Electronic Deposits

ACH, Fedwire, and Credit Gateway

ACH Operational Guidelines

Hours

Normal ACH operating hours for the Credit Gateway are Monday through Friday (except federal holidays) from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

Required Information for ACH

Information that must be provided on an ACH transaction to Fiscal Service is specified in Appendix 2 for ACH credits. Corporate Credit and Debit (CCD) is the preferred ACH Standard Entry Class Code and record format used by the Credit Gateway. However, for federal entities requiring more remittance information on their ACH transactions, the Credit Gateway also supports the Corporate Credit and Debit Plus (CCD+) and Corporate Trade Exchange (CTX) formats. Federal entities desiring to use the CCD+ or CTX formats should first consult with the Credit Gateway program area.

Requests for transmitting ACH credits to Fiscal Service normally are initiated by the federal entity’s customer to its bank’s funds transfer department. Banks that do not maintain an account at an Federal Reserve Bank (FRB) must use the services of correspondent banks when making a deposit to the Credit Gateway. All ACH transactions must be sent directly to Fiscal Service via the Credit Gateway. ACH transactions will not be accepted at designated Treasury General Account (TGA) financial institutions.

Policies and procedures regarding remitters’ requests for ACH transfers are determined by the bank sending the transfer, not the Credit Gateway. Therefore, federal entity customers also must work within the processing guidelines established by their bank. Bank guidelines may include processing cutoffs, transaction fees, and other bank requirements. ACH fees charged by the bank of the remitter are to be paid by the remitting customer. Fees should not be deducted from the payment amount due to the federal entity. ACH debits are not permitted to the Credit Gateway. Federal entities should advise their customers accordingly.

Returns

The need to return an ACH entry received in the Credit Gateway may result due to errors by the sending financial institution or miscommunication between a federal entity and its remitters. In general, Nacha rules require the return of erroneous ACH transactions by the second banking day following the settlement of the original transaction. Federal entities need to proactively reconcile their collections within the two banking days.

To return an ACH transaction, the federal entity must email a completed ACH Return Form to Credit Gateway Customer Care no later than 4 p.m. ET. Forms are available on the Credit Gateway website. Upon receipt, the Credit Gateway automatically returns the ACH transaction. If the ACH Return Form is received after the 4 p.m. ET cutoff, the Credit Gateway processes the request on a best effort basis or on the next business day. For assistance with ACH returns, contact Credit Gateway Customer Care.

FedWire Processing Guidelines

Returns

The need to return a Fedwire received in the Credit Gateway may result due to errors by the sending financial institution or miscommunication between a federal entity and its remitters. Fedwires older than six months will not be returned. After six months, the federal entity must make a disbursement through Payment Management to get the funds back to the appropriate party (see TFM Volume I, Part 4a, Chapter 2000). Returns fall under two categories, same-day and prior-day. Each type requires its own procedure and is explained as follows. All returns must be for the full amount of the original transaction; partial returns are not permitted.

Same-Day Return of Fedwire Transfers

Federal entities should use the following procedures to request the return of a Fedwire received on the current business day. Federal entities may use one of the following two options.

1. No Form Required: The federal entity instructs the remitter to have its financial institution send a Fedwire “Request for Reversal” (Fedwire type code 1001) to the Credit Gateway no later than 4 p.m. ET. Upon receipt, the Credit Gateway automatically returns the Fedwire. If the Fedwire “Request for Reversal” is received after the 4 p.m. ET cutoff, the Credit Gateway processes the request on a best-effort basis or on the next business day. No further action by the federal entity is required.
2. Form Required: The federal entity may complete and email a Fedwire Return Form to Credit Gateway Customer Care no later than 4 p.m. ET. Forms are available on the Credit Gateway website. Incomplete forms are returned to the federal entity for correction and resubmission. Once a complete form is received, the Credit Gateway returns the Fedwire that business day. If Credit Gateway Customer Care receives the email after the 4 p.m. ET cutoff, the Credit Gateway processes the request on a best-effort basis or on the next business day. For assistance with same-day returns, contact Credit Gateway Customer Care.

Return of Prior-Day Fedwire Transfers

Federal entities should use the following procedures to request the return of a Fedwire received on a prior business day. Federal entities may choose between one of the two options below.

1. No Form Required: Step 1—The federal entity instructs the remitter to have its financial institution send a Fedwire “Request for Reversal of a Prior-Day Transfer” (Fedwire type code 1007) to the Credit Gateway no later than 4 p.m. ET. If the Fedwire “Request for Reversal of a Prior-Day Transfer” is received after the 4 p.m. ET cutoff, the Credit Gateway processes the request on a best-effort basis or on the next business day. Step 2—The federal entity also must send an email to Credit Gateway Customer Care before the 4 p.m. ET cutoff confirming that the Credit Gateway should honor the Fedwire “Request for Reversal of a Prior- Day Transfer” referenced in Step 1. Upon receipt, the Credit Gateway automatically returns the Fedwire. No forms are required from the federal entity. The email confirmation should include the amount of the wire and the date the wire was originally received. For assistance with prior-day returns, federal entities should contact Credit Gateway Customer Care. Important: Federal entities must complete both steps 1 and 2. Failure to complete one of these steps nullifies the return request.
2. Form Required: The federal entity may complete and email a Fedwire Return Form to Credit Gateway Customer Care no later than 4 p.m. ET. Upon receipt, the Credit Gateway automatically returns the Fedwire. If the Fedwire Return Form is received after the 4 p.m. ET cutoff, the Credit Gateway processes the request on a best-effort basis or on the next business day. For assistance with prior-day returns, contact Credit Gateway Customer Care.

Hours

Normal Fedwire processing hours for the Credit Gateway are Monday through Friday (except federal holidays) from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

Required Information for Funds Transfers

Requests for transmitting funds to Fiscal Service normally are initiated by the federal entity’s customer to its bank’s funds transfer department. Banks that do not maintain an account at an FRB must use the services of correspondent banks that do have an FRB account. All Fedwire must be sent directly to Fiscal Service via the Credit Gateway. Fedwires will not be accepted at designated Treasury General Account (TGA) financial institutions. Federal entities should instruct their customers to send Fedwire deposits as early as possible and no later than 5 p.m. ET on the desired receipt date.

Policies and procedures regarding remitters’ requests for funds transfer are determined by the bank sending the transfer, not the Credit Gateway. Therefore, federal entity customers also must work within the processing guidelines established by their bank. Bank guidelines may include processing cutoffs, transaction fees, and other bank requirements. Funds transfer fees charged by the bank of the remitter are to be paid by the remitting customer. Fees should not be deducted from the payment amount due to the federal entity.

Federal entities must provide information on a Fedwire funds transfer message to Fiscal Service as specified in Appendix 1. Federal entities may obtain payment instruction templates from the Credit Gateway program that can be provided to their customers.

