What Easy Smart Pay does

Easy Smart Pay (legal entity: Smart Easy Pay Inc.) is a Sacramento-based private company founded in 2017 that operates a self-serve web platform enabling California property taxpayers to convert biannual property tax bills into monthly installments. The platform is a product of a public-private partnership initiated by the California State Association of Counties Finance Corporation, and it currently serves 37 of California's 58 counties. Users search for their tax bill by address, Property ID, or Assessor's Parcel Number, enroll in a monthly auto-pay schedule calculated against the county's installment deadline, and either pay via ACH at zero fee or via Visa/Mastercard/Discover card at a 1.99% transaction fee processed through Braintree (a PayPal subsidiary).

The underlying technology is a web-based payment platform integrating Braintree for authorization and settlement, county tax roll data for bill lookup and duplicate-payment detection, and automated scheduling infrastructure that re-enrolls users into the following year's payment plan once the current year is collected. Proprietary features include automatic monthly payment scheduling, tax bill search and verification, automatic contract management across tax years, and duplicate payment detection that triggers cancellation and refund. The minimum enrollment threshold is a $250 tax bill; bills below that must be paid directly to the county.

Revenue is generated primarily through interest accrued on taxpayer funds held in secure trust accounts prior to remittance to the counties, supplemented by the 1.99% card transaction fee; ACH payments carry no fee. The platform is consumer-direct with no mobile app or resellers, and customer acquisition relies on organic search, email lifecycle communications, and county government endorsements rather than paid advertising.

Name

Easy Smart Pay

Legal name

Smart Easy Pay Inc.

Website

https://easysmartpay.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Easy Smart Pay is a Sacramento-based private web platform, founded in 2017, that lets California property taxpayers split annual property tax bills into monthly installments across 37 of 58 California counties through a public-private partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Property Tax Payment Services

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)

akta.pro primary industry

Government & Public Sector ACH (Tax, Benefits, Collections) (FSAMAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bank-to-Bank Transfers & Pay-by-Bank (Consumer & Merchant) (FSAMAFAC)

Keywords

• Property tax payments
• Monthly installment plans
• Government payment processing
• Tax bill management
• Property tax automation

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Interest on Held Tax Funds: ESP earns revenue through interest accrued on taxpayer funds held in secure taxpayer trust accounts before the funds are remitted to the county. Tax dollars do not earn interest for the taxpayer; any interest generated helps support Easy Smart Pay's services. This is the primary revenue mechanism that keeps the service free for taxpayers.
2. Credit/Debit Card Transaction Fees: A 1.99% transaction fee is charged for all credit and debit card payments (Visa, Mastercard, Discover). ACH bank transfers are free with no transaction fee. The fee applies to each transaction regardless of whether it's part of monthly payments or a one-time payment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Easy Smart Pay (ESP) is a web-based payment platform that enables California property taxpayers to split annual or biannual property tax bills into manageable monthly installments. The service partners with 37 of California's 58 county governments to access tax roll data and remit payments on behalf of enrolled taxpayers. Customers can fund their installment plan via credit/debit card (1.99% transaction fee) or fee-free ACH bank transfer, with automatic monthly scheduling and auto-renewal for the following tax year.

Product overview

Easy Smart Pay (ESP) is a single-platform property tax payment service that enables California property owners to pay their annual property taxes through monthly installments. The core offering consists of the Easy Smart Pay platform with integrated property search, account management, monthly auto-pay scheduling, and dual payment processing options (credit card at 1.99% or fee-free ACH). The platform was developed as a public-private partnership with county governments and currently serves 37 of California's 58 counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Easy Smart Pay (ESP) Property Tax Installment Platform A self-serve web platform that enables California property owners to split annual or biannual property tax bills into manageable monthly installments, with payment processing remitted to counties on the taxpayer's behalf. Currently serves 37 of California's 58 counties. The platform supports property tax bill search by address, Property ID, or APN, automatic monthly payment scheduling from credit card or bank account, and automatic re-enrollment for subsequent tax years.
• Credit/Debit Card Tax Payment Processing Payment processing service for property tax payments funded by Visa, Mastercard, or Discover credit/debit cards, with a 1.99% transaction fee applied per transaction and processed through Braintree (a PayPal subsidiary).
• ACH Bank Transfer Tax Payment Processing Zero-fee payment processing service for property tax payments funded via ACH bank transfers from checking or savings accounts, processed through Braintree (PayPal subsidiary). Recommended payment method to avoid fees entirely.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.99% transaction fee for card payments vs industry-standard rates
• +3 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• California County GovernmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEasy Smart Pay partners with California county governments to streamline payment processing. Counties provide tax roll data access, and ESP remits payments to counties on behalf of enrolled taxpayers. ESP currently serves 37 of California's 58 counties. The company works closely with government agencies and may be endorsed by some to perform certain services.
• California State Association of Counties Finance CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmart Easy Pay Inc. (parent company) was started by the California State Association of Counties Finance Corporation to address taxpayers' need for flexible monthly installment options on their property tax bills. This founding relationship established the public-private partnership model.
• Braintree (PayPal Subsidiary)supportingTechnology or IntegrationEasy Smart Pay uses Braintree, a subsidiary of PayPal, as its payment processor for all credit card and ACH transactions. Transactions may appear on bank statements as 'PayPal' or 'EASY SMART PAY'.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Easy Smart Pay