Government Payments & Service Fees

Government agencies need to accept cards and ACH without absorbing the cost, under public-sector procurement and card-network rules. Square doesn't serve government entities, so Roots uses a payment gateway configured by Roots, service fee programs, IVR and kiosks.
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Payment solutions for government & public sector

How these solutions work for government & public sector

See what each option adds to the way your business takes and tracks payments.

Unattended Payments

For government & public sector: Build self-service checkout for permit fees, public-service bills and registrations at kiosks, stations or access points that operate without a staffed counter.
  • Specify kiosk hardware and placement
  • Integrate with your account or giving system
  • Monitor devices and support them after launch
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Custom Payment Integration

For government & public sector: Connect the payment flow for permit fees, public-service bills and registrations with your software and the operational records behind case references, bill balances and department totals.
  • Map how payments should post in your system
  • Build, test and host the integration
  • Support and maintain it as systems change
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Service Fees

For government & public sector: Present service-fee rules clearly when collecting permit fees, public-service bills and registrations, with the fee and payment recorded separately.
  • Confirm your merchant category (including MCC 9311, 9399, 8220, 8249 or 4900) qualifies
  • Check state and local limits on fees
  • Configure fee display and receipts
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Online Bill Pay Portal

For government & public sector: Give customers an online way to settle permit fees, public-service bills and registrations, using account references and outstanding bill balances.
  • Discuss your business goals on a free consultation
  • Coordinate your provider introduction and setup
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Pay-by-Phone (IVR)

For government & public sector: Let customers pay permit fees, public-service bills and registrations through an automated phone flow linked to the correct bill or account.
  • Script call flows and account lookup
  • Integrate with your billing system
  • Monitor call and payment completion
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ACH Payments

For government & public sector: Offer bank-account payments for permit fees, public-service bills and registrations, with authorization and invoice matching built into the workflow.
  • Write compliant authorization language for residents
  • Set up account verification and return monitoring
  • Help you meet Nacha's 2026 fraud-monitoring requirements
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Transfer initiated

$2,665.00 · ref ACH-7731

Recurring Billing

For government & public sector: Schedule and manage payments for scheduled public-service bills and payment plans, including renewals and customer account balances.
  • Design payment plans (including 10-month or 12-month) for defendants and the public
  • Set retry, dunning and late-fee rules
  • Sync recurring payments to your accounting or management system
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Payment Gateway

For government & public sector: Connect online or remote checkout for permit fees, public-service bills and registrations to a gateway that fits your business systems.
  • Connect the gateway to your website, portal or software
  • Configure fraud rules and user permissions
  • Migrate stored payment tokens where your current provider allows it
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Level 2/3 Processing

For government & public sector: Include purchase-order references and itemized invoice data for business-card purchases of permit fees, public-service bills and registrations.
  • Analyze statements to find commercial-card downgrades
  • Configure the gateway or ERP to populate enhanced data accurately
  • Monitor CEDP qualification and fix data-quality errors
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Merchant Account

For government & public sector: Arrange a processing account for permit fees, public-service bills and registrations, with checkout methods matched to how customers pay.
  • Review your current statements and model interchange-plus costs
  • Prepare the application and underwriting package
  • Configure terminals, gateway and reporting
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Mobile Payments

For government & public sector: Collect payments for permit fees, public-service bills and registrations away from a fixed counter, with transactions recorded against the sale or job.
  • Choose devices for your drivers, reps or volunteers
  • Set up user logins and permissions per device
  • Train field staff
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Registration Payments

For government & public sector: Collect registration charges for permit fees, public-service bills and registrations and connect each payment with its attendee or participant record.
  • Connect payments to your registration platform
  • Configure discounts and payment plans
  • Reconcile registrations with deposits
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E-commerce Payments

For government & public sector: Add online checkout for permit fees, public-service bills and registrations, with order references carried through payment and fulfillment.
  • Pick the right checkout for your platform
  • Configure fraud rules for your ticket sizes
  • Test end to end before launch
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Tap to Pay on Phone

For government & public sector: Take contactless payments for permit fees, public-service bills and registrations on a supported phone while serving customers on the move.
  • Check device compatibility for your team
  • Enable and provision staff logins
  • Train staff on the payment flow
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Government & Public Sector we set up and support

Government & Public Sector payment questions

Start with the workflows your business needs. Options on this page include Service Fee Programs for Cities & Counties, Online Bill Pay Portal for Cities, Pay-by-Phone IVR for Cities & Counties. Roots helps compare the setup, software and processing requirements around how you operate.
Yes. Bring your current POS, checkout or billing tools and recent processing statements. We review invoices, registration payments, recurring collections and reconciliation, then plan the changes your government & public sector business needs.
Request a quote for your business. The review covers your payment mix, locations, software, hardware recommendations and implementation work. Consultations and payment reviews are free.
Bring recent payment statements, the systems you use and a record of how a customer places an order, receives a service or pays a bill. Tell us which government & public sector workflows need to improve so we can scope a practical setup.

Payments for government & public sector, set up right

Talk to our sales team about your setup, or become a partner and bring us your merchants.
Talk to a city office payments specialistPartner with Roots