Funds transfers from Foreign Banks

Federal entity customers outside the United States may send Fedwires directly to the Credit Gateway provided their foreign bank has a U.S. correspondent bank and funds are being sent in U.S. dollars. Wires denominated in a foreign currency must be processed through Treasury’s International Treasury Services (ITS.gov) program. Federal entities should contact ITS.gov (see Contacts) for assistance with foreign currency denominated transactions. In conjunction with the Credit Gateway, ITS.gov is the front end of the process, which forwards the wire to the Credit Gateway at the back end. See Foreign Currency Payments, I TFM 4A- 3000, Section 30125.

Credit Gateway Guidelines

Background and Concepts

The Credit Gateway is a deposit program that Fiscal Service uses for receipt of federal entity Fedwire and ACH credit transactions. It is operated by a commercial bank that has been designated as a financial agent of the government. However, the transactions settle at FRB rather than at the commercial bank. In essence, the commercial bank processes information about the transactions and the FRBs are responsible for settling the transactions. As collections are processed by the Credit Gateway, it sends detailed transaction information in near-real time to Fiscal Service reporting systems, namely the Collections Information Repository (CIR). The CIR, in turn, provides this information to government-wide accounting systems. ACH collections are sent to CIR at the end of the business day.

General Guidelines

New Account Setup and Maintenance

Before processing any Fedwire or ACH transactions through the Credit Gateway, a federal entity must establish an account within the Credit Gateway. Before setting up a new account, the federal entity must:

Have a valid Agency Location Code (ALC). Fiscal Service’s Fiscal Accounting area manages ALC setups. Refer to TFM Volume I, Part 1, Chapter 2000, section 2025,

Be enrolled in the CIR, and

Complete and submit a Credit Gateway Account Setup Form to Fiscal Service’s Settlement Services Division. See contact information listed for inquiries concerning new account setup.

Fiscal Service reserves the right not to offer Fedwire or ACH services for a specific federal entity cashflow if Fiscal Service determines that it is not cost effective or in the public interest. New account setup takes several business days to complete. The Credit Gateway program reviews each form for accuracy and submits it to Credit Gateway Customer Care for account setup. It returns incomplete forms to the federal entity for correction and resubmission. After account setup is complete, the Credit Gateway program area notifies the federal entity and provides it with the new cash flow account number and payment instructions. The federal entity may provide this information to its customers. The Credit Gateway program area will periodically review federal entity accounts. Accounts that are inactive for a year or more are subject to closure without notice. For account setup and customer care contact information, see Contacts.

Federal Entity Inquiry

The Credit Gateway Customer Care area is available to assist federal entities with transaction inquiries and exception processing. The Credit Gateway Customer Care hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). When calling Credit Gateway Customer Care, federal entities should have their ALC number, the amount of any transaction in question, the date of the transaction, and any other pertinent data that can be used to identify the transaction.

Federal Entity Notification of Deposit Adjustments

Voucher and Support Listing

As Fiscal Service receives funds transfer messages, the messages are accumulated by each ALC or Credit Gateway cashflow account number. At the end of the business day, the Credit Gateway generates a credit voucher (SF 215) file and a debit voucher (SF 5515) file and sends the files to the CIR. Voucher numbers are system generated and may repeat over subsequent months. Federal entities should not program their systems off of voucher numbers. All deposits/vouchers are available to federal entities for inquiry and reporting via the CIR. Deposits/vouchers reflect a daily summary of total dollars received and returned for each ALC or Credit Gateway cashflow account and include full transaction detail records.

Same-Day Notification

Federal entities requiring same-day reporting of Fedwire transactions may view their data within the CIR. Federal entity access to the CIR allows the federal entity to view in near-real time its incoming Credit Gateway Fedwire transactions via online inquiry or computer download. This information is intended to supplement the end-of-day credit/debit voucher information and is not final until the close of the business day. Federal entities access the CIR through the internet. To enroll in the CIR, contact the CIR Customer Support (see Contacts).

Errors and Deposit Adjustments

Generally, if a remitter fails to follow payment instructions, the Credit Gateway automatically reverses (Fedwire) or returns (ACH) the transaction. Typically, the Credit Gateway does not manually correct transactions but reverses or returns transactions that do not have a valid ALC or Credit Gateway account number. The Credit Gateway may attempt to manually correct Fedwire transactions above a certain dollar threshold.

Federal entities should review their Credit Gateway deposits daily for errors and promptly notify the Credit Gateway Customer Care if corrective action is required. ACH debits are not permitted to the Credit Gateway, and federal entities should advise their remitters accordingly. If a debit is received in a federal entity’s account, the Credit Gateway automatically returns it to the originating financial institution.

Erroneous Federal Entity Reporting of Deposits

Federal entities view reporting of all Credit Gateway credit/debit vouchers for their ALCs in the CIR. Erroneous or unidentifiable transactions should be reported promptly to the Credit Gateway Customer Care for return or correction. Federal entities may request a voucher correction when transactions are posted to the wrong ALC. They must submit a Gateway Account Correction Form to Credit Gateway Customer Care if the correct ALC is known (see Contacts). Forms are available on the Credit Gateway website. Both federal entities impacted by a correction must be in agreement before the correction is submitted to the Credit Gateway. If the correct ALC is not known, the transaction must be returned, as described below.

Debit and Credit Transactions

Debit and Credit Overview

Scope and Applicability

This section applies to federal entities that collect or intend to collect obligations via credit or debit card (Card). Card acquiring services are provided by a financial institution that the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (Fiscal Service) designates as its financial agent. The financial agent credits and debits participating federal entities for all Card transactions initiated by federal entities or cardholders for (or in connection with) the collection of obligations. The financial agent may use the services of a merchant acquirer or processor to perform Card authorization, transaction processing or other services on behalf of the financial agent.

In addition to the requirements of this section, a federal entity also must comply with and be bound by the rules and regulations governing all credit and debit card transactions accepted by the federal entity (collectively, the Network Rules), any of which may be altered or amended periodically and without notice.

A federal entity that fails to comply with any provision of the Network Rules may incur fines and penalties imposed by a network. In the event that the Network Rules conflict with federal law and/or the terms of this chapter, federal law and/or the terms of this chapter take precedence over the Network Rules. If the Network Rules simply provide more specificity or clarity regarding a provision of this chapter, the Network Rules are not to be deemed to conflict with this chapter. If there is an apparent conflict between this chapter and the Network Rules, please notify the Fiscal Service Program Contact.

