This is part seven of our “Beyond the Checkbook: Driving the Digital Government Payment Revolution” series, exploring how digital innovation is transforming government payment systems. Stay tuned for more insights about security, fraud prevention, accessibility, modernization, and real-world success stories from agencies across the country.
Legal and Policy Levers Accelerating Adoption
Digital transformation isn’t just a trend in the public sector; it’s a legal and fiscal necessity. As agencies grapple with growing service demands, outdated infrastructure, and shrinking budgets, federal and state policymakers are using legislation to fast-track modernization. The goal: shift away from paper-based processes toward secure, cloud-based government payment platforms that deliver efficiency, transparency, and public trust.
Laws and policies at every level of government are accelerating the shift to e-government payment services, and agencies that act now can position themselves to lead.
The Federal Push Toward Digital Payments
In 2025, a renewed federal directive accelerated the drive toward digital payment processing for local government. The executive order called on agencies to reduce paper-based workflows and transition to secure online payments for public sector services. It emphasized modernization across treasury operations, vendor disbursements, and public-facing portals; not only to improve efficiency, but also to expand access and reduce delays.
At the heart of this federal effort is the promise of scalable, PCI-compliant payment processing for government that can adapt across departments. Digital mandates also encourage collaboration with third-party providers offering API-enabled government payment processing solutions, helping agencies avoid the burden of building internal infrastructure from scratch.
State-Level Momentum Is Gaining Ground
At the state level, the momentum is equally clear. States like Arizona and California have passed legislation and allocated funds to expand digital payments for government functions, from court fines and property taxes to permitting and licensing fees. These policies include:
- Dedicated modernization grants that prioritize municipal platforms supporting alternative payment methods
- Statutes requiring digital disbursements for faster vendor payments
- Open data standards that support payment processing API integration for permits, licenses, and utilities
While policies vary by state, the collective momentum is clear: the future of payments in government is fast, digital, and inclusive.
Two Critical Areas Where Policy Spurs Progress
As the legal landscape evolves, certain regulatory levers have an outsized impact on accelerating digital payment adoption. These two policy domains are especially influential:
- Procurement Reform: Many states are revising procurement frameworks to make it easier for agencies to work with fintech providers. Streamlined RFP requirements and pre-approved vendor lists help reduce red tape and shorten time-to-value.
- Data Privacy and Security: Legislators are establishing stricter controls around personal and financial information. These mandates require that any government fee collection software meet rigorous encryption, tokenization, and access control standards; requirements that cloud-native systems are well-equipped to meet.
Together, these shifts remove traditional blockers and create a clearer, safer path toward full digital integration.
A Movement Beyond Compliance
While legal mandates are important catalysts, forward-looking governments go beyond the minimum. Agencies across the country are expanding beyond minimum compliance requirements and leveraging digital platforms to improve financial agility, streamline reporting, and expand public access.
Adopting a modular payment solution for diverse government use cases gives agencies the ability to meet today’s legislative requirements while adapting to tomorrow’s.
Whether it’s supporting multi-channel transaction support for public sector payments or enabling a citizen payment portal for government services, adaptable technology helps governments stay ahead of the policy curve.
Staying Ahead of the Curve
Modern policies aren’t just urging agencies to digitize; they’re empowering them to rethink how payments can drive broader transformation. Agencies that proactively align their operations with legislation not only stay compliant but also unlock better service delivery, faster cash flow, and greater citizen satisfaction.
Proactive Planning for a Policy-Driven Future
Staying policy-aligned isn’t about checking boxes; it’s about building resilience. Catalis Payments offers a unified, configurable platform that meets the latest mandates and evolves alongside them. With support for PayPal, Venmo, and other modern payment methods, flexible integration with existing government systems, and real-time payment reporting for municipalities, we help agencies lead the modernization movement, not just follow it.
Visit Catalis to explore our secure, scalable solutions for government and the public sector.
This is part seven of our “Beyond the Checkbook” blog series on digital payment transformation in government. Follow along as we publish more insights each week.