Usage Scenarios with Module Merchant Accounts

After modules (such as departments or sub-agencies) are set up with merchant accounts and the standard choice configuration ENABLE_MERCHANT_ACCOUNT_BY_MODULE is enabled, citizen users now have the capability to:

  • Add records from multiple modules in a single shopping cart payment experience, and each payment is processed with the applicable module merchant account. For this scenario, the ALLOW_CROSS_AGENCY_RECORDS_IN_CART value under ACA_CONFIGS setting also needs to be enabled.
  • Pay for single records separately, and each payment is processed with the applicable module merchant account. For this scenario, also the PAYMENT_TRANSACTION_SETTING also needs to be set to 0.

TThe following scenarios illustrate the new capabilities. Consider an agency that has been set up as a Super Agency with the following sub-agencies, each with its own merchant account. In this example, The city is using a single payment provider (CitiPay) for all agencies; payments submitted by citizens are using the Citizen Access Redirect approach in which payments are processed through CitiPay's retail payment site.

Scenario: Application fee and convenience fee payments to separate merchant accounts

A citizen applies for a new application for Health Agency and proceeds to pay. The citizen selects the payment method as “Credit Card” and proceeds to process their payment via the redirect to CitiPay, the city payment provider. The following items are sent to CitiPay for payment:

  • New application fee – Health Agency Merchant Account2
  • Convenience fee amount – Finance Deparment merchant account

Scenario: Renewal and new application fees to the same merchant account, convenience fee to a separate merchant account

A citizen submits their renewal application for Licensing Agency and adds this transaction to the shopping cart on Citizen Access, and proceeds to apply for a new license application. Both of these transactions are in the shopping cart and the citizen proceeds to check-out. The citizen selects the payment method as “Credit Card”, and proceeds to process their payment via the redirect to CitiPay, the city payment provider. The following items are sent to CitiPay for payment:

  • Renewal application fee - Licensing Agency merchant account
  • New application fee – Licensing Agency merchant account
  • Convenience fee amount – Finance Department merchant account

Scenario: Renewal fee, fine, and convenience fee to separate merchant accounts

A citizen submits their renewal application for Licensing Agency and adds it to the Shopping Cart on Citizen Access. The citizen also has an outstanding fine for the Health Agency that they wish to pay, and adds the fine to the Shopping Cart. The citizen proceeds to pay their items in the Shopping Cart using the payment method of “Credit Card”. This would add the Convenience Fee to the total amount (Convenience fee goes to the Finance Department merchant account). In this scenario there would be three line items:

  • Renewal application fee - Licensing Agency merchant account
  • Late fee – Health Agency merchant account
  • Convenience Fee amount – Finance Department merchant account