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Electronic Check (Paya®) Automated Onboarding

Updated

Overview

NMI's Paya® Electronic Checking Onboarding Solution enables a faster, simpler ACH account setup for merchants. NMI provides a streamlined, digital application process for obtaining a Paya processing account. What used to take days or even weeks, now takes minutes. 

How does it work? Merchant signs up for Paya Electronic Check(eCheck) processing in their Merchant Portal. They complete a digital application and upload supporting documents. Paya reviews the application. Once reviewed and approved, the merchant is emailed and their account is ready to go.

Prerequisites

Primary users will have access to the ACH application by default. Sub-users that have 'Access Administrative Options' or 'Virtual Terminal Access' permissions will be able to access to the ACH application. 

Log in to the Merchant Portal, in the homepage under 'Virtual Terminal' click on 'ACH Application', or on the left side panel → click on 'Electronic Check' → click on 'Go to Application'. 

Electronic Check Digital Application

Our custom application form is far easier to complete than the PDF previously distributed. Merchant’s existing data is auto-populated in the digital application so they only need to complete the additional financial information and upload required financial documents. ACH accounts are automatically activated once approved by Paya. 

If you set the Electronic Check Processor as Offered; once the merchant logs in to their Merchant Portal, they will be able to sign-up for online check support by heading over to the left side panel → click on Electronic Check and click on the sign-up button. Once they sign-up they will be taken back to their Home page where they will see a button to their digital ACH application. 

If you set the Electronic Check Processor as Active; once the merchant logs in to their Merchant Portal, they will see their digital ACH application automatically in their Home page: 
The merchant will also receive an email with a link to their digital ACH application. The subject of the email will read "Electronic Check Application - ID: XXXX_1234567" followed by their ACH application ID. Merchants can start their application by clicking on the 'Start Application' button in the email:

The digital ACH application page will keep your branding, which will display your name and logo (if you have set one for your login page). 

How to Activate or Offer Electronic Check to Merchants

  1. Log in to your Partner Portal:
    • If adding to existing merchant account - head over to 'List Accounts'→ click on the merchants name → scroll down to 'Processing Services' → on the right side, click on the 'Add' button → click on 'Add Electronic Check', proceed to Step 2.
    • If boarding a new merchant account - under 'My Accounts' click on 'Add Merchant'. Select merchant type 'Standard'. Follow these steps before proceeding to Step 2:
      • Merchant Account Information - enter the merchant's information -
        • The company name entered here will be what the merchant sees when they log in to their merchant portal.
        • The company contact will be the primary contact for your merchant; the email address entered here will receive the welcome email once boarding is completed.
        • Enter their banking information - only applicable to "Bill to Merchant" Partners
        • Enter a unique username for the merchants primary user.
        • Once all the * fields are completed, you may click Continue.
      • Select the processing services - Electronic Check. Click on 'Continue to configuration'. Proceed to Step 2.
  2. Select Electronic Check from the Processing Platform dropdown → check 'Offered' or 'Active':

    • If Offered is checked - this will allow the merchant to sign up for the service themselves in their Merchant Portal. You may proceed to clicking Submit and skip the below steps. 
    • If Active is checked - additional details will need to be provided:
      • Account Limitations - you may skip this step as these fields will be populated once the processor is activated and Paya approves the digital application. These limitations are set by Paya and are based on what the merchant was approved for. 
      • Duplicate Velocity Controls - if duplicate checking is enabled, it will prevent the merchant from accidentally submitting the same transaction multiple times. This will check for the same account and routing number, and the same amount in the time frame you set in the Duplicate Time Limit field (in seconds). The default duplicate time limit is set to 1200 seconds (20 minutes). You can always come back to this step to turn it on or off when needed.
        • By checking off Allow Merchant Override, this will allow the merchant to ignore this check on a per transaction basis in the merchant’s Virtual Terminal page. They will have the option to check 'Disable Duplicate Check' before hitting the charge button. 
      • Merchant's Required Fields - these are hard limits which dictates which fields a Merchant must fill out in order to successfully process their check transactions in the Virtual Terminal. It depends on the type of merchant and special cases where certain fields would be beneficial to the merchant. If one of these fields is checked, a transaction error will be displayed if the information in the field is not provided when processing a transaction. Select the fields you want to require the merchant to enter certain information on every transaction, or leave blank if you do not want the merchant to enter this information on every transaction. 
        • Show Merchant Defined Fields - if you or your merchant wishes to enforce any of the 20 Merchant Defined Fields, you can set them here. 
      • Processor Name - this is what the processor will be named in the merchant's interface, for instance if the merchant has multiple Electronic Check Processors, they will be able to distinguish between the names on which processor to run a transaction on. It's also used for the processor_id variable. 
  3. Once done, click Submit or Submit + Add Another Check Processor if you are adding more check processors.