Network Rules may include:

• The Visa U.S.A. Inc. By-Laws and Operating Regulations; the Visa International Operating Regulations; and any other rules, policies, or requirements of Visa or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates (collectively “Visa Rules”),
• The MasterCard Worldwide By-Laws and Operating Regulations and any other rules, policies, or requirements of MasterCard or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates (collectively “MasterCard Rules”),
• The American Express Card Acceptance Operating Rules,
• The Discover Network Operating Regulations,
• The Interlink Network and Maestro U.S.A. Network rules and regulations (collectively “National/International Networks”),
• The operating rules and regulations of various regional on-line debit card networks, Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) States, and EBT Processing Networks (collectively “Regional Networks”), and
• The rules and regulations issued by any other network for which Fiscal Service may determine to offer Card processing services.

See Fiscal Service website for information.

Authority

See, inter alia, 12 U.S.C. 90, 265, 266; 15 U.S.C. 1693o–2; 31 U.S.C. 321, 3301-3303, 3720.

Application

In order to accept Cards, a federal entity must establish a processing relationship with Fiscal Service by completing and submitting a Card Acquiring Service Application (CASA). Fiscal Service reviews the application and may approve or reject, based on factors such as the nature and amount of the collections for which the federal entity wishes to accept Cards. A federal entity may not engage in mail order, telephone order, delayed delivery, and/or eCommerce transactions unless approved by Fiscal Service. If a federal entity determines that a change in the collection process is needed, such as adding eCommerce or over-the-counter transactions, the federal entity must seek prior approval from Fiscal Service through the CASA process.

Fiscal Service reserves the right to withhold Card processing services for a specific cashflow if Fiscal Service determines that it is not cost effective or in the public interest.

If a federal entity’s CASA is approved, the establishment of a card servicing account would ensue. To establish a card servicing account, the Financial Agent will assign an account series which consist of a Chain, Division, and Merchant Identification (MID) number to each new account. Locations and/or MID numbers can be added to an existing card servicing account which requires the completion, submission, and approval of a CASA. A federal entity must designate on its application an Authorizing Official, Chain, MID and Billing point of contact for each account. The roles and responsibilities of each card servicing point of contact type is defined below. The federal entity must inform the Fiscal Service Program Contact and Financial Agent of any changes to its organizations points of contact.

• Authorizing Official (AO) – The AO is the highest contact within the CAS hierarchy. The AO is a Supervisor or equivalent from the applying federal entity. During the CASA onboarding process, the AO sanctions the approval of any card servicing account and cannot be the submitter of the application. If the CASA applicant is a fully integrated contractor, the AO is still required to be a Supervisor or equivalent employed by the federal entity.
• Chain POC – The Chain POC is the first line contact within the CAS hierarchy. This contact will serve as the subject matter expert for the CAS program relationship. Due to the interactive partnership with the program, the Chain POC owns the role of lead liaison for any CAS program related projects, unless otherwise specified. The Chain POC should disseminate program related information and/or communications to federal entity representatives, as well as approve any modifications to the card servicing account.
• MID POC - The MID POC, also known as, the location level POC is the second line contact within the CAS hierarchy. This contact should be familiar with the day-to-day operations for the point-of-sale devices and/or software used under the card servicing chain. As a MID POC, a partnership should be formed with the Chain POC, if applicable, in order to adequately inform federal entity representation of any CAS program related information, updates or changes.
• Billing POC – The Billing POC is responsible for addressing any funding, operations or service-related questions pertaining to the card servicing account.

Rules for card servicing account modifications, if applicable, are as follows:

• If a federal entity requires processing for an additional collection activity, a new CASA must be submitted to Fiscal Service for approval.
• If a federal entity processes Cards and another of its locations would like to process obligations via Card, a new application must be submitted to Fiscal Service for approval.
• If a federal entity needs to change the Agency Location Code (ALC) to which deposits are reported, the federal entity must notify the Fiscal Service Program Contact.

See the Fiscal Service - Card Acquiring Service website for current forms and information.

Audits

All credits and debits to Federal entities are subject to review, audit, and correction by the Financial Agent, and any independent third party that has the authority to conduct such audits.

Card Servicing Contact Requirements

Training of Key Personnel

Federal entities must review all Card collection processes and ensure that any staff and/or personnel assigned as the Chain (subject matter expert) and MID (location level) points of contact are properly trained to accommodate VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, EBT, and debit cards, as appropriate. The Financial Agent offers training on its reporting tool, including such topics as reconciliation, reporting, and chargebacks. Federal entities must ensure that training is conducted in conjunction with the Financial Agent and that all appropriate personnel are set up with access to the Financial Agent’s reporting tool. Federal entities may contact the Financial Agent to receive ad hoc assistance and training. Assistance and training may focus on how to reconcile Card activity daily, demonstrations on reporting capabilities, and how to operate or troubleshoot equipment, etc.

The Financial Agent may from time to time offer free training to federal entities as part of its usual customer services, including courses, presentations, and webinars provided by third-party contractors of the Financial Agent. By notifying federal entities of such training opportunities, Fiscal Service is not endorsing other products or services that the third party may offer.

Maintenance of Federal Entity Contacts

Each federal entity must promptly inform Fiscal Service of changes in personnel assigned as the Authorizing Official, Chain, MID or Billing points of contact to ensure continued communications between Fiscal Service and the federal entity. Each federal CardAcquiringService@fiscal.treasury.gov and identify the individual that has been replaced or removed and the name and contact information for the new individual. In the subject line of the email, each federal entity should indicate “POC Addition” or “POC Change,” as applicable.

Honoring of Cards and Surcharges

Honoring of Cards

Federal entities must honor all valid Cards within the appropriate categories of acceptance when properly presented as payment from cardholders. Federal entities must not:

Try to dissuade a cardholder from using any Card,

Criticize or mischaracterize any Card, services, or programs,

Try to persuade or prompt cardholders to use any particular Card, or

Engage in activities that harm the business or brand of Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover or any applicable PIN Debit network.

Surcharges

A federal entity must not directly or indirectly require any cardholder to pay a surcharge or cash discounting in connection with a transaction unless required by law or specified by the Fiscal Service. Additionally, a federal entity cannot charge or add a fee to the transaction amount when accepting a Card for payment.

Service Marks

Use of Service Marks

Federal entities must display Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and Contactless promotional materials, in the same manner, at the points of interaction to indicate that all Cards are honored. The service marks should be placed near the entrance of the federal entity or posted on a website. No service or word marks for a specific Card type should be omitted when creating any promotional, printed, or broadcast material. All four card brands word marks on promotional, printed, or broadcast materials must be shown in the same manner, to indicate Cards are acceptable for payment.

