User Financial Accounts

Do you need a User Financial Account?

Use your institution's shipping account to send samples or other equipment between SLAC and your institution; otherwise, you can establish a user financial account to cover your shipping costs.

LCLS user groups should complete this form to establish a user financial account to send/ship samples or equipment between SLAC and your institution.

SSRL user groups should complete this form to establish a user financial account to pay for specialty services from Stanford or SLAC shops, to procure items to support experiments at SSRL, or to pay for shipping items to/from SLAC (if not using their home institution's shipping account). SInce 2017, SSRL has been absorbing the costs for common supplies, chemicals, gases and liquid helium for user experiments at SSRL. Although a separate user financial account is generally not necessary, unusual requests, special services or items that exceed a threshold may trigger the need for a user financial account.

Establishing/Renewing a User Financial Account

The most common method of establishing or renewing a user financial account is by providing a purchase order (PO) (or a letter from the financial officer of the user institution). The PO must be made to SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory for the amount of expenditures desired to support user experiments. The PO must include the following information:

• Name of Institution
• Name of Proposal Spokesperson/PI
• Name of authorized users and institutions
• Contact name and billing address for invoices
• Amount authorized ($2,000 suggested minimum; contact staff if estimates needed for supplies or services)
• Period covered, including expiration date
• Funding agency, grant/contract number, and whether expenditures are taxable in California

Terms and Conditions should not be included (if Terms and Conditions are preprinted on the form, they should be disclaimed).

Send the completed User Financial Account form along with your purchase order to establish an account; contact the User Office if you have questions.

Additional Charges

• Sales Tax: California sales and use tax of 9.0% will apply to the price of all materials purchased and delivered in the state of California.**If not taxable and not DOE M&O, provide documentation indicating this status. Tax exemptions awarded under IRS rulings are not accepted by the California Board of Equalization; Sales tax exemptions awarded under individual state rulings apply only to the state making the ruling. The State of California does not recognize or extend reciprocity of tax-exempt status to other states. The only provision which will establish tax-exempt status under California ruling is that the title of property purchased for use in California vests with the United States government.
• SLAC Overhead:  Additional charges apply for materials, supplies and services procured by users through a SLAC user financial account. Materials, supplies ~9.765% (if using SLAC’s e-procurement the rate is ~4.725%) SLAC Labor ~56%
• Other Miscellaneous Charges: Safeguard & Security Charge ~1.5% charged to all non-DOE projects/facilities, Federal Administrative Charge ~3% charged to all foreign and domestic entities (excluding domestic non-profits or educational institutions)

Invoices

Invoices will be submitted to the user institution on a monthly basis for costs incurred by the user group to support their experiments at SLAC’s user facilities. Payments should reference the invoice and user account numbers. Send to SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Accounts Payable, MS 09, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park, CA 94025 USA.