Doing Business with UBC View

Payment Options

Electronic Funds Transfers (EFT), Automated Clearing House (ACH), cheques, UBC Visa Payables program, and RBC International Pay service are available payment options to suppliers

⚠️ Please note that as part of the HSBC-RBC transition, UBC has transitioned to RBC’s International Pay as of January 17, 2025.  This page has been updated with the latest information. Learn more about the changes here.

Please follow the standards outlined below to ensure timely invoice payment from UBC. For updates on the payment status of your invoice, please contact the UBC staff or faculty member you are working with or the department you are invoicing.

Payment terms

The standard payment terms are 30-days. Due date and currency exchange rate are calculated based on the invoice date. For further details, please refer to UBC’s standard Purchase Order Terms and Conditions.

Payment option selection in supplier set-up

Selecting your payment option is a part of the Supplier Set-up process which can be completed by:

the supplier themselves using these instructions or
the UBC staff or faculty member you are working with.

Please indicate one of the eligible payment options below as a part of your Supplier Set-up and attach any relevant form or official documentation.

Canadian suppliers

All invoice payments to Canadian suppliers are paid using one of the selected methods:

UBC Visa Payables Program (fastest option)
Direct deposit using Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
Mailed cheque

Please follow the instructions below and indicate the payment option on the supplier set-up form or forward it to the UBC staff or faculty member you are working with.

Payment by UBC’s Visa Payable Program

For faster electronic payments, enroll in UBC’s Visa Payables program. Visa Payables allows for the secure electronic delivery of Visa payments to suppliers. If you accept payment by credit card, then you should be able to accept Visa Payables.

UBC’s Visa Payables program is available to suppliers paid in Canadian dollars who have a Visa merchant account. To enroll in UBC’s Visa Payables program, complete the Visa Payables form and include it in your supplier set-up form or forward it to the UBC staff or faculty member you are working with.

If you have any questions about the Visa Payables program, please contact visa.payables@ubc.ca.

Payment by EFT

Electronic Funds Transfers (EFT) payments are available for Canadian suppliers billing in CAD currency. For EFT setup or update requests, one of the following three options is required to be attached with the EFT Request form:

Complete the banking details in the EFT Request form (Canadian suppliers) and have it stamped by your financial institution.

Attach a physical void cheque to the EFT Request form. The account name on the cheque must show the name printed by the bank and must not be altered in any form.
Download a void cheque from your bank’s online banking portal, have it stamped by your financial institution, and attach it to the EFT Request form.
Complete the banking details in the EFT Request form (Canadian suppliers) and have it stamped by your financial institution.

Payment by Cheque

For cheque payments, banking information is not required. Cheques can be issued in Canadian or US currency to suppliers in Canada and the USA only.

United States (U.S.) suppliers

Payments to U.S. suppliers are paid using one of the selected methods:

Direct deposit using ACH
Mailed cheque United States (U.S.) suppliers

Please follow the instructions below and indicate the payment option on the supplier set-up form or forward it to the UBC staff or faculty member you are working with.

Payment by ACH

Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments are available for U.S. suppliers billing in USD currency. If a U.S. supplier is billing in CAD currency, the method of payment will be via cheque payment. For ACH setup or update requests, one of the following three options is required to be attached with the ACH Request form:

Attach a physical void cheque to the ACH Request form. The account name on the cheque must show the name printed by the bank and must not be altered in any form.
Download a void cheque from your bank’s online banking portal, have it stamped by your financial institution, and attach it to the ACH Request form.
Complete the banking details in the ACH Request form (US Suppliers) and have it stamped by your financial institution.

Payment by Cheque

For cheque payments, banking information is not required. Cheques can be issued in Canadian (CAD) or U.S. currency to suppliers in Canada and the USA only.

Suppliers outside Canada and the United States

UBC uses RBC International Pay service to make international payments. RBC international Pay is an electronic form of payment and facilitates payments through EFT or wire transfers.

Please follow the instructions below and indicate the payment option on the supplier set-up form or forward it to the UBC staff or faculty member you are working with.

RBC International Pay

International payments use foreign banking systems, so different requirements exist for each currency and country. For international payments, the supplier’s bank account must be able to accept the currency reflected on the invoice.

Complete the International Pay Payment Request Form:

The Supplier Name must match the beneficiary’s Bank Account Name.
The supplier’s bank account must be able to accept the currency reflected on the invoice, International Pay form and Purchase Order (if any).
Treasury Cash (treasury.cash@ubc.ca) must be contacted if the currency of the payment is not on the International Pay accepted Currencies. When contacting Treasury Cash, please provide the following information:
- Desired currency to be used
- Number and frequency of expected payments
- Value or amount of the expected payment/s
- Purpose of Payment
A guide is available on account numbers and required bank information. Local regulations may require completion of additional documentation and not all payment types can necessarily be supported. Suppliers should always check with their bank to validate the requirements.

Tax considerations

The non-resident withholding tax on payments for services is a tax withheld, by the payer (UBC), from payment made to non-residents of Canada for services rendered in Canada, other than employment situations.
The withholding tax is 15% of the gross amount of the payment and is required under Regulation 105 of the Income Tax Act. For example, payments under maintenance contracts would be subject to withholding if the supplier is required to come to Canada to provide maintenance services under the contract.
If services are performed both in and outside Canada withholding is required only on the services performed in Canada. A reasonable allocation should be made of the payment for services in and outside Canada and should be expressed either within the contract or through related information and documentation. If an allocation is not made and documented, UBC will withhold 15% of the gross amount of the payment for services.
UBC will not accept a 15% increase to the price of the order for the supplier to cover the tax, and instead recommends that the supplier visit the CRA website for guidelines on how to apply for a waiver.

Update your supplier account

Please reach out to the UBC employee you are working with to submit a supplier change request (legal name, address, payment type changes) on your behalf.

To change legal name, you need to have the following:

Individual person identification: birth certificate, certificate of marriage, etc.
Business identification: CRA registration, Official Memo, etc.

To update payment type, you need to complete the applicable form and meet specific requirements for each payment type:

If you have submitted an EFT or ACH change request, you will receive an email with further instructions requiring verbal confirmation of specific information. This is an extra security measure to protect the university and its suppliers from potential fraud.