Give residents practical ways to pay
Online portals, payment links, counter terminals, kiosks, ACH and mobile acceptance for public services.
Public Payments & Government Technology
Make every public payment easier to complete and easier to account for.
Selective Pay helps cities, counties, utilities, courts and public agencies connect online, counter, kiosk, mobile, recurring and ACH payment workflows around the systems, departments and reporting requirements already in place.
- Online, counter, kiosk and mobile acceptance
- Department and fund-level reporting strategy
- Card, ACH, recurring and payment-link options
Direct each payment correctly
Coordinate departments, locations, merchant accounts, service types, reference numbers and settlement destinations.
Strengthen public accountability
Improve transaction visibility, funding reconciliation, refund controls and reporting across agencies and revenue categories.
Why Public Payments Are Different
One agency may collect dozens of payment types under different rules and reporting needs.
Government payments can cross departments, funds, locations, software systems and service channels. A strong payment structure improves resident convenience while preserving the controls, references and settlement detail the agency needs.
Many departments and payment types
Utilities, permits, taxes, court costs, fines, parks, public records, licenses and facility payments may all require different data and settlement paths.
Public-facing fee and refund policies
Service charges, convenience fees, refunds and reversals must align with applicable law, agency policy, card-brand rules and contractual requirements.
Accountability and reconciliation
Each payment may need a department, fund, case, permit, account, citation or customer reference so finance teams can reconcile deposits accurately.
Build the Right Public Payment Mix
Match each payment channel to the service, resident and department behind it.
Selective Pay evaluates the full transaction path and then recommends the processor, gateway, devices, portal and reporting model that best support the agency.
Resident and business payment experiences
Offer practical payment options without creating unnecessary friction or staff workload.
- Online payment portals and hosted payment pages
- Payment links by email or text
- Counter terminals and contactless payments
- Kiosk and self-service payment options
- Recurring utility or service payments
- ACH for larger balances and lower-cost acceptance
Department and finance workflows
Support the controls needed to authorize, route, settle, report and reconcile public payments.
- Department, fund, location and service-type references
- Separate or coordinated merchant-account structures
- Staff permissions, virtual terminal and refund controls
- Case, citation, permit, account or invoice identifiers
- Daily funding, deposit and transaction reporting
- Gateway, portal, ERP and agency-system connectivity
Public Payment Models We Support
Different agencies require different payment structures.
We tailor the payment environment to the service type, department structure, transaction volume, reference data, resident experience and technology already in place.
Cities & counties
Taxes, permits, licenses, public records, fees, departments, locations and centralized payment reporting.
Water, power & public services
Recurring billing, account numbers, online portals, ACH, card-on-file, kiosks and payment-reminder workflows.
Courts, fines & public safety
Citations, court costs, probation fees, bonds, public-safety payments and case-level reference requirements.
Jails & correctional payments
Facility fees, bonds, deposits, electronic monitoring and payment streams that may sit outside inmate communications platforms.
Parks, recreation & facilities
Registrations, rentals, memberships, events, concessions, mobile acceptance and seasonal payment activity.
Departments and public authorities
Separate funding, shared technology, location controls, consolidated visibility and coordinated implementation.
A Practical Public Payment Review
Improve payment access without disrupting public services.
We begin with the agency's current systems, departments and policies, identify the gaps and design a payment plan around operational continuity and accountable reporting.
Map every payment path
Document which departments collect payments, how residents pay, which references are required and how transactions reach finance.
Review technology, pricing and policy
Evaluate statements, portals, gateways, terminals, ACH, fee programs, refunds, contracts, procurement requirements and system restrictions.
Design the operating model
Define merchant accounts, departments, permissions, payment methods, reference fields, settlement destinations, reporting and migration sequence.
Test, train and monitor
Coordinate configuration, portal and device testing, staff training, public communication and ongoing support after launch.
What We Review
A public payment review includes more than the processing rate.
Departments and payment channels
Online, counter, phone, kiosk, mobile, recurring, ACH, payment links and the services collected through each channel.
Agency technology
Billing, court, utility, permitting, ERP, accounting, portal, gateway and virtual-terminal systems that must support the transaction.
Transaction mix and pricing
Monthly volume, average ticket, card-present versus card-not-present activity, debit, commercial cards, ACH, refunds and seasonality.
Fees, disclosures and policies
Convenience or service charges, agency policy, resident disclosures, card-brand requirements, applicable law and contractual restrictions.
Settlement and reconciliation
Departments, funds, merchant accounts, deposits, references, funding schedules, adjustments and accounting handoff.
Procurement and implementation
Contracts, RFP requirements, security review, accessibility, system ownership, training, timelines and change-management needs.
Compliance note: Government fee programs, disclosures and payment policies can depend on applicable law, agency authority, card-brand rules and contractual requirements. Selective Pay helps structure the payment environment but does not provide legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions from cities, counties and public agencies.
Can we keep our current government or agency software?
Often, yes. We first determine which gateways, processors, devices, hosted payment options and data fields the current system supports. Compatibility is confirmed before any recommendation.
Can one relationship support several departments?
Potentially. The design may use separate merchant accounts or settlement destinations under one coordinated processing and reporting relationship, depending on agency policy and accounting requirements.
Can a government agency charge a convenience or service fee?
That depends on applicable law, agency authority, payment channel, card type, network rules, processor capabilities and required disclosures. We review the proposed program and coordinate with the acquiring and legal stakeholders before implementation.
Can we accept ACH as well as cards?
Yes, when the gateway or portal supports the required ACH workflow. Authorization, account validation, returns, recurring permissions and reconciliation should be designed before launch.
Can departments receive separate deposits and reports?
Yes, depending on the merchant-account and system architecture. We review separate settlement, shared reporting, department references, funding destinations and accounting needs.
What should we provide for the initial review?
Start with three recent processing statements, department and payment-type lists, current processor and gateway, agency systems, transaction channels, fee policies, contracts and the largest reconciliation or service issue.
Make Public Payments Work Better
Connect resident convenience with stronger agency controls.
Selective Pay will review your statements, departments, payment channels, systems, fee policies, settlement structure and reporting before recommending the next step.