Validation, Authorization and Settlement

Validation

Card Present Transaction - When the cardholder physically interacts with the payment machinery (e.g., terminal, kiosks, mobile devices) and the electronic data is captured at the time of the sale transaction, this is a card present transaction. Federal entities are not required to validate or enforce the validation of signatures or additional identification for card present sales transactions.

eCommerce/Card Not Present Transactions - When the cardholder is not physically present for the actual transaction, the federal entity must require the card validation code, the CVV2 for Visa Cards, the CVC2 for MasterCard Cards, and the CID for American Express and Discover Cards. These card security codes are security features for credit and debit card transactions, providing increased protection against Card fraud. The cardholder’s address and postal zip code shall be sent on all eCommerce and card not present transactions for validation by the card issuers. Federal entities should use the verification responses from the issuer of the Card in their decision to accept or decline a transaction.

Authorization

Federal entities must obtain authorization for each sales transaction for the total amount of the transaction. An authorization code indicates the availability of a cardholder’s credit or funds at the time the authorization is obtained.

If a sales transaction is not authorized, a federal entity must not complete the sale. A declined sales transaction is originated from the bank that issued the card.

A federal entity may not present to the Financial Agent, either directly or indirectly, any sales draft or credit draft that was not originated as a result of an act between the cardholder and the federal entity.

Authorization must be obtained through the terminal, unless there is a loss of terminal connectivity. Federal entities should first obtain the authorization electronically by allowing the terminal to read the card information from the Europay, MasterCard, Visa (EMV) chip or magnetic stripe. If the Card account number is not able to be read electronically from the EMV chip or magnetic stripe, the federal entity must manually key enter the card account number and expiration date into the terminal and must obtain an imprint of the Card. The cardholder must sign the draft with the imprint.

If a terminal loses connectivity so that authorization cannot be obtained either electronically or manually through the terminal, the federal entity must call the Financial Agent’s voice authorization telephone number and must obtain a valid authorization. The federal entity should document the authorization code along with the card number. When the terminal’s connectivity is restored, the federal entity must manually enter the transaction information directly into the terminal as a force post item. The federal entity should retain an imprinted paper slip in accordance with the requirements in the Retention and Storage of Card Data/Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard section .

Settlement

The Financial Agent is authorized to credit and debit a federal entity for any sums due to and from the federal entity. A federal entity must deposit only transaction receipts that result from cardholder transactions with that federal entity.

Any federal entity that transmits completed batches to the Financial Agent must do so within one calendar day after completion of the Card transaction. This requirement does not apply:

Until the goods are shipped or the services are performed, unless the cardholder agrees to a delayed delivery of the goods or services at the time of the transaction; or

If the federal entity has requested and received authorization for delayed presentment, in which case the authorization number and the words “Delayed Presentment” must be legibly noted on the transaction receipt.

Card Compliance

Transaction Minimums

Federal entities may not establish a minimum transaction amount as a condition for honoring a Card. This applies to credit and debit card transactions. Fiscal Service may allow or establish a minimum transaction amount in certain circumstances for security reasons or to meet a federal entity business or operating need.

Transaction Maximums

Debit card collections have no individual transaction maximum. This is the contrary for credit card and intra-governmental collections. Federal entities must limit their credit card and intra-government card collections so that individual transactions are no more than $24,999.99.

Effective October 1, 2022, the threshold for intra-governmental card collections will decrease so that individual transactions are no more than $10,000.00.

If the federal entity’s cashflow and/or collection obligated includes individual transactions greater than the thresholds outlined within this section, the federal entity should use another electronic collection alternative. Available electronic alternatives include debit cards, Automated Clearing House debits or credits, and Fedwire transactions.

Any individual credit card or intra-governmental card transaction greater than the outlined thresholds will be rejected. Individual transactions greater than the outlined threshold may not be split into two or more transactions over one or multiple days. Splitting a transaction violates Network Rules and this section of the TFX. If a customer attempts multiple transactions on the same day, with the same Card [at the same Federal entity and/or Locations], those transactions causing the total charge to exceed the limits outlined within this section will be rejected.

Federal entities must change any regulations, policies, or other procedural documents to reflect the policies set forth in this Section. Additionally, Federal entities must reinforce this policy in communications with customers which should reference collection alternatives to Card payments.

Adherence to the section of this section will result in non-compliance.

Prohibition on Splitting Transactions

Federal entities accepting payment by Card from customers who owe an amount on a bill, debt, or other obligation due to the federal government should not structure an obligation with the purpose to evade the credit card transaction maximum of $24,999.99. Federal entities must prohibit the customer from splitting the total amount due into more than one payment transaction on one or more cards or on one or more days if the multiple transactions would cause the total charge to exceed the individual transaction maximum dollar amount. Splitting an amount owed into several payment transactions violates the Network rules and this section of the TFX.

If the customer is a federal entity, the use of Card for payment should be avoided. The payment method of choice for federal entity-to-federal entity transactions should be an Intra-Governmental Payment and Collection (IPAC) or G-Invoicing. Refer to Section 7055.50 for additional information about IPAC and G-Invoicing.

Example of a SPLIT TRANSACTION – A customer was provided with an obligation from a federal entity for $48,000. The customer charges Card 1 for $24,999.99 and placed the remaining balance on Card 2 for $23,000.01. This is a split transaction as the customer used two credit cards to evade the transaction maximum amount of $24,999.99 on one specific obligation.

Example SOLUTION to split transactions - A customer was provided with an obligation from a federal entity for $48,000. The customer charges Card 1 for $24,999.99 and the remaining balance of $23,000.01 can be paid via cash, debit card or Automated Clearing House. If a federal entity, the customer should use IPAC.

Multiple Sales Drafts and Partial Consideration

A federal entity must not use two or more sales drafts originated by the use of a single Card for the purpose of avoiding authorization for the whole amount. A federal entity must include all items of goods and/or services purchased in a single transaction in the total amount on a single sales draft, except in the following situations:

• For purchases in separate departments of a multiple-department store, and
• For partial payment transactions when the balance of the amount due is paid by the cardholder at the time of the transaction in cash, by check, with another Card, or any combination of these payment types.

Intra-governmental Card Transactions

An intra-governmental (IGT) Card transaction is defined as a sale of goods or services, or collection of other obligation by one government federal entity from another government federal entity using a government-issued Card. Federal entity may accept Cards issued under the U.S. General Services Administration’s Smart Pay contract for intra-governmental collections, if indicated on the federal entity application and approved in writing or via email by Fiscal Service.

Federal entities are encouraged to use an alternative to government-issued credit cards for IGT transactions, such as Intra-Governmental Payment and Collection (IPAC) and G-Invoicing.

• IPAC is a way for federal program agencies to transfer funds from one federal entity to another, using standardized descriptive data. For more details on IPAC, please follow this link: https://www.fiscal.treasury.gov/ipac/.
• G-Invoicing is the long-term solution for Federal Program Agencies (FPAs) to manage their intragovernmental (IGT)Buy/Sell transactions. G Invoicing helps (or will help) agencies and their trading partners:
  • Negotiate and accept General Terms and Conditions (GT&C) agreements,
  • Broker orders,
  • Exchange performance information, and
  • Validate settlement requests through IPAC.

