California Taps PayNearMe to Accept Child Support Payments in Cash (Aug. 10, 2015)
Financial services provider PayNearMe is using its national retail footprint to enable the California Department of Child Support Services to accept cash payments at nearly 8,000 7-Eleven stores nationwide.
Typically, a parent who can’t pay online would pay by phone or mail a check. Unbanked consumers often have to take time out of their workdays to go to a child support office during business hours, or buy and mail in a money order.
“We wanted to provide something that worked with a non-custodial parent’s work schedule. If they’re working a late shift or non-standard hours, they can still make their child support payments on time, but at a time and location convenient to them,” Christian Solomine, PayNearMe general manager, tells Paybefore. “With our network, you can walk into a 7-Eleven, pay your bill in 60 seconds and be out the door.”
Parents can use PayNearMe to make a California child support payment by visiting http://www.PayNearMe.com/California; filling in their Participant Identification Numbers and selecting whether they would like their payment code sent to their phones or email addresses; and then choosing from a list of nearby 7-Eleven locations. At the store, the parent gives the payment code and cash to the cashier. After the transaction is completed, the parent receives a receipt as proof of payment. There is a $1.99 convenience fee. PayNearMe’s platform handles the electronic payment to the government office.
PayNearMe began working in the child support space by processing cash payments for Nebraska last year. In the past year, the number of payments processed per month for Nebraska has quadrupled, while the dollar volume processed per month has multiplied six-fold, according to the company. PayNearMe’s national retail footprint, which includes Family Dollar and ACE Cash Express, in addition to 7-Eleven, has proven integral to the program, according to PayNearMe. For example, the Nebraska Child Support Payment Center reports that 20 percent of payments come from 30 other states. Solomine says more states are expected to adopt the program later this year.
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