iLab UCSF FAQ

Some external companies require a Purchase Order (PO) for internal tracking or Accounts Payable reference, while others do not. If you are unsure whether a PO is required, please check with your organization’s finance team. Neither the core facility nor iLab Support can determine whether a PO is required for your organization.

When an external customer provides a PO for addition to iLab, please send the copy to [email protected] for application to the customer's lab account. Please keep in mind that an external PO is meant to provide information for the customer's accounts payable department only. Ultimately, the customer will need to submit payment via check or wire transfer, if the customer requests AR information, please refer them to this link: Department Accounts Receivable Remittance Information | Controller's Office

• A Standard PO is typically used for a specific service or limited set of charges.
• A Blanket PO is used when your organization expects ongoing or repeat charges and allows a single PO to be referenced across multiple invoices. The iLab system requires a dollar amount and end date to be entered. If your organization does not provide these details, a placeholder amount and date may be entered solely to satisfy system requirements.

• PO numbers entered in iLab are stored with your service requests and invoices for reference purposes only.
• This information may help external companies route invoices correctly and support internal Accounts Payable processes.
• Entering a PO does not authorize charges and does not initiate payment. 

Important to know

• Adding a PO in iLab does not replace the invoice payment process.
• Invoices must still be paid separately according to UCSF’s payment instructions, even if a PO is on file.

If you need to update or add a PO, you may do so when submitting a request or by editing the payment details associated with the request, depending on the core’s configuration. You may also send a PDF copy of your PO to [email protected]. Please include the name of the individual(s) who should have access to the PO.

Note:

• The information above does not apply to the following institutions:
• Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI Labs)
• Gladstone Institutes

Non-UCSF or Fellow UC campus users should refer to the separate “How do I pay a UCSF core from another UC campus?” FAQ for IOC-specific instructions.

These institutions follow a custom, institution-specific billing process. If you are affiliated with one of these organizations, please contact [email protected] for guidance specific to your account. 
 

For fellow UC customers, please provide the customer with the IOC submission form linked here: IOC Form

Once submitted, the IOC information will be added as a 'standing PO' and available for the customer or the core to select as a payment method. Invoices containing an IOC will be handled by RRP central billing by conducting a transfer from the UC customer to the core recharge account.

Payments should be made as an electronic transfer, either as a wire transfer or ACH (Automated Clearing House). Checks should only be used when payment by electronic transfer is not possible. Payment information can be found at the following link: Department Accounts Receivable Remittance Information | Controller's Office

UCSF’s signed W-9 is not publicly accessible and cannot be downloaded directly, as it is stored behind UCSF’s secure login system.

If a company needs a copy of the UCSF W-9 to complete payment setup, they must request it by emailing [email protected]. The iLab team will provide the W-9 directly to the company.

UCSF payment processing is handled by a centralized department, and in some cases there may be a delay or mismatch between when a payment is issued and when it is applied to an invoice.

To help us locate your payment and clear your account, please email [email protected] and include one of the following:

• A copy of the check issued to UCSF, or  
• ACH or wire transfer confirmation details

Once this information is received, the iLab team will coordinate with UCSF payment processing to research and resolve the issue.

A user's account information, such as the displayed name, password, and billing information, can be changed in the 'My Profile' section of iLab.

1. Log in to iLab via MyAccess single sign on or via https://ucsf.ilab.agilent.com/account/login 
2. Click <<your name>> in the top right to open the drop-down menu
3. Click 'My Profile'
4. Navigate to the appropriate section using the left menu panel
5. Click 'Edit' to update your information
6. Additional information can be found at iLab — Managing Your Profile

Log in to iLab via MyAccess single sign on or via https://ucsf.ilab.agilent.com/account/login. If you can't log in, email [email protected] with your username and email of the account to receive a reset link.

To Create an Equipment Reservation:

Once you have been accepted into your PI’s lab and assigned speedtypes, you can schedule equipment time.

1. Navigate to the core page
2. In the upper-right-hand corner of the screen click ‘Sign In,’ and select to sign in using University of California San Francisco credentials
3. You will be directed to an authentication page where you will enter your UCSF credentials
4. Once you have entered your credentials, click the ‘Login’ button
5. Select the Schedule Equipment tab and click on the ‘View Schedule’ button next to the instrument of interest. Click and drag on the time frame you would like to schedule your reservation for.
6. A window will pop up that will allow you to verify your reservations details and provide payment information before saving the reservation.