For more information on G-invoicing please visit https://fiscal.treasury.gov/g-invoice/

Federal entities are solely responsible for all fees associated with processing intra-governmental transactions, including interchange, processing fees and Network charges. Fiscal Service is not liable for any charges or cost incurred through a federal entity’s participation in an intra-governmental transaction. The Financial Agent directly invoices each federal entity for such fees and charges monthly. The federal entity pays the Financial Agent directly within 30 calendar days of the receipt of the invoice. In the event a federal entity fails to pay the Financial Agent on a timely basis, Fiscal Service, in its sole discretion, may pay the Financial Agent the amount owed by the federal entity and the federal entity authorizes Fiscal Service to obtain equivalent funds from the federal entity via the IPAC system to reimburse Fiscal Service. In such event, Fiscal Service provides the federal entity with information supporting the IPAC transfer. Fiscal Service reserves the right to require federal entities to use the Fiscal Service’s Internet Payment Platform, G-Invoicing or IPAC to process intra-governmental transactions rather than allow these transactions to be conducted with a government-issued Card.

Failure to pay the interchange, processing fees and Network charges associated with intra-governmental transactions may subject a federal entity to the CAS Program Non-Compliant Notice and Suspension of Service Process set forth in section7075 of this Chapter.

Federal Entity Compliance

The Financial Agent, either itself or through its merchant acquirer or processor, will reject any Card transactions that would cause the total charge to exceed the individual transaction maximum dollar amount. Federal entities are responsible for working with their customers that are splitting transactions to avoid violation of compliance with Fiscal Service maximum transaction dollar amount.

Fiscal Service and its Financial Agent will monitor federal entity compliance with the prohibition on splitting transactions. Fiscal Service and its Financial Agent may provide assistance to federal entities not in compliance or that request guidance.

Dispute Processing: Retrieval Requests and Chargeback Processing

Retrieval Requests

Federal entities must respond to a retrieval request for a draft within 10 calendar days. If a federal entity does not submit a complete response within 30 calendar days of the network receipt of the draft retrieval, the draft retrieval can turn into an automatic chargeback, which the federal entity has no right to represent. This chargeback results in a loss of funds to the federal entity.

Chargeback Processing

Federal entities are debited automatically for any chargebacks submitted by a network to the Financial Agent. A federal entity must respond to a chargeback within 15 calendar days. If a federal entity does not submit a complete and proper response to the chargeback within 45 calendar days, the chargeback is finalized, resulting in a loss of funds to the federal entity.

Federal entities shall resolve any claims or complaints arising from Card transactions directly with cardholders. If the authorized Card issuer notifies the Financial Agent that the issuer’s cardholder has been unable to resolve any such claims or complaints through proper federal entity channels, the Financial Agent and the federal entity work together to resolve the claim or complaint. If a claim cannot be resolved, the Financial Agent debits the federal entity for the amount of the claim and provides the federal entity a copy of the debit advice and supporting documentation.

The Financial Agent maintains an online system that allows for the automation of the chargeback process, and the Financial Agent communicates directly with the federal entity through this system to obtain all information necessary to resolve disputes.

When a chargeback is properly completed, the Financial Agent debits the federal entity for the proper amount of the chargeback.

For a chargeback received for a transaction made on a foreign-issued Card, the chargeback amount may or may not match the amount of the original transaction due to the exchange rate conversion.

Any network fees imposed on the federal entity as a result of noncompliance with retrieval request or chargeback requirements may be passed through to the federal entity separately as a fine, or may be included in the chargeback or miscellaneous adjustment amounts for which the federal entity is debited.

Disclosure and Display of Cardholder Information

Truncation Requirements

Federal law and Network Rules prohibit printing more than the last four digits of a card number on a cardholder’s receipt. Failure to adhere to this requirement may result in fines or penalties. Federal entities are also prohibited from printing the card expiration date on the receipt. Both prohibitions apply to all cardholder receipts.

Disclosure to Third Parties

Federal entities must not disclose a cardholder’s account information or any other personal information to third parties other than to the federal entity's agents for the sole purpose of assisting the federal entity in completing the transaction or as specifically required by law.

Suspicious requests for account information should be reported immediately. Contact the Fiscal Service Program Contact to report such request.

Retention and Storage of Card Data/Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard

Retention and Storage of Card Data and Information

Federal entities are subject to a number of requirements, including the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and the data retention requirements set forth in the Network Rules, relating to the retention and storage of Card transaction data and cardholder information. Federal entities that fail to comply with the requirements of this section may be subject to network fines, and/or penalties, liabilities, or damages arising under federal law.

A federal entity must retain in its files at each federal entity terminal location or central location legible copies of each sales draft and credit draft for a period of at least 18 months for Visa, MasterCard, and Discover transactions and 24 months for American Express transactions. In addition, for any draft related to a contract for the delivery of services over an extended period of time, the federal entity must retain the draft for a period of 6 months following the date that the extended service period ends.

Federal entities must not store any Card numbers on a web server or otherwise maintain a database of Card numbers on a machine accessible from the internet or by unauthorized federal entity local area network users. Workstations where Card numbers are keyed or otherwise entered are to be secured from the internet via the appropriate firewall and networking configurations.

If a federal entity stores a customer’s card number for future use, a customer must opt in for this type of service. An option must be offered for a customer to log in to their account and remove this option at any time. It is recommended that when customers view their accounts online that Card numbers and expiration dates are truncated.

Federal entities may not retain the full content of any track on the back of a Card’s magnetic stripe, any EMV chip data, the CVV2/CVC2 or CID (the three or four digit code printed on the card), or the personal identification number (PIN) or encrypted PIN blocks subsequent to the authorization of a sales transaction or data transmitted via Near Field Communication (NFC). Federal entities must follow the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Personally Identifiable Information (PII) guidelines located on the OMB website. Each federal entity should contact its legal counsel to identify the specific requirement for reporting to OMB.

Federal entities must immediately notify the Financial Agent, as well as the Fiscal Service Program Contact of any breaches of cardholder information.

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)

Federal entities must comply fully with the PCI DSS. The PCI DSS is an industry standard supported by all Card networks that applies to any entity processing, storing, or transmitting cardholder data. The PCI DSS contains security requirements to help protect against unauthorized intrusions and account data compromises.

The method of PCI DSS compliance validation required for each federal entity depends on the federal entity’s merchant level. There are four merchant levels established by the networks based on transaction volume calculated over a 12-month period. Fiscal Service and/or the Financial Agent notifies federal entities, via email, that meet the thresholds for Levels 1, 2, and 3, and provide specific guidance on validation requirements and associated time frames for compliance. Federal entities should consider themselves to be a Level 4, unless otherwise notified.

