For non-LOC sponsored awards, sponsors can choose one of three methods to remit payment to Harvard for settlement of reimbursement on sponsored awards. Sponsors can make payments by check via the Harvard University Lockbox at Bank of America or Automated Clearing House (ACH) or Wire. For any other form of payment, please contact the OSP Cash Team Mailbox (OSPCashteam@Harvard.edu).
Regardless of how the payment is remitted, it is important that it includes a reference to the award or project, which may include:
- Harvard fund number
- Invoice number
- Sponsor award number
- Principal investigator name
- Project title
Whenever possible, please request that the sponsor send a payment notification to the OSP Cash Team Mailbox (OSPCashteam@Harvard.edu) to help with tracking and identification of the payment.
A copy of the Harvard Sponsored Payment Instructions is available upon request, please email the OSP Cash Team Mailbox (OSPCashteam@Harvard.edu).
Requests for Bank Information (ACH & Wire)
OSP’s bank account for ACH & wire payments should only be used for receiving sponsored award payments (fund ranges: 100000-299999). Non-sponsored payments should not be routed to the OSP bank account.
In order to receive funds, sponsors may request bank information, which is typically routed via that sponsor’s bank information request form. When a sponsor requests bank information, the departments or pre-award office should fill out all non-banking fields on the form (e.g. general information, project-specific information), before routing the form to the OSP Cash Team for review and approval. The following guidance outlines the coordination of banking information:
- All requests for sponsored bank information should be sent to the OSP Cash Team Mailbox (OSPCashTeam@harvard.edu).
- Provide the sponsored award number, project title, PI name, fund number or project number and identify the payment type (Wire, ACH or Check) when submitting bank requests to the OSP Cash Team.
- The OSP Cash team will complete all relevant banking fields on the request form for ACH and Wire payments.
- For ACH requests, the OSP Cash Team will coordinate the banking form with the Office of Treasury Management (OTM) Cash Management team. OTM will review and approve all ACH requests and coordinate signature by the bank. The approval process of ACH requests take 1-3 business days to process, so plan accordingly with any sponsor submission deadlines.
- OTM requires that a new ACH form be signed and dated each time the sponsor requires bank information and the same ACH form cannot be reused.
Some bank forms must be filled out online using a sponsor’s website. Online bank forms follow the same general process outlined in the Requests for Bank Information section above. The main difference is that the online form should be filled out in the online system, printed to PDF, and sent to the OSP Cash Team Mailbox (OSPCashTeam@harvard.edu) for processing. The OSP Cash Team will review the form and provide updates and approvals as needed. The form should not be submitted on the sponsor’s website until a signed copy is received from the OSP Cash Team. Contact the OSP Cash Team if you need assistance entering the ACH information into the sponsor’s system.
Sponsored Check Payments
All sponsored check payments should be sent directly to the OSP Lockbox at Bank of America, using the addresses below.
For US Mail:
Payee Name: President and Fellows of Harvard College
P.O. Box 415649
Boston, MA 02241-5649
For FedEx:
Bank of America Lockbox Services
President and Fellows of Harvard College
Lockbox #415649
MA5-527-02-07
2 Morrissey Boulevard
Dorchester, MA 02125
If a sponsored check arrives at the department or at a Pre-Award office, please endorse the check as “for deposit only” and include the associated Tub-Org-Fund numbers on it. Once endorsed, scan a copy of the check and any related documents to the OSPCashTeam@harvard.edu. Then send the check directly to the OSP Bank of America Lockbox Services Address. This is the preferred process, which provides OSP with tracking and expedites the deposit of the check.
Another option is to deliver the check by hand or by courier to OSP. This option requires more time and coordination, so whenever possible, using the lockbox is the preferred option. For departments in the Longwood Medical Area that need to coordinate the delivery of a check, contact your ORA Office to coordinate a pick-up with their scheduled courier. For the departments in the University Area, you may drop off the check in the OSP at
Office for Sponsored Programs
1033 Massachusetts Avenue, 5th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02138
We discourage sending checks via University interoffice mail since it is difficult to track these deliveries.
Other Checks from Sponsors
In addition to sponsored payments, some sponsors may issue a check to refund portions of a subcontract payment. As a reminder, the sponsor subcontract refunds are not considered sponsored payments. These refund check should be deposited by the department as a credit to the sponsored award using the appropriate subcontract expense object codes, since these are credits to sponsored expenditures.
For any questions regarding sponsored payments or the related processes, please contact the OSP Cash Team at OSPCashTeam@harvard.edu.