An “OPC” charge on your bank or credit card statement is a convenience fee from ACI Payments, Inc., the payment processor formerly known as Official Payments Corporation. The fee gets added when you pay a tax bill, court fee, utility bill, tuition charge, or other government obligation by credit card, debit card, or electronic check through ACI’s online or phone platform. It is separate from the underlying bill and covers the cost of running the transaction electronically. The OPC descriptor still appears on many statements because payment labels often lag behind corporate name changes.1ACI Payments, Inc. ACI Payments Official Site
ACI has been an authorized IRS card payment provider since 1999 and processes payments for federal, state, and local agencies, municipal utilities, and colleges across all 50 states.2ACI Payments, Inc. General FAQ The company is headquartered at 6060 Coventry Drive in Elkhorn, Nebraska, which is often the address printed next to the charge.3ACI Payments, Inc. Contact Page
Why You May See Two Charges From OPC
If you paid, say, a $500 property tax bill, you may see two separate line items from ACI Payments: one for $500, and a smaller one for the fee. That split is required by card network rules. Visa, Mastercard, and American Express each run specific programs that let government and education merchants (or their processors) assess a convenience fee, and under Visa’s rules the payment and the fee must be submitted as two transactions for online payments. American Express also requires them to appear as two separate charges on the cardholder’s statement.4Fiserv. Understanding Surcharging, Convenience, and Service Fees
The fee line may be labeled something like “Tax Payment Convenience Fee,” or it may simply show the OPC or ACI Payments descriptor with the Elkhorn, Nebraska address. None of the fee goes to the IRS or to the government agency you paid.5Internal Revenue Service. Pay Your Taxes by Debit or Credit Card
How Much the Fee Usually Is
The amount depends on what you paid and how you paid it. For federal tax payments, the IRS publishes the authorized schedule. ACI Payments currently charges $2.10 for a personal debit card payment, 1.85% of the payment amount for a personal credit card (with a $2.50 minimum), and 2.95% for a corporate credit or debit card.5Internal Revenue Service. Pay Your Taxes by Debit or Credit Card
For state and local payments, ACI’s general fee page lists a flat $3.95 debit card fee on payments of $1,200 or less and a 2.49% credit card fee.6ACI Payments, Inc. Visa Fee Information The fee is non-negotiable, and ACI will not process a payment without it.7ACI Payments, Inc. Convenience Fee FAQ Before you submit a payment, the system displays the exact fee on the acceptance screen, and the charge only goes through once you click “Accept.”8ACI Payments, Inc. About ACI Payments FAQ
These government convenience fees are not the same thing as credit card surcharges. A surcharge offsets a merchant’s card-processing cost and is capped at 4% under Visa and Mastercard rules. A government convenience fee is charged for using an alternative channel (online or phone) instead of the agency’s standard method (in person, by mail, or by check), and the government and education card programs allow it on all transaction types.4Fiserv. Understanding Surcharging, Convenience, and Service Fees
Can You Get the Fee Refunded?
Generally, no. ACI’s policy is that once a payment is processed, neither the payment nor the convenience fee can be canceled or refunded, except as required by law.9ACI Payments, Inc. ACI Pay Terms and Conditions For federal tax payments, the company’s FAQ states that service fee refunds are given only “at the sole discretion of ACI Payments, Inc.”10ACI Payments, Inc. IRS Convenience Fee FAQ
California residents have one specific statutory protection. Under California Financial Code Section 2102, if ACI fails to forward the money or provide instructions to the recipient within 10 days of receiving it, the customer may be entitled to a full refund plus a penalty of up to $1,000 and attorney fees. Written refund requests from California residents go to the Elkhorn, Nebraska headquarters.9ACI Payments, Inc. ACI Pay Terms and Conditions
ACI’s terms also push disputes into binding arbitration with the American Arbitration Association and bar class actions. You can opt out of the arbitration clause by calling 1-866-316-3360 within 30 days of making a transaction. If you don’t opt out, you give up the right to a jury trial and the right to join a class action.9ACI Payments, Inc. ACI Pay Terms and Conditions
Is the Fee Tax-Deductible?
The IRS has said that convenience fees paid when using a card to pay federal income taxes may be deductible as a miscellaneous itemized deduction on Schedule A. Historically that deduction applied only to the portion of miscellaneous expenses above 2% of adjusted gross income.11Internal Revenue Service. IRS News Release IR-2009-37 For business tax payments, the fee is generally deductible as a business expense.5Internal Revenue Service. Pay Your Taxes by Debit or Credit Card ACI advises consulting a tax professional, since the rules differ for personal and business payments.7ACI Payments, Inc. Convenience Fee FAQ
If You Don’t Recognize the Charge
Think back to any tax payment, court fee, utility bill, tuition charge, or other government obligation you paid online or by phone recently. If one still doesn’t match, ACI Payments’ customer service line is 1-800-487-4567.12NYC.gov. OPC FAQ If you believe the charge is unauthorized, you can also dispute it directly with your card issuer or bank.