court information center

Pay By Web Frequently Asked Questions (Click on the question to see the answer)

1. How is the time payment fee assessed?

A. Depending on the court procedures, if the Time Payment fee is assessed at the time of disposition, then Pay By Web would subtract the fee from the balance if the defendant is paying prior to 30 days after disposition. After the payment is receipted and the case appears on CWICTAQ, the clerk will zero out the fee.

2. What if the defendant pays on the wrong case?

A. The defendant will only be able to view cases that are disposed and have balances due. If they on the wrong case, the clerk will be able to void the receipt and re-receipt it on the correct case, if the defendant can verify that they made the payment to the wrong case

3. Are we still able to take credit card payments at the window or over the phone?

A. Yes. Pay By Web is only a tool that is being offered to the public so they can make payments at any time during the day or week. Payments can be made 24/7 and even on holidays. Defendants can still walk in or call in and make a payment by credit card with your current vendor. The only difference is Pay By Web will automatically receipt the payment and close the cashier session. With your current vendor, the clerk will continue to receipt the payment and close the cashier sessions.

4. How much is the fee for using a credit card on Pay By Web?

A. The convenience fee for paying by credit card varies based on the transaction amount from flat rate base fees to 2.35%. From the Pay By Web Home page, the words "convenience fee" link to a table that lists fee amounts.

5. Can we still use our credit card company we are currently using?

A. Yes, Pay By Web is an additional tool for the public to use. Pay By Web uses the judiciary's electronic payments vendor.

6. Can we opt out of this service?

A. All circuit courts and municipal divisions using the statewide case management system are required to use Pay By Web.

7. What is the time frame of the phase?

A. Currently the first phase is accepting payments on disposed cases associated to a party. The subsequent phases have no designated dates at this time. When the new phases are ready they will be announced statewide.

8. If we do not have electronic banking, do we need to call the bank or wait for the bank statement?

A. We recommend that the court has signed up for electronic banking, if only for inquiry purposes. This will allows the court to keep track of deposits and they can clear the deposits during the month, making end of the month reconciliations easier.

9. What happens if the defendant makes a payment on the weekend and they are arrested on a warrant?

A. We do not guarantee that making a payment on Pay By Web will recall a warrant or satisfy a court appearance and this is stated on the receipt.

10. Will defendants be able to use the public user computer to make payments?

A. Yes. If the defendant comes into the courthouse, they can make a payment on the public user’s computer terminal. This is helpful if your window personnel are busy and the defendant does not want to wait.

11. If the credit card being used is not good, will the vendor fight for us?

A. The vendor validates the credit card when it has been submitted to verify that the card is a valid card and has not just been numbers keyed into the system. If the card has been reported stolen, then the vendor will not process the payment and notify the customer to contact the credit card company.

12. What happens if they pay with a bad check?

A. If the payment by check turns out to be returned as bad, the court would treat it as any return check by voiding the receipt and notifying the payer, this negates the payment and the defendant will still owe the balance plus and bad check fees the court assess to the case.

13. Will the processing fee be deposited in our bank account?

A. No. The processing fee is charged to the customer and kept by the vendor. Only the payment they made towards the JIS balance will be deposited into the courts account.

14. If a payment is made on the day of court, will the case get flagged and/or a docket entry be made?

A. No. When payment is made, the only notice that the court will receive will be in the Assignment Queue CWICTAQ. We notify the customer on the receipt that payment will not satisfy court appearances or recall a warrant.

15. Is there a place the defendant can put a note to the court about where they would want the compliance sent or any updated information they would like to give?

A. Not at this time. We have taken suggestions to enhance the product and giving the customer the ability to enter notes to update the case information.

16. Where do we send the banking and contact information to sign up for the service?

A. Contact the OSCA Accounting Assistance unit at least once month prior to changing banks.

17. The receipt says “the payment will be typically receipted in 1 business day,” but it does not clear the bank for 3-5 days?

A. This would be the same as taking a payment over the counter through a credit card vendor. If the payment transaction is not verified and settled through the vendor, the system will credit the payment and not deposit it into the court account.

18. When we start electronic filing, how will we match the filing fee with the case?

A. The vendor is identifying the Pay By Web Deposits with a "PBW" in the notification on the bank transactions.

19. Can juvenile cases be paid online?

A. No, at this time, only cases with a public security level of 1 or 2, and the case must be disposed with the costs associated to a party.

20. Can Guardian Ad Litem fees be paid online?

A. Yes, if the Guardian Ad Litem fees have been assessed to the party on the case.

21. How will the defendant know the amount due the case is not disposed?

A. At this time, the case must be disposed and have costs associated to a party. Subsequent phases will allow for the defendant to pay on violation bureau cases. These cases would be the cases the court currently has where a defendant would send payment through the mail. There would be a list on the envelope given by the officer or the defendant would call in to ask for the fines and fees.

22. Will credit cards and checks be in the same cashier session?

A. No, there is a session for each pay type. Credit cards will be in a session that identify by the Location of the court, PC for credit card and the date ABPC141001, and checks will have PE to identify those payments ABPE141001.

23. Is there a way the judge can withhold a case from Pay By Web?

A. If the judge wishes to keep the case from appearing on Pay By Web, the clerk would not associate the costs to the party(defendant). But this would also prevent the balance from being collected through the normal collection processes, like tax offset or debt collections.

24. When the clerk opens the Assignment queue, will it take them into the cashier session?

A. No. When the clerk reviews the case in CWICTAQ, it is only a notification that a payment has been made through the Pay By Web service. The clerk can process notices, docket codes and review the case, but it will not open the cashier session. The cashier session closes automatically through an automated process the next business day.

25. How are the debt collection fees applied to the case on CBAACCD?

A. If the case has been sent to debt collections, the customer will be notified that the case has been referred to debt collections and will give them a link to contact the debt collection vendor. The fees that are put on CBAACCD for debt collections are only to accept money at the window if a defendant were to come in person to make a payment. Those are sent to the debt collection vendor and returned after the payment is satisfied in their system.

26. If the defendant pays more than the balance due, which would be added costs to the courts with the refund having to be sent out, why would this payment be accepted?

A. This would not be any different than the defendant sending in a money order that overpaid the balance where the court would issue a refund. This is giving the court the ability to accept payments from the defendant.

27. Will this eliminate the $5 overpayment amount which the courts were previously allowed to keep?

A. No, if the overpayment is under $5, the over payment will be receipted into open items and the clerk can add the overpayment detail code to the case and apply the overpayment in open items to the detail code and then it will be turned over to the court.

28. The balance still will show the time payment fee if paid after 30 days, correct?

A. Yes, if the defendant is paying 30 days after disposition and the time payment fee has been assess to the case, it will be included in the balance due on the Pay By Web inquiry screen.

29. Is there ever a time that the vendor withdraws money from our account for more than they deposit, or there are no fees to the court?

A. No. If the vendor withdraws any money from the court account it will only before the transaction they are crediting. There are no fees or cost passed on to the court.