Key Terms

Account

Your bank account, credit card account, or debit card account. See also Pay.gov Account.

ACH

The system your bank uses to process payments charged to your savings, checking, or business account. Also refers to payments from those accounts. Also called Direct Debit.

ACH Credit

A payment from a business, where the payment is not immediately charged to the business' bank account. Instead, the business promises the payment will be made from its bank account within 60 days, and provides its bank the transaction information to enable the payment. Only some agencies allow ACH Credit.

Agency

Any organization, function, or group within the U.S. Government that accepts payments through Pay.gov.

Amazon

A company that can be used to make payments to some U.S. Government agencies if the agency allows.

Authorize / Authorization

Part of paying by credit card. The process by which the credit card payment is allowed or denied.

Automatic Payment

Also called AutoPay. An automatic payment is an arrangement, set up in Pay.gov, that allows periodic payment from your checking, savings, credit card, or debit card account without you needing to take any other action. Often used to pay regular bills. If allowed, the option is on the payment page.

Bank Holiday

Holidays when the Federal Reserve Bank is closed. Your bank will not process payments charged to your savings or checking account on these days. Instead, the payment will be processed the next business day.

Bill, eBill

A notice from an agency that a payment is due. A Pay.gov bill includes the notice, information needed to access the bill, and an online page where you can view the bill and chose to pay it. You must enter the bill's access code and answer a security question to view a bill for the first time. Some bills require you to sign in to a Pay. gov account; others can be paid without signing in.

Business Day

Any day the Federal Reserve Bank is open, generally Monday through Friday excluding U.S. holidays. Your bank processes payments from checking, savings, and business accounts only on business days. Weekends and holidays are never business days, even if your bank branch is open.

Duplicate

A copy of an agency form you can use to make a payment of the same kind. Information you entered on the original form is included, and some information, such as the amount, can be changed. Only completed and saved forms listed in your My Account, My Forms section can be duplicated. Duplicating an agency form saves time. Only the agency form is copied; associated payment pages are not copied. You must have a Pay.gov account to duplicate forms.

Form or Agency Form

The online pages on Pay.gov where you enter the information an agency requires for a payment. Forms differ for each agency, and for what is being paid for. For example, an agency that collects four different fees may have four separate forms. You must use the correct form for your payment. The separate payment page are associated with each form collects information about the bank account, credit card, or debit card used to pay.

ID.me

A service that allows you to create a single username and password that can be used to access Pay.gov and many participating US Goverment agency or service websites.

One-time Payment

A payment made once on Pay.gov. An example is paying a Federal parking ticket. Usually, you do not need a Pay.gov account to make a one-time payment.

Pay.gov

The website where you can pay many U.S. Government agencies. Many, but not all, agencies accept payments on Pay.gov.

Pay.gov Account

An account you can create on Pay.gov. It holds your identifying information, and can include bank, credit card, and debit card account information. Having an account is optional, unless required by an agency. You must have an account to access additional Pay.gov features such as viewing your payment history, duplicating forms, and adding bills to your account. You can store your identifying and payment account information in your account. That information can be automatically entered when you make a payment, saving time.

Payment Date

The date your payment will be processed by the bank or credit card company. (For example, the payment date for payments from your bank account is the next business day after you submit the payment.) This is different from the transaction date, which is the day you create a payment on Pay.gov. It is also different from the settlement date, which may be later.

Payment Method

The account used to make your payment on Pay.gov. Examples include checking and saving accounts (ACH), credit cards, debit carts, PayPal, and Amazon.

Payment Page

An online page, associated with an agency form, where you enter information about the account used to make your payment. Payment pages differ slightly depending on the payment method you choose.

PayPal

A company that can be used to make payments to some U.S. Government agencies.

Recurring Payment

A payment to an agency that is repeated two or more times. Recurring payments can be set up as automatic payments.

Creating a Pay.gov account.

Routing Transit Number (RTN)

The number identifying the bank where you have your checking, savings, or business account. The RTN can be found on your checks or bank statement. The RTN must be entered on the payment page whenever a bank account is used for payment.

Settlement

The date and time when money is actually withdrawn or charged to your bank or credit card account. The settlement date may be later than the payment date. Settlement determines if money or credit is available in your account.