Accepting Electronic Payment (ePay) on the Web

The university uses a single gateway, Nelnet Business Solutions, which facilitates the acceptance of real time and non-real time transactions, utilizing the VITAL processing network for the settlement of funds into the appropriate University at Buffalo accounts. Departments are required to utilize this gateway when accepting state financial transactions over the Internet.

It is strongly recommended that you:

• Use ePay for the collection of all fixed fee payments to minimize the risk associated with cash receipt collections.
• Review monthly the transactions to your internal accounts receivable record.
• Utilize SIRI to review the revenue from ePay transactions on the SIRI/MONEY/IFR Account tab.

• Your Web support staff places the link on your departmental website that will transfer payees to the secure payment screen for that particular fee. 

1. On a payment page, payees are directed to enter pertinent payment information (name, address, credit card number, expiration date) as well as any other information you specified in your application.
2. The payee is directed to click the submit button. 
3. Internally a check is done verifying the completion of all required fields. Payment verification check is also performed to ensure the cardholder name, credit card number and expiration date is valid. 
4. If the transaction is authorized the payee receives a receipt that includes a payment confirmation number as well as any departmental message.
5. If the transaction is not authorized, the payee receives an error message defining the problem. 

A payment verification check is performed utilizing the Vital processing network to ensure the card holder name, credit card number and expiration date are valid. 

As with paper checks, ACH payments made by e-pay may be rejected several days after the transaction due to insufficient funds.  If you notify , your account will be adjusted accordingly.

A file is transmitted from the ePay application to the university’s general ledger on a daily basis for bank reconciliation purposes and posted to departmental accounts every 15 days. 

Departments are not required to complete Cash Receipt Transmittals for e-pay transactions.   

The ePay Transaction Viewer provides real time information regarding payments made via ePay. You can review individual payments comprising the daily or summarized fee deposits for a particular day or for a range of dates. 

The 20 cent per transaction fee charged by Nelnet Business Solutions is assessed to departments accepting payments via the e-Payment system. The charge account identified on the ePay application will be automatically assessed the transaction fee on a monthly basis.

If your department elects to receive data electronically, it is responsible for providing the additional programming required. If the department will need additional programming resources a project charter must be attached to the e-Payment application detailing the additional programming required and integration issues for the e-Payment application.