PCI DSS compliance is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. Federal entities must continuously assess their operations and fix any identified vulnerabilities, in addition to annual validation requirements. PCI DSS validation, compliance or security audits are not performed by Fiscal Service and where applicable, may result in expenses to your federal entity.

PCI DSS requirements are an addition to, and do not replace, federal entity requirements under the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA) or any National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines. Questions about PCI DSS or the associated requirements should be directed to the federal entities Fiscal Service Program Contact.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rules of Non-Compliance

Failure to Respond

Unless otherwise specified in this section, each federal entity must respond to any written or email inquiry or instruction from Fiscal Service or the Financial Agent relating to the federal entity’s use of Card acquiring services within a period of 30 calendar days from the date of receipt, or as specified in the inquiry. Fiscal Service may suspend or discontinue services provided to a federal entity under this section if the federal entity fails to respond timely to inquiries or instructions (see Section: CAS Program Non-Compliance Notice and Suspension of Service Process).

Fines and Penalties

A federal entity that fails to comply with any provision of the Network Rules may incur fines and penalties imposed by a network. The networks have developed several programs designed to mitigate fraud and curb chargebacks. Such programs include but are not limited to the monitoring of chargeback rates, improper Card acceptance, improper processing of declined transactions, and abnormal fraud or counterfeit sales activity. In the event that a federal entity fails to comply with any Network Rules, the federal entity is subject to operating procedures, modification requirements, fines, and/or termination of the federal entity’s right to accept Card transactions.

Federal entities have full responsibility for any fines, fees, penalties, and/or operating procedures modifications levied by a network in accordance with merchant monitoring programs.

If a fine is imposed on a federal entity, the federal entity must remit the amount of the fine to the Financial Agent within 30 calendar days of notification of the fine. In the event that the federal entity fails to pay the Financial Agent on a timely basis, Fiscal Service, in its sole discretion, may pay the Financial Agent the amount owed by the federal entity and the federal entity authorizes Fiscal Service to obtain equivalent funds from the federal entity via the Intra-governmental Payment and Collection (IPAC) system to reimburse Fiscal Service. In such event, Fiscal Service provides the federal entity with information supporting the IPAC transfer.

CAS Program Non-Compliance Notice and Suspension of Service Process

Federal entities using CAS must abide by all Network Rules and the policies specified in this section (collectively “CAS Program Rules”). Federal entities that fail to follow all applicable CAS Program Rules are subject to being placed on notice of non-compliance. The CAS Program Non-Complaint Notice Process includes the following steps:

• CAS may send an initial notice of non-compliance (the Initial Notice of Non-Compliance) to the federal entity deemed out of compliance with CAS Program Rules. CAS will make reasonable efforts to send such Initial Notice of Non-Compliance within 45 calendar days following the first date on which CAS identified the CAS Program Rule violation. The Initial Notice of Non-Compliance may identify, among other pieces of information, the specific rule violation, the cashflow(s) to which the violation applies, a brief explanation of why the federal entity is deemed to be non-compliant, and the time frame in which CAS expects the federal entity to become compliant. Federal entities must provide CAS with a written acknowledgement of receipt of an Initial Notice of Non-Compliance within 15 business days from the date of receipt of such Initial Notice.
• If a federal entity does not comply with the CAS Program Rule violations identified in the Initial Notice of Non-Compliance within 45 calendar days after receiving the Initial Notice of Non-Compliance, CAS may send a subsequent notice (the Follow-up Notice of Non-Compliance) to the non-compliant federal entity. The Follow-up Notice of Non-Compliance may identify the information set forth in the Initial Notice of Non-Compliance, and actions CAS may take if the non-compliant federal entity does not become compliant with CAS Program Rules within the time frame allotted. Federal entities must provide CAS with a written acknowledgement of receipt of a Follow-up Notice of Non-Compliance within 7 business days from the date of receipt of such Follow-up Notice.
• If a federal entity does not become compliant with CAS Program Rules within the time frame specified in the Follow-up Notice of Non-Compliance, CAS reserves the right to take any action specified in the Follow-up Notice of Non-Compliance, which may include suspending the provision of Card acquiring services to the non-compliant federal entity for those cashflows deemed non-compliant. If CAS, in its sole discretion, determines that suspension of Card acquiring services is appropriate given the circumstances, CAS may send the non-compliant federal entity a final notice of non-compliance (a Final Notice of Non-Compliance) which may identify the information set forth in the Follow-up Notice of Non-Compliance, the dates of prior communications with the federal entity regarding the Rule violation, and the date on which Fiscal Service will suspend Card acquiring services. If CAS decides to suspend Card acquiring services, such decision will be considered final and non-appealable. If a federal entity desires to reactivate a cashflow for which Fiscal Service has suspended Card acquiring services, the federal entity must submit a new CASA in accordance with the “Application” section in the “Debit and Credit Overview” above.

Prohibition of Using Credit Cards for Debt Repayment Obligations

The Network Rules generally prohibit the use of credit cards as a means to pay debt obligations (this prohibition does not apply to the use of debit cards to pay debt obligations). Fiscal Service believes that this prohibition protects card-issuing banks from acquiring, through the credit card authorization process, debt obligations for which they are not the original underwriter. This protection is important to the issuing bank as it manages its own credit risk associated with its credit card product according to its own risk management principles and in compliance with regulatory guidelines.

Examples of debt obligations include, but are not limited to: (1) loans (e.g., with a payment schedule and/or interest rate payment obligation); (2) obligations considered in arrears for lack of payment (whether held by the original party or acquired by a third party for the purpose of collection); or (3) late payment obligations triggered by the failure to pay an obligation timely (to include the amount of the obligation not paid timely).

A debt obligation does not include, among other obligations: (1) the purchase of a good or service (to include purchases in which full payment is expected within a period not exceeding 30 days and does not involve the payment of interest); or (2) an obligation established as a result of an “overpayment” which is due and payable in full within 30 days of notice to the payer.

These examples should not be considered all-inclusive of obligations that may be considered debt or non-debt. If a federal entity has a question around whether its collections constitute debt repayment for the purpose of credit card eligibility, please contact the Fiscal Service Program Contact.

Transaction Processing Procedures

Processing Procedures for Signature Based Transactions

Before completing a Card transaction, a federal entity employee must determine, in good faith and to the best of his or her ability, that:

• The Card is valid on its face,
• The four digits printed below the account number are the same as the first four digits embossed on the card (for Visa and MasterCard Cards),
• If the Card bears a “valid from” date, that such date has passed, and
• If the Card bears a termination date, that such date has not expired.

The federal entity employee must examine one or more Card security features, if required by the Financial Agent or requested by the Card issuer, before accepting and processing a Card transaction.

