FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - eChecks Payments
1) What is an eCheck
2) What if there is
a problem with the electronic fund transfer?
3) How quickly will
funds be transferred from my account?
4) Is there a service
fee for using the eCheck option?
5) What if the electronic
fund transfer cannot be processed?
6) What if my eCheck
is rejected by my bank for insufficient funds?
7) What if my eCheck
transaction is rejected because I entered the bank routing number
or/and account number incorrectly?
8) Will the electronic
fund transfer appear on my account statement?
9) Where can I locate
my Bank Routing and Bank Account Numbers on my check?
10) Can I pay more
than one type of tax and or more than one tax bill with a single
payment?
11) I have tax accounts
from prior years, which are unpaid. How will this particular on-line
payment be applied?
12) How do I know
if this payment has been posted to my account(s)?
13) Will someone
contact me if there are any questions on this on-line payment?
14) Why do I need
to have Java Script turned on or use a newer browser version?
15) I am concerned
about using my bank account information on the internet. What
security is used to protect my personal information?
16) When I click
on the back button to change or re-enter information only my personal
information is still there. Why is the rest of my information
not redisplayed?
17) I have a question about my tax payment that
is not answered here. Who may I contact?
1) What is an eCheck?
An eCheck is your authorization given to the City of Alexandria
to instruct its bank to initiate an electronic transfer of funds
from your bank account to the City’s bank account under
strict laws which govern your right to privacy and security.
2) What if there is a problem with the electronic
fund transfer?
You should contact your financial institution immediately
if you believe that the electronic fund transfer reported on
your account statement was not properly authorized or is otherwise
incorrect. Consumers have protections under a Federal law called
the Electronic Fund Transfer Act for an unauthorized or incorrect
electronic fund transfer.
3) How quickly will funds be transferred from
my account?
The electronic fund transfer from your account will usually
occur within 24 hours, which is faster than a check is normally
processed. Therefore, you should be sure that there are sufficient
funds available in your checking account when you present your
check.
4) Is there a service fee for using the eCheck
option?
There is no fee for using eCheck.
5) What if the electronic fund transfer cannot
be processed?
In rare instances it may not be possible to use an eCheck.
In some cases, checks drawn on foreign banks or on accounts other
than a standard bank savings or checking account may not be accepted.
6) What if my eCheck is rejected by my bank
for insufficient funds?
If the electronic fund transfer cannot be completed because
there are insufficient funds in your account, we may try to
make the transfer up to two more times and the City of Alexandria
will impose a one-time fee of $25.00 against your account, which
we will also collect by electronic fund transfer.
7) What if my eCheck transaction is rejected
because I entered the bank routing number or/and account number
incorrectly?
The City will notify you and give you an opportunity to correct
the error before the payment transaction will be re-submitted.
Your parking ticket or tax bill account will not be credited
with the payment and date of initial submission of payment until
the City receives the funds. You may incur late payment penalty
if the error results in payment being made after the due date.
Payment rejected due to bank or City error will not incur a
penalty and will be credited on the date submitted.
8) Will the electronic fund transfer appear
on my account statement?
The electronic fund transfer from your account will be on
the account statement that you receive from your financial institution.
However, the transfer may be in a different place on your statement
than the place where your checks normally appear. For example,
it may appear under ‘‘other withdrawals’’
or ‘‘other transactions.’’
9) Where can I locate my Bank Routing and Bank
Account Numbers on my check?
Your Bank Routing and Bank Account Numbers can be located
at the bottom of your check.
Your Bank Routing Number is the 9 digits between 
and , and
your Account Number between 
and to the
right of the routing number.
Do not confuse these numbers with the check number that is
printed either to the left or to the right of the account number.
Your check number should not be included in your submission.
10) Can I pay more than one type of tax and
or more than one tax bill with a single payment?
No. The City will, in the very near future, allow you to pay
more than one Parking Ticket and/or Tax bill with a single payment
using an eCheck.
11) I have tax accounts from prior years, which
are unpaid. How will this particular on-line payment be applied?
Virginia Law requires the Treasurer to apply tax payments
to the oldest delinquent account. You are still responsible
for the accounts unpaid.
12) How do I know if this payment has been
posted to my account(s)?
- At the end of this transaction, an acknowledgment screen will
be displayed. We ask that you print the acknowledgment screen
with the transaction confirmation reference number for your
records.
- After you submit the eCheck transaction, we will send an email
confirmation to the email address you have specified at the
time of payment.
13) Will someone contact me if there are any questions on this
on-line payment?
Yes. It is important that you give us your daytime telephone
number and email address. The City will try at least once to
contact you, if needed, using the information you have provided.
14) Why do I need to have Java Script turned
on or use a newer browser version?
This form and many other features of the website take advantage
of the extra features and power of the newer browsers to enhance
and provide information to you. The JavaScript in these forms
checks your information to make sure that you did not mistype.
This will allow the most efficient processing of your information.
It also allows the form to "remember" who you are
so that you do not need to enter certain information again in
the future. You can get the newest browser from these links
for"
Netscape Navigator and Internet
Explorer.
15) I am concerned about using my bank account
information on the internet. What security is used to protect
my personal information?
While you should always be aware of fraud, paying the City
of Alexandria with an eCheck on the internet is no more insecure
than mailing a check or handing a check to a cashier. The City
of Alexandria uses SSL (Secure Socket Layer) services on our
web server to encrypt all of its transactions. SSL is a communications
protocol that encrypts and authenticates communications across
the internet. SSL is used mostly (but not exclusively) in communications
between web browsers and web servers. SSL provides privacy,
authentication, and message integrity to prevent eavesdropping,
forgery, and tampering. The City of Alexandria also employs
internal security measures to protect your information.
16) When I click on the back button to change
or re-enter information only my personal information is still
there. Where is the rest of my information?
This is very common for Internet Explorer (IE) browsers and
it is due to a setting on your system. The setting forces the
IE browser to not cache or save information from encrypted pages.
If you want to save or cache encrypted pages you need to change
the setting by opening IE, click on VIEW, then INTERNET OPTIONS
and select ADVANCED from the tabs.Scroll the list down to SECURITY
and make sure that the box for "Do Not Save Encrypted Pages
to Disk" is UNCHECKED. Then click APPLY and all you should
now be able to use the back button to correct your information
easily.
17) I have a question about my tax payment
that is not answered here. What should I do?
If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to payments@alexandriava.gov
or contact the
Treasury Division
301 King Street, City Hall, Room 1510
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
703-838-4777 |
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