Runbook: Manual Payment Workflow (Staff Guide)

Last updated: March 6, 2026 · Applies to: Howard County Permitting

Overview

Some permit fees cannot be calculated at application submission time — they require staff review first. This runbook covers how to collect those fees after the fact using GovAssist's manual payment workflow.

How it works:

Staff reviews the application and determines the fee owed
Staff enters the amount in the Manual Fee Amount field on the permit record
GovAssist automatically emails the applicant a secure payment link
The applicant clicks the link and pays through Govolution (credit/debit card)
Payment is recorded against the permit record and visible to staff

Common use cases: Building permit fees based on construction value, grading fees based on square footage, and any fee that cannot be pre-calculated at submission.

Fee Types — Quick Reference

Fee Type	When to Use	How It Works
Filing Fee (static)	Flat fee at application submission	Pre-configured in Fee Definition; appears automatically on the application form
Technology Fee	Percentage added to total	Configured in the payment component; added automatically at checkout
Manual Fee (dynamic)	Post-review fees determined by staff	Staff enters amount in `Manual Fee Amount` field; triggers payment email automatically
Calculated Fee	Formula-based fees (square footage tiers, valuation)	Configured in Fee Definition using calculation rules

Step-by-Step: Collecting a Manual Fee

Open the permit record

Navigate to the permit or license entity in GovAssist and open the specific record.

Confirm the application has been reviewed and is ready for fee collection before proceeding.

Determine the fee amount

Calculate the fee using the Howard County fee schedule.

If the record has a formula display field, it will show the calculated amount for your reference
If no formula field exists, calculate manually using the fee schedule

Have the amount ready before you open the record for editing — entering the fee immediately triggers the payment email.

Enter the fee

Locate the Manual Fee Amount field on the permit record
Enter the dollar amount (numbers only — do not include a $ symbol)
Click Save

Saving the Manual Fee Amount field triggers the payment email immediately. Do not enter an amount until you are ready to send the payment request to the applicant. Confirm the applicant has a valid email address on file before saving.

Automation sends the payment link

Once Manual Fee Amount is saved, GovAssist automatically:

Generates a secure payment form link tied to this specific permit record
Emails the applicant at the email address on file
Embeds the record ID in the link so payment is applied to the correct permit

No further action is required from staff at this step.

If the applicant has no email address on file, the automation fires but delivery will fail silently. Always verify contact information before entering the fee.

Applicant completes payment

The applicant clicks the link in their email and:

Is taken to the citizen portal (they may need to log in)
A payment form opens, pre-loaded for their permit record
The fee amount pulls dynamically from the Manual Fee Amount field
They pay through Govolution (credit/debit card)
Govolution sends a payment confirmation text if a phone number is on file

Confirm payment received

Staff can verify payment from any of these four locations:

Location	How to Access
Payment field on record	Open the permit record — the payment field shows status and amount
Payment history (grid view)	In the entity grid, click the 3-dot menu on the record row
Invoices tab	Open the record and navigate to the Invoices section in the record header
RCS — Invoices	Top nav → Invoices section → find the record's invoice → click View to download PDF

Updating a Fee After the Initial Request

To correct or change the fee after the initial payment email was sent:

Open the permit record
Update the Manual Fee Amount field with the new amount
Click Save

The automation fires again and sends a new payment email with the updated amount and a fresh payment link.

If the applicant already paid the original amount, coordinate with them directly before changing the fee. Updating the field will trigger a new payment request for the revised amount.

Processing Refunds

Govolution does not process refunds automatically. All refunds must be handled through Howard County Finance externally.

Flag the record for refund

Open the permit record
Set the Payment Status field to Refund Needed
Click Save

Coordinate with Finance

Contact Howard County Finance to issue the refund externally through Govolution or the appropriate payment channel.

Mark refund complete

Once Finance confirms the refund has been processed:

Open the permit record
Set Payment Status to Refunded
Click Save

Records marked Refunded are excluded from revenue reporting. Do not set this status until the refund has actually been issued.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Likely Cause	Action
Applicant did not receive the payment email	No email on file, or email went to spam	Verify the applicant's email address on the record; ask them to check their spam folder
Payment link opens the wrong record	Record ID mismatch in the URL	Contact AutoBridge — the automation URL may need correction
Payment form shows the wrong amount	`Manual Fee Amount` field was updated after the initial send	Re-enter the correct amount and save — a new email sends automatically
Payment shows "pending" after applicant paid	Govolution processing delay	Wait 5–10 minutes; if still unresolved, contact Govolution support
Applicant cannot log in to the citizen portal	Account issue	Direct the applicant to the citizen portal login page — they can reset their password there
Email did not send after saving `Manual Fee Amount`	Automation may be inactive or misconfigured	Check the Automation Builder for the Manual Fee Payment automation; confirm it is published and active

Which Entities Have This Workflow?

The manual payment automation is replicated across entities that collect post-review fees:

Entity	Automation Status
Master Building Permit	Built and active
Master Trades Permits	Replicate from Master Building Permit
Master License	Replicate from Master Building Permit
Master Enforcement	Confirm with team if fees apply
Animal License (×3)	Replicate from Master Building Permit

If a new entity needs this workflow, replicate the automation from the Master Building Permit reference implementation (see Related Resources below).

Related Resources

Entity & Field Reference (coming soon) — field definitions including Manual Fee Amount and Payment Status
Troubleshooting Automations — general automation troubleshooting guide
HoCo Automation Inventory — full list of configured automations including the Manual Fee Payment automation (ID: 6985e70ec7cf88cce6917ce2)
Fee Methods Overview — how all fee types work in GovAssist