Processing Procedures for Mail Order, Telephone Order, Delayed Delivery, and eCommerce Transactions

Subject to the requirements set forth in section - Validation, Authorization and Settlement, Federal entities may accept Cards over the internet (eCommerce), via telephone, or mail. An eCommerce transaction is defined as any transaction where cardholders initiated the sale by entering their card data over the internet. Card data and/or authorizations may not be accepted via email. A federal entity that accepts mail order, telephone order, delayed delivery, or eCommerce transactions assumes all risk associated with such transactions, including, but not limited to, fraudulent sales transactions.

The sales draft or transaction receipt must comply with the information outlined in Section - Delivery of Sales Drafts.

Federal entities must employ proper mechanisms to secure eCommerce based transactions, as described in NIST Special Publication 800-52 (revision 4). Any transaction where a secured session is not established with the cardholder’s web browser must not be completed.

If a federal entity accepts eCommerce transactions, the following information must be disclosed on the federal entity’s website:

• Complete description of goods, services, or collections,
• Returned merchandise and refund policy,
• Transaction currency,
• Customer service contact, including email address and/or telephone number,
• Export or legal restrictions (if applicable),
• Delivery policy,
• Disclosure of merchant outlet country on the same screen as the checkout screen or during the checkout process,
• Consumer data privacy policy, and
• Security method for the transmission of payment data.

Processing Procedures for PIN-Based Transactions

Federal entities’ Point-of-Sale (POS) terminal equipment, and related transaction equipment such as electronic cash registers operating through an integrated POS system or value-added reseller (VAR), must be fully compatible with the processing requirements of the Financial Agent, or its designated processor, and must be able to directly send, receive, and process information, on-line authorizations, and daily on-site reconciliation for the balancing of closeout procedures.

Federal entity POS terminal equipment must be situated to permit cardholders to input their PINs without revealing them to other persons, including federal entity personnel and surveillance equipment. The PIN must never be stored or displayed to any cardholder. The PIN must be immediately encrypted and must remain encrypted for transmission until received by the Financial Agent. Federal entity POS terminal equipment must comply with the Data Encryption Standards required by National/International and Regional Networks.

A federal entity is not permitted to complete any POS debit Card transaction, via the federal entity POS terminal, that has not been authorized on-line by the Financial Agent and/or the National/International or Regional Network.

Returned Merchandise

A federal entity must not process a credit to a Card upon the return of merchandise unless the cardholder previously purchased the merchandise using the same Card. The refund or adjustment indicated on the credit draft must not exceed the original transaction amount. If any merchandise is accepted for return, or any services are terminated or canceled, or price adjustment is allowed by the federal entity, the federal entity must not make any cash refund to the cardholder and, instead, must process a credit draft to the cardholder’s account evidencing such refund or adjustment, unless required by law. Authorization is not required when a refund is given to a cardholder. In the event that the account is closed, the federal entity should still process the return to the original Card. In the event that the customer used a prepaid or “gift card” to make the original purchase and states that he or she no longer has the original Card in his or her possession, the federal entity may issue a cash refund to the cardholder.

A federal entity may limit its acceptance of returned merchandise provided that proper disclosure is made by the federal entity. Proper disclosure by the federal entity is determined to have been given at the time of the transaction if:

• The federal entity informs the cardholder orally of its return policy, and
• The federal entity’s return policy is clearly stated on the sales draft. The return policy on the sales draft should have the following words or similar wording legibly printed on all copies of the sales draft, in capital letters at least ¼ inch high and in close proximity to the space provided for the cardholder’s signature or invoice being presented to the cardholder for signature:
  • “NO REFUND, ALL SALES FINAL”—For any federal entity that does not accept merchandise in return or exchange and does not issue refunds to cardholders.
  • “EXCHANGE ONLY”—For any federal entity that only accepts merchandise in immediate exchange for similar merchandise of a price equal to the amount of the original transaction.
  • “IN-STORE CREDIT ONLY”—For any federal entity that accepts merchandise in return and delivers to the cardholder an in-store credit equal to the value of the merchandise returned that may be used only in the federal entity’s place(s) of business.

Cash Payment/Cash Disbursement/Cash Deposit

A federal entity may not receive any payments from a cardholder with respect to charges for merchandise and/or services that are included on a previous sales draft resulting from the use of a Card.

Federal entities that accept PIN debit transactions may be required by certain networks to offer cashback services to cardholders. Except in connection with a PIN debit cashback transaction, a federal entity may not disburse cash to a cardholder and then process such activity as a Card sales transaction, nor may a federal entity process a money order or wire transfer transaction for a cardholder and then process such activity as a card sales transaction.

Federal entities may not accept cash, checks, or other negotiable instruments from any cardholder and forward a credit through a National/International or Regional Network, as a payment of deposit to an account maintained by the cardholder.

Delivery of Sales Drafts

A federal entity must deliver to the cardholder a true and completed copy of the sales draft evidencing a transaction involving use of a Card. This copy must be delivered at the time of the delivery of the goods and/or performance of the services, or, for transactions initiated at POS terminals, at the time of the transaction. The cardholder must not be required to sign a sales draft until the final transaction amount is known and indicated in the “total” column.

The sales draft must include all required information by the Card brands:

Visa: https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/download/about-visa/visa-rules-public.pdf

MasterCard: https://www.mastercard.us/content/dam/mccom/global/documents/mastercard-rules.pdf

American Express: https://icm.aexp-static.com/content/dam/gms/en_us/optblue/us-mog.pdf

Discover: https://www.discoverglobalnetwork.com/en-us/faq

Federal entities accepting eCommerce Card transactions must produce a sales draft receipt:

All sales drafts must comply with the truncation requirements regarding Card numbers and expiration dates on receipts described in the “Disclosure and Display of Cardholder Information” section on this page.

Credit Drafts

A federal entity must not issue a credit when there is no corresponding charge. Federal entities must ensure that the same information required to be provided on a sales draft (see Section Delivery of Sales Drafts) is entered legibly on each credit draft.

Delivery of Non-electronic Sales Drafts and Credit Drafts (Short-Term Contingency Only)

A Card presented for payment must be inserted through a terminal. Federal entities should not deliver non-electronic sales drafts and credit drafts to the Financial Agent.

Guidelines for authorizing transactions manually when the terminal cannot read the Card electronically, and when terminal connectivity is down, are provided in the “Transaction Processing Procedures” section on this page.

Federal entities are responsible for purchasing point-of-sale terminals and related equipment and supplies. A federal entity may purchase terminals and supplies either directly from the Financial Agent or from another source of the federal entity’s choosing, provided that any terminal or device purchased by the federal entity meets the requirements of the Financial Agent and Fiscal Service. Federal entities may contact the Financial Agent’s help desk or Fiscal Service Program Contact to obtain information about supported products and pricing. Federal entities should check with the Financial Agent before purchasing equipment from a third party. The Federal entity assumes all risk associated with the use of equipment or supplies that are not provided by the Financial Agent.

