Method of Payment

The NPDB accepts query fee payments by credit card (VISA, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express), bank debit card (with a VISA or MasterCard logo), or preauthorized Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). However, individual and organizational Self-Query fees must be paid by credit or debit card. Eligible entities may choose to pay by credit or debit card or preauthorized EFT. The NPDB does not accept personal checks, money orders, or cash.

Credit or Debit Card

Eligible entities and self-queriers choosing to pay by credit or debit card are not required to make advance arrangements with the NPDB to use their cards.

• An eligible entity making a One-Time Query or Continuous Query should enter the credit or debit card number and expiration date on the appropriate screen when querying (after signing in to the Integrated Querying and Reporting Service [IQRS], go to the Options menu).
• Self-queriers who process their requests entirely online through the Express Self-Query service should use their own credit or debit card while online; selfqueriers who do not use the Express Self-Query service should enter a credit or debit card number and expiration date in the appropriate fields of the Self-Query application, either electronically before printing or in writing after printing the application, before submitting the printed application.

An eligible entity's administrator has the option to securely store the eligible entity's credit or debit card information to prevent having to enter it each time a new query is being submitted. In addition, the administrator can assign users to the credit or debit card for query processing. The administrator can assign multiple credit or debit cards if he or she chooses to do so.

EFT

Eligible entities choosing to pay by EFT must submit an Electronic Funds Transfer Authorization form before EFT payments can be processed. To obtain this form, go to the sign in screen, then to the Administrator Options menu, and select Authorize Electronic Funds Transfer.

Entities must provide:

• Their financial institution's routing number, account number, and the type of account (checking or savings); and
• A copy of a voided check or a financial institution's confirmation letter.

In addition, the entity's certifying official must sign the form in ink.

The EFT form, with the original ink signature, must be mailed to the address printed on the form to establish an EFT account. Once the completed form and required documentation have been received, the NPDB will establish electronic communications with the eligible entity's financial institution. This process takes approximately 5 business days. The eligible entity will be notified via NPDB Correspondence when the EFT account has been activated. NPDB Correspondence is accessible through the IQRS sign-in screen under the Options menu.

Once an eligible entity receives verification that the EFT account has been activated, the entity may pay query fees using its EFT account. Query charges will be deducted automatically from the eligible entity's designated EFT account. The eligible entity does not need to enter EFT account information when creating a query; it only needs to select the EFT payment option.

Eligible entities are responsible for ensuring that adequate funds are present in their accounts when queries are submitted for processing in order to avoid interruption and potential termination of NPDB services. If an eligible entity's EFT information changes, the eligible entity is responsible for notifying the NPDB by submitting a revised Electronic Funds Transfer Authorization form (select Authorize Electronic Funds Transfer from the Administrator Options menu to access the form).