Essential Steps to Secure Payments and Meet Seasonal Demands

This blog post aims to guide teams through the evolving payment process, as many changes have taken place in just a few short years. Our goal is to ensure everyone is well-prepared and set up for success as we head into the new season.

General Payment Reminders

View your team's available funding on the FIRST^® Dashboard.
Your team may have funding on their account that can help cover the cost of registration. Click “Funds and Grants” from the “Team Finances” section of the main dashboard screen to view available funds.

To Make a Payment
Registration payment can be made by grant, check, credit card, or purchase order*. For more details and instructions on purchasing through any of these methods, visit the  FIRST Payment Terms. If you've recently added funding to your team's account, please allow 3-5 business days for processing. 

We recommend working with your school to obtain a purchase order early, in case there are any conflicts on school vacations around our payment deadlines.

*All Purchase Orders must be uploaded through the payment screen in the registration system. FIRST will decline a Purchase Order from a School District with outstanding balances from a prior season.

Sales Tax Exemption Status
To check your current status: select “Sales Tax Exemption Information” under the “Finance Options”. A “Complete” status already has a valid certificate uploaded.

NOTE: If you make a payment before your form is approved, you will be charged all applicable sales tax, which is non-refundable.

Need to add additional funds to your team account to purchase your team registration?

To add credit to account by credit card:

Complete Credit Card Payment Request form Credit Card Payment Request Form, to be sent a secure link for payment. Please allow time for processing these requests.

To add credit to account payment by check:

Make payable to FIRST, along with Program and Team or Account Number and mail to:

Regular Check
Attn: PO Box 845446
Boston, MA 02284-5446

For Checks that need to be Overnighted
Attn: Lockbox Operations box #845446
1 Cabot Road, Suite 202
Medford, MA 02155

NOTE: Processing takes 3-5 business days once funding is received. Teams will receive an email with instructions on how to proceed to checkout once funds are added to their account.

New Feature as of 2024-2025
Teams can process Purchase Orders through dashboard without applying unrestricted* grants or other credits. This feature allows teams to utilize a school purchase order in lieu of their unrestricted grants.

*Restricted Grants will continue to be automatically applied at checkout.

Things that could hold up the ability to secure your team registration:

Teams on HOLD: If a team has an outstanding balance from a previous season, the team will be placed on hold and unable to make further payments. Once the balance is settled, the hold will be lifted. Please send an email to ar@firstinspires.org if you believe there is a hold on your account in error.

Declined Purchase Orders: Purchase orders may be declined for incorrect vendor, amount, or missing authorization. A Purchase Order will not be accepted from a School District with an outstanding balance. If a Purchase Order is declined, a notification with the reason that the Purchase Order was declined will be sent via email to the team’s Lead Mentors 1&2 and the Team Admin.

Confirm award status or notification dates for grant applications.
If your team has applied for any grants to help cover the cost of team registration, please double check the dates for funding notification or your award status. Please reach out to the grant funder if you have any questions about your grant application or when funds will arrive. 

Reminder to teams about grants:

Please do not check out if your team is waiting on a grant to cover the cost of registration! We're working with sponsors to apply your grants as soon as possible. If your grant is not applied by the payment due date, your team will not be dropped from the season. We will continue to actively work with teams on their registration status.

Payment disclaimer:

Your order and payment method are final after you have completed your purchase and checked out. If you are expecting grant funding to cover the cost of registration, please do not pay for your registration using a different method of payment. FIRST will not provide a refund to apply a newly-received grant instead.