Home / Industries / Government
Government credit card processing for agencies and utilities.
Government credit card processing serves people who have to pay, not people who chose to shop. Fines, permits, taxes and utility bills need to be easy to pay online, at the counter or by phone, and the card cost often needs to be covered by a fee that follows the rules.
Ways the public pays
| Online bill pay | Web payment page |
| At the counter | Terminals |
| Lobby | Self-service kiosks |
| By phone | Call center or IVR |
| Card cost | Convenience or service fee |
Fee rules depend on card-brand programs and your own laws. Check current rules.
Why public payments are harder than they look
Agencies and utilities answer to taxpayers, auditors and card-brand rules all at once. These are the problems we hear about most, and how we approach them.
What you often find
- Long lines at the window for routine payments
- Card costs absorbed by a budget that has no room
- A fee program set up without checking card-brand rules
- Web, counter and phone payments in separate systems
- Reports that don’t match how the finance office closes
At PayZoom
- Online bill pay and lobby kiosks to shorten the line
- Convenience or service fees structured to card-brand rules
- We review current rules with you before fees go live
- Web, counter, kiosk and phone payments connected
- Reporting planned around your reconciliation
How public-sector payments come together
Three decisions shape a government payment program. We work through each one with your finance team before anything goes live.
Channels
Online, counter, kiosk and phone, chosen to match how residents actually pay you.
Fee structure
Whether to absorb card costs or use a convenience or service fee, set up within card-brand rules.
Reconciliation
Deposits and reports that line up with each department and how your office closes the books.
The PayZoom Statement Review
- Send. Email us one recent processing statement.
- Read. We line-item every fee and separate what the card networks charge from what your processor keeps.
- Recommend. You get a plain-English answer. If you are already paying a fair price, we will tell you.
- Switch. If you move to PayZoom, we set up processing to fit your POS, gateway or cart.
From start to finish, PayZoom had our website, call center and custom-built kiosks built inside of 6 months.
Ian Williamson, Inmate Financial Services
Since 2006, a person who knows your account.
| Founded | 2006, Daphne, Alabama |
| Clients in | Nearly every U.S. state |
| Support | Never outsourced |
| Registered partner of | Cygnus Payments and Evolv Payment Solutions |
Questions merchants ask us
Straight answers. If yours is not here, call us and a real person will answer it.
Can a government agency charge a convenience fee?
Often, yes, but the rules matter. A convenience fee is generally a flat charge for paying through an alternative channel, such as online or by phone. Card brands also have specific programs for government and education payments, and your own laws may set limits. We help you review current rules before any fee goes live, but we don’t give legal advice.
What is the difference between a convenience fee and a surcharge?
A convenience fee is a flat fee for using an alternative payment channel. A surcharge is a percentage added to credit card payments, capped at 3% under card-brand rules and never applied to debit or prepaid cards. They follow different rules, so the right choice depends on how and where residents pay. Our surcharging page covers the other side.
Can residents pay their bills online?
Yes. We set up online bill pay through a payment gateway or a hosted payment page, so residents can pay a utility bill, ticket or permit from their phone or computer. Online payments land in the same processing account as counter and phone payments, which keeps reconciliation in one place.
Do you build kiosks and phone payment systems?
Yes. We have built lobby kiosks, call center payments and websites together for clients, so all three channels run through one setup. Kiosks cut lines at the window, and phone payments serve people who can’t come in. See our kiosk and call center page for how those projects work.
Do you work with utilities and courts?
Yes. PayZoom works with government offices and utilities. Utilities need recurring and online payments, while courts and permit offices often need counter, kiosk and phone channels. We set up each one around who pays, how often and how your office reconciles.
Guides on this topic
Send us one statement. We’ll tell you exactly what you’re paying.
No cost and no pressure. If your current rate is fair, we’ll say so. We typically reply the same business day.
| Call toll-free | 866.242.4325 |
| Local | 251.626.8100 |
| nate@bizpayzoom.com |