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Information for people making a payment
Answers to the questions courts and agencies ask most about GovPayPlan, eCourtDate’s payment processing platform. The same answers appear in the FAQ sheet we provide to finance and procurement staff, last updated August 2026. For anything not covered here, contact info@govpayplan.com or call (877) 831-1755.
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Most agencies go live within days. Merchant registration, the step that verifies your agency and links your bank account, is typically approved in about one business day. Portal configuration, branding, and staff training run in parallel, and step-by-step guides are available at help.govpayplan.com.
GovPayPlan is provided under a one-year Service Plan. Processing fee rates are fixed for the duration of the plan.
Courts and judicial systems, municipalities and counties, probation and community supervision offices, sheriff’s offices, tax collectors and treasurers, utility districts, parks and recreation departments, clerks and recorders, licensing and permit departments, public health departments, animal services, and code enforcement offices. Any agency that collects fines, fees, taxes, permits, registrations, or rentals from the public can run those payments through GovPayPlan.
Yes. Onboarding includes live training sessions, video tutorials, and written guides at help.govpayplan.com. Most staff are working on their own after the first session, and the support team remains available after launch.
Yes. GovPayPlan is the payment processing platform of eCourtDate, which provides reminders, communications, and case management to courts and justice agencies in 24 states. GovPayPlan can be used on its own or alongside eCourtDate products.
Yes. Request a test account to configure a portal, invite staff, and process simulated payments. No card or bank information is required and no money moves. Our team reviews each request and sends access details by email.
Processing costs the agency nothing. All processing fees are passed to the payer as a disclosed convenience fee, and your agency receives 100% of the payment amount. The Agency Software Subscription is $2,500 per year and is waived for agencies processing $250,000 or more in annual gross payment volume. New agencies qualify from day one by documenting prior-year volume through their current provider’s statements or agency financial reports.
Rates depend on your plan tier. Standard Plan, under $100,000 in annual gross payment volume: 5% per successful card or wallet charge and 2% per bank (ACH) charge. Preferred Plan, $100,000 and above: 4% card and wallet, 2% bank. Enterprise, $5,000,000 and above: contact us for a negotiated quote; card and wallet rates below 4% are available at that volume.
Yes. The processing fee on each charge is the percentage rate or the minimum fee, $2.00 for card and wallet and $1.00 for bank, whichever is greater. It is never both, and nothing is added on top of the percentage. A $100 card payment on the Preferred Plan carries a $4.00 fee. A $15 card payment carries a $2.00 fee, because 4% would be only $0.60. Minimum fees reflect the fixed per-transaction costs charged by the payment networks, and ours are about half the small-payment minimums common in the industry.
The fee is added on top of the amount owed and disclosed before the payer confirms. For example, a payer settling a $100 fine on the Preferred Plan pays $104 by card, and your agency receives the full $100.
Payer-funded convenience fees in the courts and government space commonly run 2.85% to 5.25%, with online minimums of $3.50 to $3.99 and phone surcharges above that at some national providers. GovPayPlan’s rates are within that range. Our small-payment minimums are below the common minimums, and rates are fixed for the annual Service Plan term.
No. Rates never change mid-term. Tier placement is reviewed at each Service Plan renewal based on trailing 12-month gross payment volume, and qualifying agencies step down to the better rate at renewal.
Processing fees are paid by the payer as a disclosed convenience fee. If your agency is required by statute or policy to absorb fees for a particular payment type, raise it with us during setup so the configuration and disclosure language can be reviewed with your finance and legal staff.
No. Staff users are unlimited, payouts carry no fee, and there is no setup fee. The only recurring platform cost is the annual software subscription, which is waived at $250,000 or more in annual gross payment volume.
Card: Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express, credit and debit. Wallet: Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Cash App. Bank: ACH direct debit. In person, terminals accept EMV chip, contactless tap, and magstripe.
Yes. Staff set the installment amount, due dates, and minimum payment. Recurring charges run on that schedule, and a reminder with a payment link is sent by text and email before each due date. Each installment is subject to the minimum fee.
Yes, where the agency allows it for that payment type. The balance updates as each payment posts, and each payment is subject to the minimum fee.
Cash, checks, and money orders accepted at your counter or by mail are recorded in GovPayPlan by Cashier users. No processing fee applies. They appear in the same reconciliation view as electronic payments, with one receipt trail. Offline funds are deposited through your agency’s existing banking process.
Yes. Portals are built to WCAG 2.1 Level AA and support more than 100 languages. Interface text, instructions, and receipts display in the payer’s selected language.
Two models cover most agencies. The standalone countertop terminal for staffed payment windows is $720 one-time, or $30 per month to rent with a 3-month minimum. The mobile wireless terminal for field use, probation visits, court events, and mobile collections is $480 per year, or $45 per month to rent with a 3-month minimum, with advance replacement included. Every terminal ships fully configured: encryption keys injected, software loaded, and cables or charger included.
Yes, at volume. Agencies processing $500,000 or more in annual gross payment volume receive one standalone terminal at no charge. Agencies processing $1,000,000 or more receive standalone terminals for every staffed payment window plus one mobile terminal subscription at no charge. Qualification uses documented prior-year volume for new agencies and trailing 12-month GovPayPlan volume at renewal.
Purchased terminals carry the manufacturer’s one-year hardware warranty. Rentals and mobile subscriptions include advance replacement. A fully configured replacement ships before the defective unit is returned.
No. In-person card and wallet payments are charged your agency’s plan rate. No separate card-present rate applies.
Payout frequency follows your plan tier. Standard Plan agencies receive monthly payouts on the first business day of the following month. Preferred Plan agencies receive weekly payouts on the first business day of each week. Enterprise agencies receive daily payouts, settling the next business day. All payouts are deposited by ACH in U.S. dollars to the bank account registered with the payment portal. A minimum of $100 in available funds is required to initiate a payout; smaller balances roll forward. No per-payout fees are charged.
