E-payment vendor switch could hit Ore. taxpayers

A change in the Oregon Department of Revenue’s electronic payment service providers could cause some taxpayers to miss payments due in January, the agency advised Wednesday.

The agency’s contract with Georgia-based firm Official Payments will expire on January 3.

The agency is sending a letter to more than 3,000 taxpayers who use Official Payments, notifying them of the change and urging them to switch to another electronic payment service or alternate payment method.

“We don’t want people to miss a payment to Revenue through no fault of their own, so we are trying to get the word out,” Administrative Services Administrator Larry Warren said.

Revenue officials particularly want to reach people who recently established a payment plan through Official Payments, since they likely will not receive the written notice.

“If you’ve recently set up a recurring payment, you may not get a letter, but your payment will still be affected,” Warren said.

Taxpayers who are concerned about their payment plan or have questions about any correspondence they receive from the Department of Revenue should contact the agency at 503-378-4988 or 1-800-356-4222.

Revenue will maintain electronic payment service through a new vendor, Kentucky-based Value Payment Systems, which the agency selected in a competitive bidding process earlier this year.

Taxpayers also have the option of direct debit payments from their checking or savings accounts, a service provided for Revenue by U.S. Bank.

Revenue’s payment options for taxpayers are listed at www.oregon.gov/dor/payments.

People frequently use electronic payments to pay personal income taxes, tobacco taxes, and withholding and transit taxes. Options include credit or debit cards, or electronic funds transfers from checking or savings accounts.

“Electronic payments are convenient, safe, and secure, and they are a good way for taxpayers to manage regular payments to the Department of Revenue,” Warren said.

Visit www.oregon.gov/dor to get tax forms, check the status of your refund or make tax payments, or call 1-800-356-4222 toll-free from an Oregon prefix (English or Spanish);

503-378-4988 in Salem and outside Oregon; or e-mail, questions.dor@state.or.us. For TTY (hearing or speech impaired), call 1-800-886-7204. Due to the amount of calls the department receives during tax season, you may experience extended waiting times.