NYCSERV Payments | Official Payments Corp. Frequently Asked Questions
  The City of New York has entered into an agreement with Official Payments Corp.® to enable residents of The City of
  New York to pay taxes and fees on a credit card. American Express, Master Card, and Discover cards are
  accepted. Charging taxes allows taxpayers to take advantage of available credit card rewards, payment flexibility,
  convenience, and safety. A nominal fee is charged by Official Payments Corporation based on the transaction amount.
  The payer is notified of this fee before any payment is completed . The payment process is fast, simple and secure.

  Please select a link below for more information on your topic.

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  What is Official Payments Corp.?
  What are the advantages of paying by credit card online through NYCSERV?
  What credit cards are accepted?
  Why should I elect this system?
  How do I earn rewards?
  Why is there a convenience fee and why am I paying for this?
  How will the charge appear on my credit card statement?
  How safe is Official Payments' system?
  How secure is my payment and personal information?
  How secure is the credit card information I'm using to make this payment?
  Will I receive a confirmation of my credit card payment?
  How can I be sure that my payment was processed correctly?
  Who do I call if my payment doesn't appear on my credit card statement?
  How can I find out what taxes and fees I can charge to a credit card with Official Payments Corp.?
  How can I check to see how my payment was applied to my account?

What is Official Payments Corp.?
Official Payments Corporation is the leading provider of electronic payment options for federal, state and local government agencies.
Official Payments processes tax and fee payments for the IRS, 23 state governments including the states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, and more than 1,300 counties and municipalities across all 50 states. In 2002, Official Payments processed more than $1.2 billion in payments and more than 1.4 million transactions.

What are the advantages of paying by credit card online through NYCSERV?
The service makes paying government taxes and fees more convenient in many ways:

What credit cards are accepted?
American Express, MasterCard, and Discover payment cards (both credit and ATM pin-less debit cards*) are accepted. *Pin-less debit cards are debit cards that have the MasterCard logo and do not require the purchaser to enter their pin number to complete a transaction.

Why should I elect this system?
In paying government taxes and fees with a credit card, consumers gain control of the payment. Consumers can pay their tax or fee over time, on their own schedule. Paying by credit card may provide consumers with use of their money for an additional 30 to 60 days, depending upon the credit card billing cycle.

How do I earn rewards?
Depending on the nature of the credit card reward program, consumers can earn a point, mile or money back for the tax payments they charge. The value of the reward can often exceed the cost of any convenience fee incurred. For specific information on your card's reward program, contact your credit card issuer directly using the number listed on the back of your card.

Why is there a convenience fee and why am I paying for this?
Official Payments Corporation charges a convenience fee for processing the payment transaction. The fee is not charged by or paid to the City of New York. The convenience fee is assessed to cover operating costs and the costs associated with servicing thousands of credit card transactions.

You will be informed of all charges and fees before you authorize the payment. You may check the fee on your payment first by reviewing the fee schedule.

How will the charge appear on my credit card statement?
Two line items will appear on your credit card bill. The first is for the payment made to the City of New York and the second is for the convenience fee charged by Official Payments Corporation.

How safe is Official Payments' system?
The system has been tested and proven. The IRS, the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and more than 1,300 state and local governments have chosen Official Payments Corporation as an electronic service provider for their constituents. The information gathered is private and will not be forwarded to anyone.

How secure is my payment and personal information?
Official Payments secures personal information entered into its web site through Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption, which creates a protected connection between users and the web server. This means your credit card number and personal data are never sent over the Internet unencrypted.

How secure is the credit card information I'm using to make this payment?
Official Payments uses the best encryption technology available. Credit card information is not passed to any of our government clients, including The City of New York, and payment data is passed using hardware encryption. Transactions are processed using a leased line connection to the credit card issuers. Official Payments partners with
VeriSign to ensure the highest level of security.

Will I receive a confirmation of my credit card payment?
Yes. You will be provided a confirmation number at the end of the payment transaction. This confirmation number and your credit card statement will provide confirmation of your credit card payment to the City of New York. You will be issued an onscreen digital receipt, which can be printed as a transaction record. Additionally, if you provided NYCSERV with your email address, you will receive an email verification of your online payment.

How can I be sure that my payment was processed correctly?
Official Payments will verify your Internet payment online
www.officialpayments.com/pc_paym.jsp if you have provided your e-mail address to NYCSERV. You will need your confirmation number and the last 4 digits of your credit card. You may also call 1-888-357-8394. You'll need your confirmation number and/or your name to process your telephone inquiry. Please be sure to print out any transaction confirmation screens or E-mails and have this information available.

Who do I call if my payment doesn't appear on my credit card statement?
Call Official Payments Customer Service at 1-800-487-4567.

How can I find out what taxes and fees I can charge to a credit card with Official Payments Corp.?
For a complete list of the taxes and fees you can charge to a credit card in your area, visit
www.officialpayments.com.

How can I check to see how my payment was applied to my account?
You can search the NYCSERV system to see if your payment was applied. Payments made prior to 5pm Eastern Time should post to your account the next business day.

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