To Create a Service Request:

Once you have been accepted into your PI’s lab and assigned speedtypes, you can create service requests.

1. Navigate to the core page
2. In the upper-right-hand corner of the screen click ‘Sign In,’ and select to sign in using University of California San Francisco credentials
3. You will be directed to an authentication page where you will enter your UCSF credentials
4. Once you have entered your credentials, click the ‘Login’ button
5. Select the Request Services tab and click on the ‘Request Service’ button next to the service of interest.
6. You will be asked to complete a form before submitting the request to the core.
7. Your request will be pending review by the core. The core will review your request and either Agree to the work or they will ask for more information if needed.

You can contact your P.I directly to receive lab manager access or fill out the following form here.

You can find a list of all UCSF cores in iLab here.

Please contact your PI/Lab Group Manager or departmental finance person. iLab support is unable to update speedtype permissions without approval from the PI or designated lab person

Click on the left-hand side menu and go to “Invoices” search by adding the digits after CM0-. Example: CM0-12345, use 12345 in the search bar.

If you are a lab user or P.I/Lab manager please contact the core directly to request a refund.

If you are a core administrator please fill out the refund request form here.

At month close, which is typically (but not always) the 2nd business day of the following month, the designated central biller will generate all billing events that are in a Pending Review status.  

UCSF iLab is integrated with PeopleSoft to automatically upload speedtypes which are valid and assigned to a PI owner in PeopleSoft. Common reasons why speedtypes may not be visible in iLab:

1. Project ID is expired in PeopleSoft (The project ID is equal to the speedtype expiration date shown in iLab)
2. Gladstone speed type
3. REAC/RAP speed type
4. Shared gift
5. Department overhead speed type

If the speedtype you need to use falls under one of the 5 categories below, please send a request to [email protected] to have it added to the system manually. 

1. Any fund (COA + Speedtype) added into iLab MUST have an end date. Since speedtypes do not have expiration dates, the iLab financial configuration instead uses the corresponding Project ID end date. Project IDs all have two dates associated with them, a project end date and a processing end date. The expiration date shown in iLab for all speedtypes is the Project End date.
2. 

1. The nature of the timing of iLab billing means we always close out charges in the month after the date of service. This timing is determined by the UCSF Controller's Office General Ledger Calendar.
2. For example, if a lab member uses a service on 1/15/2026 and the Project ends on 1/31/2026, the speedtype will not be valid when January charges are billed (sent to the PI ledger).
3. Billing always occurs on or around the 2nd business day of the month following the service.

1. Departments should follow the procedures outlined in Identifying and Handling Unclaimed Payments weekly to identify payments applicable to their Dept A/R invoices. 
2. Departments do not prepare a PeopleSoft cash journal to claim Dept A/R payments. 
3. Instead, departments should email [email protected] with details on any payments applicable to your invoices.
4. Remember to include the following information from the Unclaimed Payments List:
   1. Bank Posting Date or As of Date
   2. BAI Code Description
   3. Customer Reference, if any
   4. Bank Reference
   5. Payer/External Customer Name, if available
   6. Bank Deposit Amount

Managing Unallowable Bad Debt Expenses 

Departments are responsible for all collection efforts related to Department Accounts Receivable (Dept 
A/R) invoices. To avoid a "bad debt" expense, which is unallowable on your core recharge, you should follow these guidelines:

• Delinquency: Invoices are delinquent after 30 days. Departments should promptly contact 
  external customers to follow up on non-payment. 
• Write-Off Process: The Controller's Office writes off uncollected external invoices six months 
  post-billing date, charging the expense (Account 52900 – Bad Debt Expense-Uncollectable) to 
  the department. 
• Recording: Bad debt is an unallowable expense on recharge projects and must be 
  transferred off the project by fiscal year-end.
• Resources: Use the Department Accounts Receivable Report in MyReports to track invoice 
  status and the Unclaimed Payments List from the Controller's Office to reconcile payments. 
  Work with the Controller's Office to ensure timely and accurate recording of all transactions.

Additional information on recharge activity Recharge Activity Proposal Review Process