Invoice Cloud: For Connecticut Homeowners, July is Tax Time

Electronic Tax Payments Grew by 110% to $129M

BOSTON – (BUSINESS WIRE) – Taxes.  No one likes paying them. But real estate taxes support necessary services in communities across the State. Homeowners that have a mortgage, often have an escrow account where the lending institution ensures that taxes are paid on time.

The non-escrowed Connecticut homeowners will have the option of making an electronic payment, paying by phone, or mailing a check next month to pay their tax bill. Invoice Cloud, provider of the leading electronic bill presentment and payment platform, serves approximately 44% of Connecticut residents, including those in the Cities of Hartford, Stamford, Bridgeport, Greenwich, Danbury, New Britain and Meriden and the Towns of Fairfield, New Canaan, and Stratford. Connecticut taxpayers are embracing electronic payment technology, as evidenced by Invoice Cloud’s 110% electronic tax payment growth in Connecticut from Q1 2018 to Q1 2019.

Bob Lapides, Invoice Cloud President, stated “Taxpayers prefer self-service and flexibility on when, where and how to make tax payments electronically, that includes online payments, pay by phone and mobile payments. Paper check usage has been steadily declining for the last 19 years, mostly due to the convenience of electronic payments. Some Invoice Cloud clients have surpassed fifty (50) % electronic payment adoption.”

Long-time Client, Helene Lefkowitz, West Hartford Tax Collector, remarked “We have found that offering a one-time payment option rather than a forced registration is appreciated by residents who are reluctant to register for something they are using for the first time. Often, after experiencing success with our user-friendly payment system, they decide to register and set up their account for automatic payments because it is so much more convenient.”

Taxpayers cite the following top reasons for paying bills electronically; convenience, receipt of payment and avoiding late payment fines. At Invoice Cloud, the following benefits are most popular with taxpayers:

• Also known as guest payments, One-time payments allow taxpayers to pay without creating an account. They are user friendly; you shouldn’t have to register just to see and pay your bill.
• Paperless billing – Over 1.6M customers have already gone Paperless with Invoice Cloud to eliminate clutter, reduce paper waste and help the environment.
• Things change, choosing the best way to pay requires Payment flexibility. Whether taxpayers pay online, at the counter, via mobile, through text, or by phone today, next time they’ll want to pay, schedule a payment or view their bill differently.
• Easy to use – finding, viewing invoices and payment history, and paying bills should be straight forward and simple.
• To save time, registered taxpayers take advantage of OneClickPay (similar to Amazon 1-Click), to jump directly to the payment page, skipping the invoice selection and payment entry processes.
• For those that would rather not even think about paying their tax bill, AutoPay automatically deducts the tax payment on the due date using the customer’s default payment method. Over five hundred thousand customers take advantage of this convenient option each month with Invoice Cloud.

This year try paying online at your municipality’s web site. If your City or Town uses the Invoice Cloud platform, you have lots of payment options to choose from. A definite advantage in today’s payment landscape.

About Invoice Cloud: Invoice Cloud, an EngageSmart solution, is the leading provider of online bill payment services. Founded in 2009, the company has grown to be one of the leading disruptors in the cloud-based electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP) space, helping institutions put customer experience first.  By switching to Invoice Cloud, clients improve customer engagement, loyalty, and efficiency while reducing churn and missed payments in the process.  With over 2,100 clients across the US and over 50 million payments processed annually, Invoice Cloud is one of the most secure, innovative, and inclusive fintech solutions in the market.  To learn more, visit www.invoicecloud.net.