The State of California has multiple Payment Processors which varies depending on the court’s Electronic Filing Manager (EFM). Because of this, filers must enter their payment type twice to ensure they can e-file into any court in our system.
Learn how to manage payment types
1. California Payment Processors
Tyler Online Gateway (TOGA) Payment Processor
Any California court which is part of the Odyssey eFileCA court system uses the Tyler Technologies Odyssey e-File system as their EFM. That EFM uses its own credit card processing service called Tyler Online Gateway (TOGA).
It authorizes and charges all fees including: court imposed court fees, court convenience fees, and the Odyssey eFile EFM service fee. As your e-filing service provider (EFSP), we do not authorize or charge your Payment Account for those assessed fees in the Odyssey EFM.
To see which locations are supported, view the list of courts using TOGA.
Alternate Payment Processor (NON TOGA)
Courts not using the Odyssey EFM system process payments through an alternate processor. This processor handles all charges, including court-imposed fees and convenience fees, for any court outside the TOGA system.
To see which locations are supported, view the list of courts outside the TOGA system.
2. Payment Processor Inquiries on TOGA Submissions
If there are any questions, concerns, or disputes regarding filing fee authorizations on a particular credit or debit card done in an Odyssey court, it is best to contact the TOGA vendor directly, and use your Envelope Number for reference.
3. Payment Processor Inquiries for NON TOGA Submissions
If there are any questions, concerns, or disputes regarding filing fee authorizations on a particular credit or debit card done in a court not using the Odyssey EFM, please email us at support@efilinghelp.com, and use your Filing ID for reference.
4. Pre-Authorization of Assessed Fees
When you submit your filing, a temporary hold (pre-authorization) is placed on your card for the estimated fees. These funds are not officially collected until the court clerk reviews the submission. If the filing is accepted, the payment is finalized; if it is rejected or canceled, the hold is released.
Court Rejections
The court never charges for rejected filings. If a filing is rejected, the temporary hold (pre-authorization) on your account will expire and the funds will be released. Depending on your bank, this usually takes 3 to 10 business days.
Please note that if you resubmit a rejected filing, a new pre-authorization hold will be placed on your card for the new submission.
Cancelling a Pending Filing
The court does not charge fees for cancelled filings. If you cancel a pending submission, the payment hold will be released and should disappear from your account within 3 to 10 business days, depending on your bank.
Important Considerations:
- Submission Dates: If you cancel and refile later, your filing will receive a new submission date. The court will not honor the original date or time.
- New Holds: Resubmitting a filing will trigger a new pre-authorization hold on your card.
5. Re-Submission of Rejected or Cancelled Filings
When you resubmit a rejected or cancelled filing, a new pre-authorization hold is placed on your account. Because the initial hold may still be visible, you might see multiple pending amounts until the original hold expires. To avoid temporary impacts on your available cash balance, you may prefer to use a credit card rather than a debit card.
Re-Submissions and Original File Dates
Important: Filing Deadlines If you resubmit a cancelled or rejected filing, it will receive a new submission date. The court does not honor the original date or time for resubmitted filings. Please ensure your new submission is completed before any legal deadlines.
User Bank Statements and Submission Fees
Depending on the Court, users can expect to see either 1 or 2 pre-authorization of estimated fees per submission (and 2 final charges for any accepted eFileCA submissions).
Bank Statements for eFileCA Filings
For eFileCA (Odyssey EFM) filings, you will typically see two separate holds on your account for each submission. This occurs because the EFM splits the total into two amounts: one for court fees and one for service fees. If your filing does not require court fees, you will only see a single charge for the service fee. If the court accepts your filing, these holds will convert into two final charges on your statement.
In the image above, the green rows comprise the Court Fees and the blue rows comprise the Service Fees
Your online statement will reflect the totals of those rows in 2 separate pre-authorizations (and 2 final charges upon acceptance of the submission).
CAEFILE*012345678-0; $22.25
CAEFILE*012345678-0; $11.64
The CAEFILE reference number 12345678 is the envelope number the Court assigned to your submission. You can use this envelope number to access your filing from our Filing Status Screen.
Bank Statements for California Court filings Outside the eFileCA System
For filings into Courts outside the eFileCA System, users can expect just one (1) pre-authorization of the estimated fees per submission (and one (1) final charge for any accepted submission).
Your online statement will reflect the totalfees in one (1) pre-authorizations (and one (1) final charge upon acceptance of the submission). Depending on the Court it will be reflected as the following:
LA CV E-FILE*0012345678
SD CV E-FILE*0012345678
OC CV E-FILE*0012345678
CAL E-FILE*0012345678
E-FILE SVC*0012345678
The CV E-File reference number 12345678 is the envelope number the Court assigned to your submission. You can use this envelope number to access your filing from our Filing Status Screen.
7. Payment Type Errors
If your payment is declined during pre-authorization, it is typically due to one of three reasons:
- Incorrect Information: The card number, expiration date, or CVV is incorrect or has expired.
- Bank Security: Your bank may be blocking the transaction for security reasons.
- Insufficient Funds: There is not enough available balance to cover the hold.
Recommended Steps:
- Verify your details: Remove and re-enter your payment information in TOGA to ensure it is accurate.
- Contact your bank: If the details are correct, call your bank to see if they are blocking the pre-authorization or if there is an issue with your balance.
- Try a different card: You may also attempt the filing using a different payment method.