First, thank you for being part of the USA Pool League! The purpose of this article is to explain the process of finding and paying your monthly invoices so you can keep your league in good standing.
HOW TO ACCESS YOUR MONTHLY INVOICES
League Managers are required to submit prize fund and royalty payments that are postmarked no later than the 10th day of each month. LMS makes this process easy. Within the first few days of each month, LMS will generate your invoice for the previous month based on all scheduled league play. To find your invoices, log into LMS and click the "Main Menu" icon located in the top left corner of the screen (see below). Select the menu option "Billing" to download any of your invoices. Note that each division will appear as one line item on the invoice.
In order for LMS to invoice the correct amount, you must always ensure that the settings are correct for every division. LMS needs to know how many sets are played in each match, the cost per player (per match), and whether the division is single-play or double-play. Click the "Division Settings" icon located near the top right corner of the screen (see below).
HOW TO ACCESS YOUR MONTHLY INVOICES
League Managers are required to submit prize fund and royalty payments that are postmarked no later than the 10th day of each month. LMS makes this process easy. Within the first few days of each month, LMS will generate your invoice for the previous month based on all scheduled league play. To find your invoices, log into LMS and click the "Main Menu" icon located in the top left corner of the screen (see below). Select the menu option "Billing" to download any of your invoices. Note that each division will appear as one line item on the invoice.
In order for LMS to invoice the correct amount, you must always ensure that the settings are correct for every division. LMS needs to know how many sets are played in each match, the cost per player (per match), and whether the division is single-play or double-play. Click the "Division Settings" icon located near the top right corner of the screen (see below).
SPECIFY THE COST PER PLAYER & SINGLE-PLAY OR DOUBLE-PLAY
First, enter the cost per player (per match). The default value is $10.
You must also specify whether each division is single-play or double-play. The LMS default is single-play. To change it to double-play, click the drop-down menu and select its associated double-play division. This will bind the division that you're in to the division you select as double-play divisions. You should then navigate to the partner division's settings to ensure that it also has the correct double-play partner division listed in that field. In the example below, the division has 5-player teams, the per match fee is $13 per player ($65 per team), and is a single-play division.
First, enter the cost per player (per match). The default value is $10.
You must also specify whether each division is single-play or double-play. The LMS default is single-play. To change it to double-play, click the drop-down menu and select its associated double-play division. This will bind the division that you're in to the division you select as double-play divisions. You should then navigate to the partner division's settings to ensure that it also has the correct double-play partner division listed in that field. In the example below, the division has 5-player teams, the per match fee is $13 per player ($65 per team), and is a single-play division.
The number you enter for "Cost Per Player" will be publicly displayed on your league's standings as shown below. Note that your league's standings can be seen by anyone from the USA Pool League website at www.playUSApool.com.
Not binding double-play divisions together correctly is the biggest source of invoice errors. The most common mistakes are:
It's easy to make an error so please revisit each of your divisions and ensure that all divisions are specified correctly. These types of errors will get flagged during the monthly invoice generation process. All divisions with these types of errors will be reverted to single-play and invoiced as such. NOTE: The only time your division settings will be changed by the USA Pool League is when double-play divisions are paired incorrectly.
- Three separate divisions tied to each other. Example: In "Div A" settings, "Div B" is selected as the Double-Play Partner Division. Then in "Div B" settings, "Div C" is selected as the Double-Play Partner Division. Three divisions should not be tied to each other as double-play.
- A division tied to itself. Example: In "Div A" settings, "Div A" is selected as the Double-Play Partner Division.
- A Spring division tied to a Fall division. Example: In "Div A - Summer" settings, "Div A - Fall" is selected as the Double-Play Partner Division.
- A 2024 division tied to a 2023 division.
- Normal divisions tied to playoff divisions. Playoffs or city tournaments should not be specified as Double-Play Partner Divisions.
- Specifying double-play divisions that are actually single-play divisions. Double-play divisions are those that have all of the same exact teams, playing the same exact schedule, on the same exact nights. Example: If "Div A" has 8 teams and 6 of them choose to play a second match each night that you have set up as "Div B," that is actually two single-play divisions.
It's easy to make an error so please revisit each of your divisions and ensure that all divisions are specified correctly. These types of errors will get flagged during the monthly invoice generation process. All divisions with these types of errors will be reverted to single-play and invoiced as such. NOTE: The only time your division settings will be changed by the USA Pool League is when double-play divisions are paired incorrectly.
LEAGUE ACCOUNT GOOGLE SHEET
Every USA Pool League has a League Account Google Sheet that compiles all invoices and payments so you always know exactly what is owed, when your payments are received and posted, and how much money is being held in your league's prize fund. Every USA Pool League Manager has been given their specific link to their League Account Google Sheet. Alternatively, you can always visit sheets.google.com and log into your USA Pool League Google Workspace account to find your League Account Google Sheet.
Below is an explanation of the League Account Google Sheet layout:
TIP: If you hover your cursor over cells with a small black triangle in the top right corner, you will see helpful notes and instructions about that cell.
IMPORTANT: Some League Managers don't review their League Account Google Sheet and they subsequently don't know about late fees, audit fees, how payments have been applied, etc. This leads them to send the wrong amount, continue to accumulate late fees, and sometimes have their LMS accounts locked. You should always download your LMS invoice, compare it to your League Account Google Sheet, and submit the total balance due from your League Account Google Sheet (must be postmarked by the 10th day of the month to avoid late fees). If you follow these simple steps, you will never have a late fee!
