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Fees
Online payment options
Secure online payment
Common payment issues
Fees
Fees are subject to change without notice. For current fees, see the fee schedule.
Online payment options
You can use any of the following to pay for online filings:
- Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover credit or debit cards. These must be issued in the United States.
- Prepaid or "gift" credit cards from Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.
Remember that you will need to enter an address when you use a gift card, just like any other credit card. Check with the card issuer if you are not sure what address to use.
Check the conditions and requirements before you buy a gift card; some cards can't be used for online purchases.
Remember to activate your gift card before attempting to use it. - A prepaid account.
Prepaid accounts are useful if you do a lot of business with our office. In order to open an account, a minimum deposit must be made and a minimum balance must be maintained each month. Prepaid accounts are generally not helpful if you only file with us a few times a year.
To open a prepaid account, you will fill out the application and mail it to our office with a check for the deposit. We will contact you with the prepaid account number, which you can then use on our payment screens.
For more information, see the prepaid account application (PDF).
Secure online payment
Payments made through our website are secured using SSL technology. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This link ensures that all information passed between the server and your browser is private. SSL is an industry standard and is used by millions of Web sites in the protection of online transactions with customers.
There are two general indications that a Web page is secure:
1. Check the web page URL. Normally, URLs (webpage addresses) begin with the letters "http". Over a secure connection, the address will begin with "https" (note the "s" at the end).
2. Check for the "lock" icon. Most browsers will display a "lock" icon or other visual cue to tell you that your connection is secure.
For example, Chrome displays the lock icon at the top next to the website address. Some browsers will also turn the background of the address bar green to show that your connection is secured.
Common payment issues
We use a secure external payment system which limits our ability to resolve payment issues you might experience.
If there are several unsuccessful attempts to file, you may see a pending charge posted to your account representing each attempt. Pending charges will be resolved within 3-10 business days depending on the financial institution. Only charges for successfully filed documents will be fully processed. If you’re uncertain whether your payment has been processed, search for your entity. From the entity’s “Summary” page, select “Filing history and documents” to review your entity’s history of filings.
Your payment can’t be processed
If your payment is declined, this could mean a number of things:
- A card can be declined for lack of funds, or
- it can also be declined if the credit card number, expiration date, billing address, or name that was entered doesn't match what is on file with the credit card company.
- Make sure that you are entering the correct information. If you continue to receive an error, contact your financial institution or your credit card company.
- Due to restrictions, we’re unable to accept billing addresses outside of the United States.
Our payment processing system sends the information that you enter to your credit card company. That information is then checked against their records. If your payment is declined and you are unable to determine a reason, check with your credit card company to verify the address that they have on file. They may have an old or incorrect address on file even if your account statement shows the correct address.
Occasionally, your payment may not be able to process for reasons outside of those listed above. Contact our office for assistance if you still continue to experience issues.
Prepaid or gift credit cards
If you receive an incorrect address error when using a gift card, contact the card issuer.
Gift cards must be activated before they can be used. If the card is declined, check to see if it has been activated. You can usually find a phone number to call on the back of the card.
Resolving payment issues
If after 10 days you’re still showing a duplicate charge, contact our office. Payment issues must be resolved within three months of the filing date.
Disputing charges from our office
We have the authority to revoke your filing if you dispute or cancel a charge for a document you have filed with our office. This may have an impact on the status of your account.