PAYMENTS For local governments
Online bill pay that works with BS&A.
Payments gives residents one clear Pay page for property taxes, water and sewer, linked straight into the BS&A Online screens many Michigan communities already use. Residents stop calling to ask where to pay, BS&A keeps doing the billing, and card payments work on your own forms for permits, fees and everything else.
- Every tool included
- WCAG 2.1 AA
- Works with BS&A
Why do residents call to ask where to pay a bill?
Payment links tend to scatter. The tax link lives on the treasurer's page, water is under utilities, and a permit fee means printing a form and mailing a check.
What residents run into
- A new resident can't tell whether taxes are paid on your community's website, at the county or somewhere else.
- Links land on a general BS&A search screen, and residents aren't sure which record to choose.
- Small fees, like a dog license or a burn permit, still mean a trip to the office.
What your staff deal with
- Your front counter answers where-do-I-pay calls every billing cycle.
- Checks for small fees get opened, logged and deposited by hand.
- Every department keeps its own payment link, and some are out of date.
How does the Pay page work with BS&A?
BS&A stays your system for billing and collection. The website makes it easy to reach.
Set up one Pay page
Taxes, water and sewer get one page with clear buttons, linked from the home page and every department that bills.
Link each bill to the right BS&A screen
Each button goes straight to the matching BS&A Online screen, so residents land where they can pay instead of on a general search.
Add card payments to forms
For fees BS&A doesn't handle, like a permit or a reservation deposit, residents pay by card right on the form.
What does Payments include?
The bills residents pay most often, all reachable from one place.
Pay page for taxes, water and sewer
One page with plain labels for each kind of bill, so residents don't have to know which office sends it. It's linked from the home page, where most people look first.
Links straight into BS&A Online
Each link points at the right BS&A Online screen for that bill. BS&A keeps the accounts, billing and receipts it already handles, and nothing about your BS&A setup has to change.
Card payments on forms
Any form built with the Forms tool can take a card payment, so permit fees, license renewals and deposits can be paid online at the same time the form is filed.
Built accessible
A payment path residents can finish
Paying a bill is one of the services the ADA Title II rule covers, and a payment form that can't be used with a keyboard or screen reader shuts people out. The Pay page and the payment forms on your community's website are built to meet WCAG 2.1 AA. Screens hosted by BS&A are BS&A's, so ask them about their own accessibility plans.
Why does BS&A matter for Michigan local governments?
BS&A Software is based in Bath, Michigan, and the company says a majority of Michigan municipalities use its assessing and property tax software. If yours does, the website should send residents into BS&A Online rather than try to replace it.
Read how the Pay page fits with Michigan's other website rules in the Michigan guide, including the Open Meetings Act and FOIA. BS&A describes its products on its own website (opens in a new tab).
Questions about Payments.
Short answers, linked to the law where it applies. Ask us anything else on a demo.
Can a local government website work with BS&A?
Yes. The Pay page links each bill, such as taxes, water and sewer, straight to the matching BS&A Online screen. BS&A keeps doing the billing and collection it already does, and residents get one clear place to start. Many Michigan offices run assessing and tax collection through BS&A (opens in a new tab).
Do we have to switch payment processors?
Not for bills that go through BS&A Online. Those payments keep running through BS&A exactly as they do now, and the website only links residents to them. Card payments on your own forms cover the smaller fees BS&A doesn't handle. We'll walk through your setup on a demo call.
What if we don't use BS&A?
Card payments on forms still work for permits, licenses, deposits and other fees. For taxes and utilities, the Pay page can point residents to the payment site you use today, so they still have one place to start. Ask us on a demo about your current billing setup.
Do online payment forms have to be accessible?
Yes. Paying a fee or a bill is a service, and the ADA Title II rule applies WCAG 2.1 AA to the web content you provide, with deadlines in April 2027 and April 2028 (ADA.gov (opens in a new tab)). Payment forms on your community's website are built to meet that standard.
Want to stop answering where-do-I-pay calls?
On a demo we'll show a sample Pay page linked into BS&A Online and a permit form that takes a card payment.