Apparatus and methods for providing a payment system over a network
Apparatus and methods provide an accumulator that processes electronic payments from an employer to a recipient via a network. The payments processed may be, for example, child support payments collected from an employee by the employer. The employer may submit one transaction made up of payments collected from multiple employees bound for multiple recipients and the accumulator may receive, translate, batch, and deliver the payments to the multiple recipients. The accumulator, employers, and recipients may communicate via a network such as the Internet.
1. A system for processing a payment at an accumulator over a network, comprising:
means for receiving employer information from an employer via the network;
means for storing the employer information;
means for receiving employee information corresponding to an employee from the employer via the network;
means for storing the employee information;
means for verifying the employee information using verification information received from an intermediary; and
when the employee information is verified,
means for creating a payment corresponding to the employee information,
means for submitting the payment to a financial clearinghouse via the network, and
means for storing data related to the payment.
2. A method for processing a payment at an accumulator over a network, comprising:
receiving employer information from an employer via the network;
storing the employer information in an accumulator database;
receiving an employee payment profile corresponding to an employee from the employer via the network;
storing the employee payment profile in the accumulator database;
verifying the employee payment profile using verification information received from an intermediary; and
when the employee payment profile is verified,
creating a payment corresponding to the employee payment profile,
processing a debit to a financial clearinghouse via the network, the debit to be applied against an account of the employer,
receiving a credit from the financial clearinghouse via the network, the credit to be applied to an account of the intermediary, and
storing data related to the payment in a payment database.
3. The method of claim 2 , further including:
managing communication with the employer via the network.
4. The method of claim 2 , further including:
managing communication with the intermediary via the network.
5. The method of claim 2 , further including:
administering the accumulator.
6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the debit is processed using debit-based electronic funds transfer.
7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the credit is processed using addendum-based electronic data interchange.
8. The method of claim 2 , wherein the employee information relates to a child support payment.
9. The method of claim 2 , wherein the network is the Internet.
10. The method of claim 2 , wherein the network is an intranet.
11. The method of claim 2 , wherein the network is a wireless network.
12. The method of claim 2 , wherein the network is a wired network.
13. The method of claim 2 , wherein the network is a virtual private network.
14. A system for processing a payment at an accumulator over a network, comprising:
a first receiving component configured to receive employer information from an employer via the network;
a first storing component configured to store the employer information in an accumulator database;
a second receiving component configured to receive an employee payment profile corresponding to an employee from the employer via the network;
a second storing component configured to store the employee payment profile in the accumulator database;
a verifying component configured to verify the employee payment profile using verification information received from an intermediary;
a creating component configured to create a payment corresponding to the employee payment profile, when the employee payment profile is verified;
a processing component configured to process a debit to a financial clearinghouse via the network, the debit to be applied against an account of the employer, when the employee payment profile is verified;
a third receiving component configured to receive a credit from the financial clearinghouse via the network, the credit to be applied to an account of the intermediary, when the employee payment profile is verified; and
a third storing component configured to store data related to the payment in a payment database, when the employee payment profile is verified.
15. The system of claim 14 , further including:
a first managing component configured to manage communication with the employer via the network.
16. The system of claim 14 , further including:
a second managing component configured to manage communication with the intermediary via the network.
17. The system of claim 14 , further including:
an administering component configured to administer the accumulator.
18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the debit is processed using debit-based electronic funds transfer.
19. The system of claim 14 , wherein the credit is processed using addendum-based electronic data interchange.
20. The system of claim 14 , wherein the employee information relates to a child support payment.
21. The system of claim 14 , wherein the network is the Internet.
22. The system of claim 14 , wherein the network is an intranet.
23. The system of claim 14 , wherein the network is a wireless network.
24. The system of claim 14 , wherein the network is a wired network.
25. The system of claim 14 , wherein the network is a virtual private network.
26. A computer readable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for processing a payment at an accumulator over a network, the computer readable code comprising:
a first receiving module configured to receive employer information from an employer via the network;
a first storing module configured to store the employer information in an accumulator database;
a second receiving module configured to receive an employee payment profile corresponding to an employee from the employer via the network;
a second storing module configured to store the employee payment profile in the accumulator database;
a verifying module configured to verify the employee payment profile using verification information received from an intermediary;
a creating module configured to create a payment corresponding to the employee payment profile, when the employee payment profile is verified;
a processing module configured to process a debit to a financial clearinghouse via the network, the debit to be applied against an account of the employer, when the employee payment profile is verified;
a third receiving module configured to receive a credit from the financial clearinghouse via the network, the credit to be applied to an account of the intermediary, when the employee payment profile is verified; and
a third storing module configured to store data related to the payment in a payment database, when the employee payment profile is verified.
27. A system for processing a payment at an accumulator over a network, comprising:
means for receiving employer information from an employer via the network;
means for storing the employer information in an accumulator database;
means for receiving an employee payment profile corresponding to an employee from the employer via the network;
means for storing the employee payment profile in the accumulator database;
means for verifying the employee payment profile using verification information received from an intermediary;
means for creating a payment corresponding to the employee payment profile, when the employee payment profile is verified;
means for processing a debit to a financial clearinghouse via the network, the debit to be applied against an account of the employer, when the employee payment profile is verified;
means for receiving a credit from the financial clearinghouse via the network, the credit to be applied to an account of the intermediary, when the employee payment profile is verified; and
means for storing data related to the payment in a payment database, when the employee payment profile is verified.