Authorized finance users can view payout schedules, settlement statements, and transaction-level reconciliation reports in the admin portal at any time, with exports for general ledger posting and audit. Reports break down by department, payment method, and date.
Each agency account settles to one registered payout account. GovPayPlan does not split a deposit across bank accounts. Departments or divisions that need separate settlement, for example a court settling fines to the general fund while a utility district settles to its own operating account, run as their own agency accounts, each with its own payout account, portal, and reporting, all managed under your organization. Adding or changing any payout account requires dual verification by two authorized contacts. If your agency has fund-segregation requirements within a single department, contact us to review your setup.
Authorized users process refunds directly in the GovPayPlan admin portal. Processing fees are non-refundable if the original payment has already been settled by the payment network. This applies to refunded bonds and overpayments as well: the payer receives the payment amount back, not the fee.
Chargebacks are investigated and resolved by the payment network, meaning the card issuer or bank. If a chargeback is deemed valid, funds may be returned to the payer. Chargeback outcomes are at the sole discretion of the payment network, and chargeback activity is tracked in your reporting.
Payment networks automatically flag or block transactions they suspect are fraudulent; no action is required from your agency. Your agency may also proactively refund charges it suspects of fraud. Fraud determinations rest with the payment network.
Unlimited. Each subscription covers one agency account with unlimited staff users and no per-user fees. Access is role-based: Administrator, Finance, Cashier, and Read-Only. A separate court or issuing authority that requires its own portal, reconciliation, and payouts is covered by its own subscription.
Yes. All payment processing runs on PCI DSS Level 1 certified infrastructure within eCourtDate’s secure environment, with SOC 2 Type II verified controls. Level 1 is the most stringent PCI DSS validation level. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, card numbers are tokenized, and in-person terminals use point-to-point encryption. Card data does not appear on your staff’s screens or paperwork, which keeps cardholder data out of agency systems and reduces the agency’s PCI DSS scope.
Yes, for Enterprise plans. Identity provider configuration is completed during onboarding, and agency roles and permissions are preserved.
Yes. Request current PCI and SOC 2 documentation, accessibility conformance information, and architecture materials through the contact page. Documents that require a non-disclosure agreement are provided after one is in place.
Yes, for Enterprise plans. We provide a RESTful API with full documentation, webhooks for real-time payment notifications, SFTP batch import and export, and pre-built integrations for several court and case management systems. We confirm whether your system is supported during evaluation. On every plan, existing balances, cases, and payer data can be imported by CSV, and payment reports can be exported by CSV for posting.
GovPayPlan is the supported payment processor for the eCourtDate Case Management System. Payments made online, in person, or on a plan post automatically to the case ledger. Clerks do not re-key payments or match batches. Each payment, refund, and adjustment is tied to its case in one audit trail. Agencies using eCourtDate’s communications platform with a separate case management system can also adopt GovPayPlan.
Payment reminders, receipts, plan notifications, and past-due notices are sent automatically by text and email through eCourtDate’s communications platform. Each message includes a direct payment link.
Agencies sign a one-year Service Plan that sets the plan tier, processing rates, subscription terms, and any terminal purchases or rentals. Processing rates are fixed for the term. A copy of the current Service Plan agreement, which names the contracting entity, is available on request for legal review before any commitment.
Yes. A W-9, certificates of insurance, the current price sheet, security and accessibility documentation, and agency references are available on request. Send requests to info@govpayplan.com with the agency name and the documents you need.
Yes. Send solicitations to info@govpayplan.com. Published pricing, the Service Plan agreement, and the documentation above are used in every response so that what your evaluation committee reads matches what your agency will sign.
For members of the public who received a notice, bill, or citation that can be paid through a GovPayPlan portal.
Your court or agency uses GovPayPlan to take payments. The agency decides what you owe; GovPayPlan moves the money and sends you a receipt. Use the link or QR code printed on your notice, or the payment link on the agency’s official website. To check that a payment page is real: the agency’s name appears at the top, the case or account number matches your notice, and the fee is shown before you confirm. If you are unsure, call the agency at the number on its official website.
On your agency’s payment portal. The address is printed on your notice, bill, or receipt, and most agencies also link to it from their official website. govpayplan.com is the company website, not a payment portal.
Paying by card or bank account costs money to process. You pay that cost as a fee added to your total, and the full amount you owe goes to the agency. The exact fee is shown on the screen before you confirm. For most agencies it is 4% or 5% on card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Cash App payments, with a $2.00 minimum, and 2% on bank account payments, with a $1.00 minimum. Cash, checks, and money orders paid at the agency counter carry no fee. If your payment is refunded after it has settled, the fee is not refunded.
If your agency offers payment plans, you can choose one at checkout, pick a schedule, and get reminders by text and email before each installment. If no plan is offered for your payment type, contact the agency listed on your notice.
Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express credit or debit cards. Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Cash App. A bank account. At the agency counter you can also pay with cash, check, or money order.
Yes. You will get a receipt by email as soon as you pay, in the language you selected. Some agencies also send a text. Save the receipt. The agency can see your payment right away.
Yes. Payment portals support more than 100 languages. Choose your language on the portal and the instructions, forms, and receipt will display in it.
Contact the agency listed on your notice or receipt first. The agency controls your balance and issues refunds. For a technical problem with a payment page, call GovPayPlan at (877) 831-1755, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern, excluding federal holidays. Outside those hours, try the payment again the next morning and keep any error message you received.
Call (877) 831-1755 or email info@govpayplan.com. Finance, security, and procurement questions are answered in writing.