4SAM.gov. Entity Registration If yours lapses, IPP has a specific rejection status — “CCR Expired” — for invoices submitted while a vendor’s registration was inactive.5Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Invoice Processing Platform – Finding the Payment Status for Invoices Renew well before the anniversary date.

Your TIN and legal business name must match IRS records. The IRS provides a TIN matching tool to verify name-and-TIN combinations; a mismatch will delay account setup or payment.6Internal Revenue Service. Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) Matching

What Makes an Invoice “Proper”

The Federal Acquisition Regulation defines what a proper invoice must contain. If anything required is missing, the billing office is supposed to return the invoice within seven days, and the 30-day payment clock restarts from the date the corrected version is accepted — not from your original submission.7Acquisition.GOV. 32.905 Payment Documentation and Process Getting these fields right the first time is the single biggest factor in on-time payment.

Under FAR 32.905, a proper invoice includes:7Acquisition.GOV. 32.905 Payment Documentation and Process

  • Contractor name and address, matching the contract exactly.
  • Invoice date (as close as possible to the transmission date) and a unique invoice number.
  • Contract number, plus the order number and line item number for task or delivery orders.
  • Description, quantity, unit of measure, unit price, and extended price. For services, include the period of performance.
  • Shipping and payment terms, including discount terms, shipment date, and bill of lading number where applicable.
  • Name and address of the official designated to receive payment, matching the contract or a proper assignment notice.
  • Name, title, phone number, and mailing address of someone the agency can reach about a defective invoice.
  • TIN, if agency procedures require it.
  • EFT banking information, only if agency procedures specify it on the invoice; otherwise correct banking data must already be on file through SAM or a contract clause.
  • Any additional documentation the contract requires, such as proof of shipment or inspection reports.

Inside IPP, the purchase order controls the invoice. Your line items, quantities, and prices cannot exceed what the order allows.8Invoice Processing Platform. Agency Knowledge Center – FAQ The system lets you “flip” an online purchase order directly into an invoice, which pre-populates fields and cuts down on mismatches. Use it when you can.

Submitting the Invoice

After you enter or flip your invoice data, review every field on the confirmation screen before submitting. Watch the unit of measure especially. Hours versus days, kilograms versus pounds — a mismatch against the contract’s pricing schedule will trigger a rejection.

IPP allows up to five attachments per invoice, and each file must be under 10 MB. Accepted formats include PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, JPG, GIF, TIF, TXT, and XML, among others. File extensions must be lowercase.9Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Invoice Processing Platform – Attachment Specifications If you have more than five supporting documents, combine them before uploading. Label each attachment descriptively; “Performance Report Jan 2026” is more useful to an approver than “Doc1.pdf.”

Once you submit, IPP generates a tracking number. That number is your receipt and your handle for checking status.

Checking Where Your Invoice Stands

Sign in, select the Collector module, and use the Quick Search field on the home page to look up the invoice number or the purchase order number.5Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Invoice Processing Platform – Finding the Payment Status for Invoices Searching by PO number pulls up every invoice you’ve submitted against that order.

The status labels tell you where you are:5Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Invoice Processing Platform – Finding the Payment Status for Invoices

  • Draft: Not yet submitted; editable and voidable.
  • Pending Submission: Passed validation, sitting in your defined delay period before transmission.
  • Pending Approval: With the agency, being routed for approval.
  • Approved to Pay: Approved and receipt confirmed, no pay date set yet.
  • Scheduled to Pay: Approved with a pay date. Common under Net 30 when approval was quick.
  • Paid: Payment issued; remittance information is downloadable in IPP.
  • In Exception: Failed the buyer’s validation; edit and resubmit, or void.

Fixing a Rejected Invoice

Rejected invoices stay visible under the “Rejected” link on your home page for 120 days. Open the invoice to see the rejection reason, which appears in comments at the top of the page.10Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Invoice Processing Platform – Viewing and Correcting Rejected Invoices

Type directly over the incorrect information to fix it. Change the issue date to the current date — IPP requires this on resubmissions — and click Submit.10Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Invoice Processing Platform – Viewing and Correcting Rejected Invoices Confirm the resubmission went through. Because you updated the issue date, the agency’s 30-day payment clock starts fresh from the new submission, not from your original invoice.

When You Get Paid, and What Happens If You Don’t

Federal agencies generally have 30 days from receipt of a proper invoice to issue payment. Miss that window, and the Prompt Payment Act requires the agency to pay interest on the overdue amount automatically. You do not have to ask for it.11eCFR. 5 CFR 1315.10 – Late Payment Interest Penalties The interest rate for January 1 through June 30, 2026, is 4.125%.12Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Prompt Payment

How the interest actually accrues:11eCFR. 5 CFR 1315.10 – Late Payment Interest Penalties

  • It runs from the day after the payment due date through the actual payment date, at the rate in effect the day after the due date.
  • Unpaid interest is added to principal every 30 days for up to one year, and subsequent interest accrues on the combined amount.
  • Agencies do not have to pay interest penalties under one dollar.
  • If your EFT banking information was wrong, interest does not begin accruing until seven days after you provide the correction, assuming the agency notified you within seven days of discovering the error.
  • Interest is computed on a 360-day year.

All of this depends on the invoice being “proper” under FAR 32.905. An improper invoice resets the 30-day clock entirely, which means a sloppy submission does not just delay payment; it eliminates your right to interest for the delay caused by the correction cycle.7Acquisition.GOV. 32.905 Payment Documentation and Process

Final Invoices Work Differently

The last invoice on a contract usually needs to be marked as “Final” so the agency can start closeout. For cost-reimbursement contracts, the FAR requires final vouchers within 60 days after settlement of final indirect cost rates, and completion vouchers within 120 days (longer with written contracting officer approval). Annotate the invoice number with “Final” or “F” — remembering that IPP caps invoice numbers at 11 characters including spaces.13eCFR. 48 CFR 1552.232-70 – Submission of Invoices

Completion vouchers often require more than the invoice. Depending on the contract, the contracting officer may need a contractor’s release, an assignment of refunds and rebates, and an affidavit of waiver of lien before releasing final payment. Check the closeout clause in your contract for the specific documents, and expect the review to add time.

Where to Get Help

For enrollment, login, and system errors, IPP vendor support is at IPPCustomerSupport@fiscal.treasury.gov or 1-866-973-3131.2Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Invoice Processing Platform For questions about a specific invoice’s approval status or payment timing, contact your contracting officer or the agency’s billing office. IPP support runs the platform; the agency runs the approval workflow.