Payment Flow Overview

This topic provides a high-level overview of fees and the payment flow. Applicants and contacts with application access can make payments online, and agency staff can assist applicants with payments.

After an application is submitted, the fees are calculated and applied to the applicant’s account. The applicant and contacts with application access can pay fees for one application at a time from their Applications list page or from the Fees and Payments page in the application details. Only applicants can select multiple applications for payment on the Make a Payment page, which they access from the registered user landing page or their Applications page. Agency staff can initiate payment from the Transactions list page or from the Fees and Payments page in the application details. System processing for payments triggers workflow and generates accounting, invoices, and communications.

For information about setting up fees and payments, see Implementing Your Financials Framework.

Understanding Fees

Some basics about fees include the following:

• Fees for an application are determined by decision modeling and associated with fee schedules.

• Fees may be applied during the application process or later for additional fees or adjustments.

• Fees appear on the Applications and Make a Payment pages for applicants, on the Transactions list page for agency staff, and on the Fees and Payments page in the application details for both agency staff and applicants. Contacts with application access can pay fees from their Applications page and the application's Fees and Payments page.

• If a condition to prevent payment is applied to the transaction, the fees can't be paid until the condition is resolved.

• Agency staff can add, adjust, or refund fees. They can also make full or partial fee payment on behalf of the applicant.

• Applicants receive a fees notice after submitting an application. They are sent subsequent notices when fees due are updated. Agencies may send out notices with consolidated fees on a regular basis.

Fee Payments Process for Applicants

Applicants have different options for paying fees after they log in.

Applicants can pay for fees one application at a time by clicking the Pay icon in the application row on the Applications page or by clicking the Pay button on the Fees and Payments page for the application. Clicking Pay takes the applicant directly to checkout for payment processing.

The Make a Payment button on the registered user landing page and on the Applications page takes the applicant to the Make a Payment page, where they can select fees for multiple applications at once before continuing to checkout.

Here's how to pay fees from the Make a Payment page:

1. Select applications for payment.

   Fees for applications not selected for payment are still payable and remain on the page.

2. Review the number of applications selected and the total amount, then click the Make a Payment button.

3. Review the Checkout page, which shows the different secured payment methods available.

   Only agency staff can process cash and check payments.

4. Select one of the payment methods for payment processing and click Make Payment.

   Depending on the payment service being used, the payment steps differ.

   The applicant must have a PayPal account before selecting PayPal as a payment method.

5. Wait for the payment to be processed. If you navigate away from the payment service or close the browser, the payment may not be recorded.

After submitting the payment, the application displays the Payment Processing status on the Make a Payment page. If the payment goes through, the application is removed from the Make a Payment page and the applicant is redirected to the page where the payment was initiated. If the payment fails, the applications can be selected for payment again.

For more information, see Making Payments.

For information about paying fees for individual applications on the registered public user's Applications page or the Fees and Payments page in the application's details, see Managing Transactions and Working with Fees and Payments.

Fee Payments Process for Agency Staff

Agency staff can use the following process to assist an applicant with a payment:

1. Click the Pay button for a permit, planning application, or business license listed on the Transactions page or on the Fees and Payments page in the application details.

2. On the Pay Fees page, review the list of fee items and the total payable fee. If you want to make a partial payment, deselect the Select All check box to clear the check boxes for all the fee items and then select individual items. If the application status is Payment Pending, full payment is required. That is, fees that are due when you submit an application must be paid in full.

3. Click the Continue button.

4. Review the Checkout page, which lists the different payment methods available, such as cash or credit card.

5. Select one of the payment methods for payment processing.

   Depending on the payment service being used, the payment steps differ.

After successful payment, the agency user is returned to the page where the payment was initiated. The fee item records are now updated. For more information, see Managing Transactions and Working with Fees and Payments.