- Balances Due (orange): These are the totals that are currently due, broken down by royalty, prize fund, audit fee, and late fee. The LMS invoice will not show audit or late fees so before sending your monthly payment, check the total balance due and send that amount.
- Prize Fund Reserve (blue): This is the amount that the USA Pool League is holding for your league's prize fund.
- Invoice Totals (gray): For your convenience, LMS invoice totals are entered here at the beginning of each month by USA Pool League staff. Any audit or late fees will also be entered here. This gives you a complete view of what is being billed.
- Transactions (green): This is where we log all payments received by you and payments sent to you. This allows you to see how all of your payments have been applied.
TIP: If you hover your cursor over cells with a small black triangle in the top right corner, you will see helpful notes and instructions about that cell.
IMPORTANT: Some League Managers don't review their League Account Google Sheet and they subsequently don't know about late fees, audit fees, how payments have been applied, etc. This leads them to send the wrong amount, continue to accumulate late fees, and sometimes have their LMS accounts locked. You should always download your LMS invoice, compare it to your League Account Google Sheet, and submit the total balance due from your League Account Google Sheet (must be postmarked by the 10th day of the month to avoid late fees). If you follow these simple steps, you will never have a late fee!
AVOID BEING CHARGED FOR BYE TEAMS
LMS will not invoice for a BYE placeholder team as long as it is properly indicated as shown below. If the bye placeholder box is checked, it won't be sync'd to FargoRate and will not be included on your monthly invoice. If this box is left unchecked, LMS will consider it a real team and invoice for those matches that are scheduled.
LMS will not invoice for a BYE placeholder team as long as it is properly indicated as shown below. If the bye placeholder box is checked, it won't be sync'd to FargoRate and will not be included on your monthly invoice. If this box is left unchecked, LMS will consider it a real team and invoice for those matches that are scheduled.
AVOID BEING CHARGED FOR PLAYOFFS
Playoffs will not appear on your monthly invoices if you use the "Create Playoff" feature of LMS. If you create a playoff division without using the "Create Playoff" feature, LMS will consider it a normal league division and invoice for those matches. The "Create Playoff" feature can be found by clicking the "Main Menu" icon in the top left of the screen.
Playoffs will not appear on your monthly invoices if you use the "Create Playoff" feature of LMS. If you create a playoff division without using the "Create Playoff" feature, LMS will consider it a normal league division and invoice for those matches. The "Create Playoff" feature can be found by clicking the "Main Menu" icon in the top left of the screen.
AVOID AUDIT FEES
If you believe your invoice contains an error, don't panic. Simply mark it up and email it to [email protected] by the 5th day of the month and we will investigate. If your division settings are correct, this should be an extremely rare occurrence. Please note that emailing without a thoroughly marked up invoice and other supporting detail is not sufficient and may lead to late fees being assessed.
If an invoice requires a correction due to a software issue or a mistake caused by CSI, you must notify CSI of the error, via email to [email protected] no later than the 5th day of the month, and it will be corrected at no cost to you. If an invoice requires a correction due to an error on your part, an audit fee of $100 will be assessed for each invoice that requires correction.
If you believe your invoice contains an error, don't panic. Simply mark it up and email it to [email protected] by the 5th day of the month and we will investigate. If your division settings are correct, this should be an extremely rare occurrence. Please note that emailing without a thoroughly marked up invoice and other supporting detail is not sufficient and may lead to late fees being assessed.
If an invoice requires a correction due to a software issue or a mistake caused by CSI, you must notify CSI of the error, via email to [email protected] no later than the 5th day of the month, and it will be corrected at no cost to you. If an invoice requires a correction due to an error on your part, an audit fee of $100 will be assessed for each invoice that requires correction.
AVOID LATE FEES
Your License Agreement requires that all royalty & prize fund balances be postmarked no later than the 10th day of each month. Any payment postmarked later than the tenth (10th) day of the month will be charged a monthly late fee equivalent to 1.5% of the unpaid balance. Thereafter, a late fee equivalent to 1.5% will be charged every 30 days on the unpaid balance until the balance is paid in full.
Your License Agreement requires that all royalty & prize fund balances be postmarked no later than the 10th day of each month. Any payment postmarked later than the tenth (10th) day of the month will be charged a monthly late fee equivalent to 1.5% of the unpaid balance. Thereafter, a late fee equivalent to 1.5% will be charged every 30 days on the unpaid balance until the balance is paid in full.
OTHER NOTES:
- Per USA Pool League policy, invoices are generated based upon scheduled league play, not necessarily actual league play. Any matches scheduled for the month, even in archived divisions, will be billed on your monthly invoices. Therefore, if you have a fake division with matches on the schedule, you must delete the schedule to avoid being charged for those matches. Note that you may not delete matches that have already been played and scored.
- Matches that occur while a division is in Test Mode will not appear on your monthly invoice. However, when the division is taken out of test mode, matches that were not invoiced while in Test Mode will appear on the next invoice.
- Checks or money orders should be payable to CueSports International with your USA Pool League number and invoice number on the memo line. If possible, also include a copy of the LMS invoice.
- If payments are 30 days past due, your LMS account may be disabled, without warning, until all past due balances are received.