If a federal entity elects to purchase terminals or supplies from the Financial Agent, the Financial Agent generally provides the requested equipment and related supplies with same-day shipping for all equipment orders that are received by 3 p.m. ET and all supply orders that are received by 12 p.m. ET.

Each federal entity is directly responsible for the acquisition and cost of the POS terminals and related supplies and makes the payment directly and timely to the Financial Agent or third-party provider, as applicable. All costs for equipment ordered from the Financial Agent are quoted and must be approved by the federal entity before ordering.

If a federal entity elects to purchase terminals or supplies from the Financial Agent and payment is not made at the time of purchase with a credit card, the Financial Agent directly invoices the federal entity for such costs at the end of the month. Invoicing is done at the established account level for the federal entity with the Financial Agent, not at a location or merchant ID level. Federal entities are responsible for providing billing contact information on their application and updating such information as necessary. A federal entity must pay the Financial Agent directly for any invoiced amounts within 30 calendar days of the receipt of an invoice.

A federal entity must seek a replacement terminal within three calendar days of its inability to process transactions and deposits. If the federal entity elects to seek a replacement for a broken terminal purchased from the Financial Agent, the Financial Agent may advise on a suitable replacement terminal. If a lower cost replacement terminal is provided, the federal entity must return the broken equipment to the Financial Agent within 30 calendar days and according to the instructions provided. Failure to return the equipment or failure to follow the correct instructions provided may result in the federal entity being charged for the full retail price of the equipment. All costs for equipment are quoted and must be approved by the federal entity before ordering.

Federal entities also are responsible for any and all costs associated with the use of third-party software or applications for Card processing. A federal entity may purchase and use software or applications from a third- party source of the federal entity’s choosing, if it meets the requirements of the Financial Agent and Fiscal Service. Federal entities may contact the Financial Agent or Fiscal Service Program Contact to obtain information about supported products or applications. Federal entities are encouraged to evaluate using Pay.gov instead of third-party software or applications.

Federal entities choosing to use third-party products or applications are responsible for costs associated with switching products or applications as directed by Fiscal Service in order to meet Fiscal Service’s or the Financial Agent’s processing requirements.

Fiscal Service may from time to time review the additional costs associated with processing of Card transactions and, at its discretion, decide to charge the federal entity through its Financial Agent. Fiscal Service will provide advance notification to federal entities of any such changes. Such costs include, but are not limited to, communication fees and costs of federal entity-requested reporting or special connections.

In the event the federal entity fails to pay an amount owed under this section to the Financial Agent on a timely basis, Fiscal Service, in its sole discretion, may pay the Financial Agent the amount owed by the federal entity and the federal entity authorizes Fiscal Service to obtain equivalent funds from the federal entity via the IPAC system to reimburse Fiscal Service. In such event, Fiscal Service provides the federal entity with information supporting the IPAC transfer.

Federal Financial Management Standards

Functions and Activities

Public Receipt Processing (FFM.060.030)

Receive direct payments made by public or payment information from Treasury;

Match payments received to invoices and payer account or determine they are miscellaneous receipts (e.g., user fees retained by the agency or other collections that must be deposited to the General Fund of the U.S. Government);

Prepare and record collection deposits;

Process credits for instances of overpayment;

Process returned negotiable instruments (e.g., returned check because of insufficient funds or closed account);

Includes receipt and processing of miscellaneous receipts, processing of billed and unbilled collections, and researching and resolving collections not clearly identified to an agreement

Federal Financial System Requirements (FFMSR)

Managing Revenues and Other Financing Sources (1.1.5)

Capture federal government revenue or other financing type (for example, exchange revenues, non-exchange revenues, budgetary resources), category (for example, taxes, duties, fines, user fees, and sale of goods and services), and subcategory (for example, income tax, excise tax, and donations) consistent with the FASAB Handbook.

Determine revenue classification (for example, exchange, non-exchange, and other financing sourcing) and value as specified in the FASAB Handbook.

Determine adjustments to budgetary and financial (proprietary) accruals consistent with the FASAB Handbook and OMB Circular No. A-11.

Provide revenue and other financing sources data to post General Ledger (GL) transactions consistent with United States Standard General Ledger (USSGL) attributes (for example, exchange/non-exchange indicator and program indicator), transaction codes, transaction categories (for example, collections and receivables), and transaction subcategories (for example, receivables/accrued revenue) as defined in the TFM.

Provide revenue and other financing sources disclosure and supplementary information for agency and government-wide reporting as specified in FASAB Handbook.

Establishing Receivables (2.2.4)

Capture federal government receivable information (for example, receivable type and customer information) to support agency management of and reporting on receivables to Treasury consistent with the TFM and as required by OMB Circular No. A-129 and the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

Capture federal government unique payment information (for example, appropriation and fund) to support payment reports consistent with the TFM.

Determine proper payable amount and other payable information consistent with FASAB Handbook, 48 CFR Federal Acquisitions Regulations System (FARS) and as specified in the TFM.

Provide payable data required to post GL transactions consistent with USSGL transaction codes, transaction categories (for example, disbursements and payables), and transaction subcategories (for example, payments/purchases) as defined in the TFM.

Use Cases

Bill to Collect

Agree to Reimburse

Treasury Financial Manual (TFM)

TFM Volume I, Part 5, Chapter 7000; Credit and Debit Card Collection Transactions

TFM Volume I, Part 5, Chapter 7500; Credit Gateway Fedwire and Automated Clearing House (ACH) Credit Deposits to the Account of the Bureau of the Fiscal Service

Contact Information

Contact Details

Direct questions regarding debit and credit card collection transactions to:

U.S. Department of the Treasury
Bureau of the Fiscal Service
Settlement Services Division

3201 Pennsy Drive, Building E
Landover, MD 20785

CardAcquiringService@fiscal.treasury.gov

Financial Agent Contact/Help Desk assistance, call 866-914-0558

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Direct inquiries concerning Credit Gateway, Fedwire, and ACH Credit deposits to the account of the Bureau of Fiscal Service to:

Department of the Treasury
Bureau of the Fiscal Service
Settlement Services Division

3201 Pennsy Drive, Building E
Landover, MD 20785

202-874-5304

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Direct inquiries concerning Credit Gateway transaction receipts, returns, reversals, and corrections to:

Credit Gateway Customer Care

314-425-1841

customer.care@usbank.com

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Direct inquiries concerning new account setup and general inquiries to:

Credit Gateway Branch Manager

202-874-5304

creditgateway@fiscal.treasury.gov

 

Credit Gateway forms are available on the Credit Gateway website.

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Direct inquiries concerning the CIR access to:

CIR Customer Support

216-579-2112

CIR.customersupport@clev.frb.org

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Direct Inquiries concerning ITS.gov:

816-414-2125

ITS.Outreach@Fiscal.Treasury.gov