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How government payment gateways work

Last checked 24 October 2026 · 8 sources

Short answer

A government payment gateway is a central system that links government billing systems to the banks and other channels people pay through. Tanzania describes its Government e-Payment Gateway (GePG) as "a centralized system, connected to all available electronic revenue collection channels" 1. Government bodies issue bills through it, and payment service providers carry the money 2. India runs a Non-Tax Receipt Portal for receipts of the Government of India 3. Funds then go to government accounts, which the IMF says should be part of a treasury single account 4.
Example, Tanzania
GePG, Ministry of Finance and Planning, live 1
Tanzania legal basis
Public Finance Act 2001 as amended by the Finance Act 2017 1
Example, India
Non-Tax Receipt Portal, Controller General of Accounts, live 3
Example, Rwanda
IremboGov, 98 services from 19 institutions in January 2020 5
Adverse audit finding
Systems at several Tanzanian public bodies not integrated with GePG, NAO, 30 March 2026 6

What a gateway does

A gateway sits between the government bodies that bill people and the banks or other providers that take the money. Tanzania's GePG page says the law, as amended by the Finance Act 2017, requires that "all public money shall be collected electronically through the GePG system" 1. A Treasury Circular dated 4 September 2017 required government revenue to be collected through GePG 1.

The gateway moves billing data and payment confirmations. The money itself lands in government bank accounts. The IMF says those accounts should form a unified structure under a treasury single account 4.

Who connects to a gateway

PartyRole in GePGHow it joins
Service provider (a public body) 2Issues bills and control numbers 2Registers, integrates with the GePG standard API, gives bank account details and revenue sources 2
Payment service provider (bank or mobile operator) 2Takes payments from the public 2Writes to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Planning, then procurement and a standard contract 2
Payer 7Pays using the control number and keeps the GePG receipt 7Takes the control number from the bill and picks a channel 7

Channels a gateway accepts

GePG lists billing interfaces such as point-of-sale devices, service provider portals, the GePG portal and SMS or USSD 2. Payment channels listed are banks, mobile money operators, online card payments with Visa and Mastercard, and bank transfers through TISS or SWIFT 2.

India's portal says payers can use credit cards, debit cards, UPI, more than 150 net banking options, NEFT and RTGS 3. The page says it is powered by the Public Financial Management System 3.

In Uganda, a payment registered on the URA web portal is sent to the chosen bank within 5 minutes. After payment the bank sends the details to URA, which updates the taxpayer's account, according to a 2023 notice from the Atomic Energy Council 8.

How gateways connect to providers

A 2020 GSMA industry report describes three models for linking providers to government systems 5. It says Rwanda routes online and offline payments through an aggregated gateway that links financial institutions 5. It says Cambodia built a standard API for providers and banks 5.

For Rwanda, the report gives 98 non-fiscal services from 19 ministries and agencies on IremboGov in January 2020. Online payments were 80 percent of transactions, and mobile money was 55 percent of online payments 5.

What auditors have found

The Controller and Auditor General of Tanzania reported on 30 March 2026 that several public bodies' systems were not integrated with GePG 6. The report named the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation, the National Food Reserve Agency, Kilimanjaro Airports Development Company and the Tanzania Coffee Board 6.

At Kilimanjaro Airports Development Company, the report said, staff had to step in manually to generate control numbers before payments were processed 6. The report said manual processes raise the risk of revenue leakage 6.

Common questions

Is a payment gateway the same as a treasury single account?

No. The IMF defines a TSA as a structure of government bank accounts 4. GePG describes itself as a system connected to collection channels 1.

Who runs Tanzania's GePG?

The page says the government implemented GePG through the Ministry of Finance and Planning 1.

Can I pay a government bill by card through a gateway?

GePG lists online card payments with Visa and Mastercard 2. India's portal lists credit and debit cards 3.

How does a bank or mobile operator join GePG?

It writes to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Planning and signs a standard contract after procurement 2.

Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@revenuecollectionexplained.org.

Sources

  1. Ministry of Finance, Tanzania: About GePG (accessed 24 October 2026)
  2. Ministry of Finance, Tanzania: GePG frequently asked questions (accessed 24 October 2026)
  3. Controller General of Accounts, Government of India: Non-Tax Receipt Portal (accessed 24 October 2026)
  4. IMF Fiscal Affairs Department: Treasury Single Account, Technical Notes and Manuals 11/04, by Sailendra Pattanayak and Israel Fainboim (August 2011)
  5. GSMA, industry association report: Digitalising person-to-government payments, by Nicolas Fichers and Lamia Naji (October 2020)
  6. National Audit Office of Tanzania: Annual Report of the Controller and Auditor General on the Audit of Information Systems, FY 2024/25 (30 March 2026)
  7. Ministry of Finance and Planning, Tanzania: Mwongozo ya Namna ya Kuandaa Ankara, Kufanya Malipo na Risiti za GePG, guide to preparing GePG bills, making payments and GePG receipts, version 1.0 (undated, posted January 2020)
  8. Atomic Energy Council, Uganda: Making Payment through the URA Portal (19 April 2023)

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