FAQs • Canton Township, MI • CivicEngage

Why do I have to pay a convenience fee for credit and debit cards but not for ACH payments?: The cost to process an ACH payment is actually less than processing a paper check, therefore there is no need to recover additional costs. Credit and debit transactions are processed through Visa or Mastercard. Visa and Mastercard charge a fee to the merchant (Canton Township) for using their product. This fee, called an interchange fee, plus a handling fee for Chase Bank, makes up the 2.49% convenience charge.

▼
Tax Payments Online

1. What is the cost to the taxpayer for utilizing this service?: Payments made using your checking or savings account, commonly referred to as ACH payments, will be free of charge to the taxpayer. Payments made using your credit or debit card are subject to a convenience fee of 2.49% added to the amount of the payment.

2. Why do I have to pay a convenience fee for credit and debit cards but not for ACH payments?: The cost to process an ACH payment is actually less than processing a paper check, therefore there is no need to recover additional costs. Credit and debit transactions are processed through Visa or Mastercard. Visa and Mastercard charge a fee to the merchant (Canton Township) for using their product. This fee, called an interchange fee, plus a handling fee for Chase Bank, makes up the 2.49% convenience charge.

3. Why doesn’t the township cover the convenience fee?: If Canton Township were to assume the cost of the fees, the funds would have to come from general fund operations and this is not viewed as an appropriate use of township funds as it benefits only some, not all, of the residents.

4. Why would I want to pay by credit or debit card and pay an extra fee?: That’s a decision you will have to make. In many cases the rewards program on your credit card will have a greater benefit than the amount of money being charged. Credit / debit card transactions are just one more option for payment that is now available to you.

5. Can I pay with a credit or debit card at the Treasurer’s Office?: Yes, tax payments can be made using your debit or credit card at the Treasurer's Office. For debit transactions a convenience fee of $3.95 will be charged. The fee will be a separate transaction and will be remitted to Chase Bank. For credit transactions, a convenience fee of 2.5% will be charged. The fee will be a separate transaction on your credit card and will be remitted to Chase Bank.

6. Can I schedule a payment for a future date?: Yes, payments can be scheduled in advance up until the due date.

7. Can I register as a user like I do when paying my water bill?: No, due to the infrequency of tax payments, we elected not to allow registered users, but rather only unregistered users. The system will ask you for your information each time you make a payment.

8. Will my login for making water payments work on the tax program?: No, they are different programs. You can register as a user on the water program, but you are an unregistered user on the tax program.

9. Can I cancel a payment after I’ve entered it?: On ACH payments (checking or savings), a payment can be canceled before 5 pm. That is when our batch settles. A customer can return to the payment page and click on the Payment Inquiry button at the bottom of the page. They’ll need to enter their confirmation number and email address. They’ll then have the option to cancel the transaction if the batch hasn’t settled. On credit and debit card transactions the settlement process is real time. They automatically settle. Therefore there is no way to cancel the transaction.