Credit Cards

County officials or entities may (but are not required to) receive payment by credit card or debit card for any public taxes, licenses, fines, fees or other monies collected. The entity or official collecting payment by credit or debit card must collect a processing fee in an amount equal to the fee charged by the third-party processor for processing the payment. The amount or percentage of the processing fee must be stated on the notice sent to the person owing the tax, fine, fee or other money. This processing fee may be waived, however, with approval of the county legislative body.  T.C.A. § 9-1-108(c).  If payment is not honored by the credit card company or the entity upon which a debit card payment is drawn, the county entity or official may collect a service charge in the same amount charged for the collection of a check drawn on an account with insufficient funds. T.C.A. § 9-1-108(c)(4).  

Acceptance of payments by credit cards for clerks of court and county clerks is also authorized under T.C.A. § 8-21-107. Acceptance of credit card or debit card payments for taxes collected by trustees is also covered in T.C.A. § 67-1-704. Both of these statutes are substantially the same as T.C.A. § 9-1-108, discussed above.

In credit or debit card transactions, no more than the last five digits of the card number may be printed on the receipt. T.C.A. § 47-18-126.