Completing the Application

In the Merchant Portal, on the Home page, click on ACH application, this will redirected the merchant to their digital application page to start the process. From the Welcome page, click on Let's Go. 

Application

The application automatically fills out fields that were provided in the gateway. The merchant will need to fill out all the red * asterisks fields to be able to continue to the next page. 

  • Volume - for Max Transaction Amount, if the volume is high, the merchant will be prompt to agree to the "High Check Limit Agreement". 
  • Company Contacts - merchants can add up to 4 business owners.
  • Where Do You Take Payments - merchants can opt-out from any of the SEC Codes:
    • PPD - Customer signs an agreement with the payment schedule (customer has a personal bank account)
    • CCD - Customer signs an agreement with the payment schedule (customer has a corporate/business bank account)
    • WEB - Customer initiates payment Online via shopping cart / API
    • TEL  - Customer calls merchant to make purchase of goods
    • POP - Point of Present, requires a check scanner
  • Bank Information for Deposits/Funding - the account and routing number is pulled from the gateway, which is the account that is used for their gateway fees. Merchants can change this if they want to use a different account as they see fit.
    • If "Any related fees should be billed to the above account as well" is unchecked, merchants will have an option to add an additional account to be used for any related fees.

Document Center

The merchant will need the following supported documents that Paya requires to complete their digital application:

  1. Three months of bank statements (bank account # on statements must match the bank account listed on the voided check or bank letter)
  2. Business license (Articles of Inc, sales tax license, business utility bill or previous processor statement - needs to reflect DBA or legal name and business address on the application)
  3. Voided Check (voided check must have legal name or DBA name preprinted, or the bank letter must be on the bank letterhead, signed by a bank representative, dated within the last 60 days and reflect the full routing and account # and DBA or legal name of the merchant. 

They can drag and drop or upload by browsing files. Multiple files can be added for each category. Click continue. 

Confirmation

This page will provide the PDF that is filled out based on their digital application. Merchants can review their application here. They have an option to download the PDF for their own records at the bottom of the page. 

The PDF includes the legal agreement for the merchant to read. The merchant will need to agree to the terms and conditions before submitting the application. Once submitted, the application and supported documents will be sent to Paya.

  • Once Paya reviews and approves the application, the merchant will be emailed and their Electronic Check account will be activated. 
  • If the application is rejected, our support team will reach out to help resolve the issue.   

Once the application is approved, the merchant will be able to process Electronic Check transactions via their Virtual Terminal. For more information, please see Electronic Check Processing Virtual Terminal Guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the application take to process? Most applications will be processed in 3-5 business days. NOTE: Missing information will delay merchant approval.

Where can I find Paya's Unacceptable Merchant List? Here is a link to Paya's Unacceptable Merchant List: Unacceptable Merchant Types.pdf

The following FAQs apply to merchant accounts that have already submitted their application and have been approved: 

How do I request a Merchant Bank Change? Please have this Merchant Bank Change.pdf request form filled out and sent back to support@nmi.com along with the merchant’s business name and their gateway ID. Our support team will work with Paya to request the Merchant Bank Change and will notify you once completed. 

How do I request a Business Name Change? Please have this Merchant Bank Change.pdf request form filled out and sent back to support@nmi.com along with the merchant’s business name and their gateway ID. Our support team will work with Paya to request the Merchant Name Change and will notify you once completed.

Can my merchant set a default SEC Code in their Virtual Terminal? Yes, merchants can set a default SEC Code in their SEC Code Configuration settings page.

How do I request to increase the ticket limit (max ticket amount) for my merchants ACH Electronic Check account? Please send an email to support@nmi.com with a request to have the merchant’s ticket limit increased. In the email please include the following:

  • The merchant’s business name and their gateway ID
  • Include the dollar amount that the merchant would like their limit increased to. We will not accept requests such as: “The highest limit that the merchant can get”.

Once we receive the email, we will send a request to Paya to have the ticket limit increased to the dollar amount specified in the email. Once Paya responds back regarding the dollar amount they have increased to, we will respond back to your email with the dollar amount they have increased it to. There are times that additional documentation may be required. If so, we will request the ISO to provide it. If they decline the request, we will still respond back to your email letting you know why they have declined the request and the reason, if they have provided one.

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