Direct Pay Online Coupon Payment System - Frequently Asked Questions

How do I register for the Online Payment System?
You must do the following to register for the Online Payment System.

Enter your last name
Enter your SSN without dashes in the Employee ID Box
Enter the month of your first coupon replacing the comma between Month and Year with a dash, i.e., Month-Year. The month is only the first three letters of the month, i.e. July become JUL, January becomes JAN.
You will be prompted to create a username and password. Your username can be whatever you would like. Your password must be at least 8 characters but no more than 32, at least one character must be alphanumeric, and at least one character must be a special character (!@#). Once your registration is complete, you can access the site using your username and password.

Who is handling the payments for the Employee Benefits Unit?
Bank of America is hosting the Online Payment System for our direct pay participants for the Employee Benefits Division.

Is the Payment Collection Gateway a secured site?
Yes. The payment collection gateway is a secured site.

What are acceptable forms of payment with the online payment system?
The Employee Benefits Division’s Direct Pay Online Payment System accepts Visa, MasterCard and debits from your checking or savings account.

What is my employee ID number?
Your employee ID is your social security number with no dashes; (SSN=123-45-6789 becomes 123456789).

I am entering the month in as it appears on my coupon but it is not finding any active coupons, what do I do?
The month must be entered as it appears on your coupon, but the comma must be replaced with a dash, (i.e. Aug, 2010 becomes Aug-2010).

Can I make partial payments?
No, partial payments are not accepted.

Will my payment post immediately?
Payments made will post to your credit card or checking account immediately. Please allow 3 business days for payments to post to your direct pay account. Payments made before 7:00 PM EST will be posted on the day the payment is made. Payments made after 7:00 PM EST will be credited to the next business day and will post accordingly.

Can I make multiple payments at one time?
Yes. You can pay any available invoice, but the Employee Benefits Division will apply payments to the first open invoice to ensure that there is no break in coverage. Please double check the invoices you choose to ensure that you are paying the most recent invoice.

Select the invoices you want to pay by checking the appropriate box in the
“Check to Pay” column.
Select or create a payment method, click “Next”
Payment Preview, if correct, click “Pay”
Successfully processed payment will have a Remittance ID

Can I schedule payments to be delivered on a future date, or set up automatic monthly debits from my savings/checking accounts?
Yes. You may select invoices to be paid automatically 3 days prior to the due date. You must set up each invoice separately by following the directions below:

Select the invoice you want to schedule for automatic payment by clicking the box to the left of the invoice in the “Check to Pay” column
Click the clock to the right of the selected invoice in the “Schedule to Pay” column
Select Payment Method
Select Payment Plan Type, only choice is Automatic Payment
Review and click “Save”
Repeat the process for each invoice you wish to schedule for automatic payment

What can I do if I forget my Login or my Password?
Click on the link for the item you have forgotten and provide the answers requested. Your Login or Password will be sent to the email address you used when you registered for the Online Payment System. For security purposes, Bank of America requires you to change your password every 90 days.

Who do I contact if I have concerns not addressed by this FAQ?
If you need assistance with the Employee Benefits Direct Pay Coupon Online Payment System, please email ebd.mail@maryland.gov or contact the Employee Benefits Division at 410-767-4775 or 1-800-30-STATE (1-800-307-8283) Monday through Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM, Eastern Standard Time, except State holidays and Service Reduction Days.