Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a department/agency need to accept credit cards and/or e-checks from our customers? By accepting major credit cards and e-checks (or electronic funds transfer), you can offer customer's the convenience of using the greatest range of payment options available.

What credit cards will I be able to accept on the Louisiana e-Mall and Louisiana Payment Gateway? Your department/agency may accept four (4) major credit cards: Visa, Master Card, American Express, and Discover. Separate applications are required for VISA/MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.

What charges will my department/agency incur if it chooses to use the services of the Louisiana Payment Gateway (LPGW)? None. The Office of Electronic Services provides this service free of charge, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Are there any monthly fees for accepting any electronic payments through the Louisiana Payment Gateway? There are no additional monthly fees other than the state processing fees and state charges for the processing of debit/credit card transactions. These fees are determined by the Louisiana Department of the Treasury for the state through statewide contracts negotiated by and entered into between the card processor services and the Louisiana Department of the Treasury

What kind of businesses do you serve? We serve state governmental entities, including state boards and commissions.

What types of transactions are processed through the Louisiana Payment Gateway? The LPGW processes debit and credit card transactions, electronic check transactions, interactive voice response (IVR) transactions, and allows for direct agency entry for walk-in, fax, mail, and phone orders.

How are payments processed? (1) For credit card payments, once the transaction has been approved and processed through the card processor network (Paymentech and card service provider), the LPGW will enable your customer's charges to be deposited directly from the card processor to your application's bank account. Transaction deposits range from 24-72 hours from the date of transaction. (2) For EFT or e-check payments, your customer's charges will be deposited directly from their financial institution account to your application's bank account. The transfer of monies for these ACH transactions happen within seconds.

Will I receive a statement? Yes. A statement will be mailed out every month with the information on all deposits into your account, your total sales volume, and the charges for the month.

Will we receive periodic reports? The LPGW will provide its participants with the ability to view all of their own transactions online on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Can we trace or audit a transaction? Yes. The LPGW provides the complete life cycle of a transaction. Based on the processors feedback capabilities, you will always know the current status and history of an individual transaction, i.e., when they succeeded, or if they failed, why they failed.

Can settlements be resubmitted or backed out? Yes. LPGW provides a variety of methods for control of settlements.

How are ACH transactions handled on banking or processor holidays? ACH transactions are not processed on official banking holidays. LPGW technology includes Pay Central software by Innovate. It has an internal calendar that ensures settlement will only take place when transactions can actually be processed. This ensures that your bank statements and reports are in sync with the Pay-Central reports.

Can transactions be updated or deleted? You have the flexibility to administer financial transactions before settlement. You can update, delete, and add transactions according to your agency policies. For example, if a customer calls saying they already sent a check and to not charge their account, you can accommodate the request before settlement or address the follow-on action post settlement. With the transaction client, a java-based desktop application, the transaction can be identified and deleted. If settlement already took place, you can use one of the user-defined fields in the transaction database to state that the check should be sent back to the customer.

How is a transaction identified in the database? Every transaction is assigned an LPGW transaction identification number. Credit card transactions start at 00100000000, ACH transactions start at 00000000000. We recommend that your application stores this transaction ID too. It will make reconciliation much easier.

Do I need a merchant account? Yes. You will need a merchant account to which your funds can be transferred through ACH.

What must we do to become participants? Please visit our web site at http://www.doa.louisiana.gov for complete information.

What is a merchant account? A merchant account is a commercial bank account established by contractual agreement between your department/agency and the banks with which the State Treasurer contracts. A merchant account enables your business to accept credit card payments from your customers.

What is a discount rate? Every bank charges a discount rate. The discount rate is the percentage of each transaction that the processing company charges to handle the transaction for you. This rate is negotiated on behalf of the state through the State Treasury.

What is a state charge? This is a nominal fee charged on each transaction, which is associated with the processing of each transaction through the payment gateway and the merchant account. The state treasurer was authorized by LRS 49:316.1 to establish that fee which is a uniform dollar amount or percentage assessed each card or device and for each method of conducting transactions.

Is there a service phone number that I can call for additional information? Yes, the Office of Electronic Services will be glad to help you with your inquiries.