The Checkout process is used to confirm filing and payment for any transactions that are "Ready for Checkout." Users may complete the Checkout process for transactions subject to the user's access level. If a user does not have access to a Service Area, the user will not be able to complete the Checkout process for transactions from that Service Area.
Multiple users should not attempt to simultaneously create, edit, or checkout with the same transaction at the same time.
If any transactions include a payment, payments will be made according to the Payment Selections specified when the transaction was created. The Checkout process collects bank and/or credit card account information as necessary to satisfy the Payment Selections for the transaction(s) being checked out. For security reasons, OBG Electronic Filing does not store payment account information and users must enter account information during each checkout.
One or more "Ready" transactions may be checked out at the same time. However, if multiple transactions will be paid in the same way (e.g. both via ACH debit or both via credit card) but the user desires to make payments out of different accounts, the user should complete the checkout process separately for those transactions. The OBG Electronic Filing checkout process only accepts one checking/savings account number and/or one credit card account number per checkout.
When multiple transactions are part of the same checkout, each transaction and payment will appear as a separate debit entry on the bank or credit card account. However, if multiple transactions of the same type are being paid to the same Agency, payments may be consolidated into one debit entry on the business's account. OBG Electronic Filing does not otherwise aggregate or consolidate payments being made for different transactions and/or to separate Agencies.
Transactions are not filed and payments are not made unless and until the user presses the "Confirmation" button during checkout and a receipt is issued. If an error occurs and the transaction can not be submitted, the user will be advised of the error and the transaction will still be in the "Ready" area of the Home Page. Successfully submitted transactions will be shown on a receipt at the conclusion of the checkout process. If a browser, network, or PC problem occurs during checkout, check the History section online to see if the checkout completed successfully and a receipt was issued.
Agencies consider transactions as submitted based on the timestamp on the receipt, unless the user has specified a deferred payment date. A transaction is considered filed and paid on-time if the date on the receipt (as well as any applicable deferred payment date) is on or before the due date for the filing.
Receipts provide a time-stamped (Eastern time zone) summary of the submission, access to a copy of the transaction that will be sent to the agency, and access to any items now available to the user (such as licenses, certificates, payment coupons etc.). Receipts are an acknowledgement of the user's intention to file and make payment (if applicable). Receipts do not confirm that funds have been received by the agency (see Payment Failures).
Payments will be made according to the Payment Selections specified when the transaction was created. The Checkout process only collects bank and/or credit card account information as necessary to satisfy the Payment Selections for the transaction(s) being checked out. For security reasons, OBG Electronic Filing does not store payment account information and users must enter account information during each checkout.
Most transactions can be paid electronically via ACH debit from a savings or checking account. There is no additional charge for ACH debit payments. If a transaction accepts payments via credit card, that option will be available when specifying Payment Selections. Accepted credit cards include VISA, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. All credit card payments incur an additional service fee of 2.5% of the payment amount ($1 minimum). Service fees are paid to and retained by OBG Electronic Filing's credit card processor, Official Payments Corporation.
Deferred payment scheduling allows users to specify a future payment date. Availabilty of this option during Payment Selections varies depending on the agency and transaction, and it only applies to ACH debit payments. If the deferred payment option is used, the transaction's timeliness and funds settlement date are based on the specified future payment date, not the receipt date. Users should always take care to insure that payments are scheduled to occur no later than the due date of the transaction.
Funds paid by a business to an Agency go directly from the business's account to the Agency's account. OBG Electronic Filing does not maintain any bank accounts, and payments are not centrally collected or aggregated before being distributed to an Agency.
The settlement date is a bank processing date that refers to the date that the bank account will be debited for any payments being made. OBG follows general banking standards and estimates the settlement date to be on the second business day after the date shown on the receipt or the chosen deferred payment date, whichever is later. Business days are any day other than weekends or bank/government holidays. For example, transactions made on Monday will usually settle on Wednesday, and transactions made on Friday will usually settle on the following Wednesday if Monday is a holiday. The date when debits are reflected on a bank account summary is further dependent upon processing at the bank.
Settlement dates are estimates only and are provided as a convenience. The settlement date is dependent upon the receipt date but, unlike the receipt date, it does not determine whether any filing is considered on-time.
Once a receipt is issued, OBG Electronic Filing can not stop payment or stop the delivery of a transaction to an Agency.
Users should check bank account statements to insure funds from ACH debit payments do transfer. ACH debit payments may not be processed by the Agency's banking partner for a number of reasons that are beyond OBG Electronic Filing's control. These include, but are not limited to:
Failed payments could incur payment-related penalties and interest. If a bank payment has failed to process, the business will be contacted by the Agency being paid, not OBG Electronic Filing. OBG Electronic Filing does not have access to the Agency's bank account and does not get notification of the status of deposits into the Agency's bank account.
Users who utilize ACH debit blocking to selectively permit debits against their bank account need to contact their bank to insure that they have provided permissions for all Originators (agencies) that may be paid via OBG Electronic Filing. Failure to do so may result in failed payments and the potential for payment-related penalties and interest.
The user's bank can advise what identifiers are needed to identify the Originators (agencies being paid) to insure the bank will allow processing of ACH debit payments authorized via OBG Electronic Filing. Please note that each agency being paid is a separate Originator and there is no single identifier to simultaneously authorize all agencies accepting payments via OBG.
The following table lists the identifiers for the most common transactions with state agencies, assuming that the user's bank implements debit blocking based on the contents of the "CompanyID" field of the batch header record within the ACH file sent to the Originating bank. Users paying municipalities, or anyone with further questions, should contact the OBG Help Desk at 866-644-6468 and select the option for "Municipal Income Tax" to obtain more information.
| Transaction | CompanyID |
|---|---|
| Business Enterprise Program | 11OHIOORSC |
| Commercial Activity Tax | 1070010014 |
| Deferred Compensation | 9311284478 |
| Employer Withholding (paid to Ohio - not municipalities) | 1060010004 |
| Employer Withholding Tax Assessments (paid to Ohio - not municipalities) | 1010220702 |
| Sales and Use Tax | 1070060004 |
| Sales Tax County Vendors' Licenses | 1030010001 |
| Sales Tax Delivery Vendors' Licenses | 1130090006 |
| Sales Tax Assessments | 1004060701 |
| School District Withholding | 1020070003 |
| School District Withholding Tax Assessments | 1010220703 |
| Unclaimed Funds | 1311409347 |
| Unemployment Compensation Tax | 685340701 |
| Workers' Compensation | 1311334187 |