Glossary of e-Services terms
This glossary provides definitions to certain terms as they are used with regard to Florida's e-Services for tax and other state remittances.
| Term | Related to | Definition |
| ACH | Electronic payment | Automated Clearing House - a nationwide payment and collection system which provides for the distribution and settlement of electronic financial transactions. In the ACH network, debits and credits are cleared electronically rather than through the physical movement of checks. |
| ACH-Credit | Electronic payment | One of two different electronic payment types. Use ACH-Credit to tell your bank how much money and when to send it to the Department to pay your taxes. |
| ACH-Debit | Electronic payment | One of two different electronic payment types. Use ACH-Debit to tell the Department how much money and when to take it from your bank account to pay your taxes. |
| Addendum | Electronic payment | A record that accompanies an ACH-Credit payment that identifies the payer and what the payment is for. |
| ANSI | Taxpayer-developed software (EDI, MMREF, X12) | American National Standards Institute - A non-profit, privately funded organization that coordinates the development of voluntary national standards. The Institute, supported by over 1,000 companies, 250 technical, trade, labor, and consumer organizations, and some 30 government agencies encourage accredited organizations to develop standards and approves those developed under a consensus process as American National Standards. |
| ANSI Standard | Taxpayer-developed software (EDI, MMREF, X12) | A set of rules governing the structure of data in a message format for the exchange of business and operational information. Each ANSI standard is developed by an ASC X12 committee and adopted by the full X12 committee through consensus process of public announcement and review. |
| BSWA SecureNet | Software | See SecureNet. |
| Communication functionality | Software | The features of file-and-pay software that enable the taxpayer to automatically transmit, using the tools within the software, tax return, report and/or payment files to the Department electronically. Taxpayers who use their software's communication features to transmit file(s) do not need to use SecureNet. |
| Credit | Electronic payment | Term associated with ACH-Credit. The action taken when the taxpayer's bank transfers a tax payment to the Department's bank account; the Department's account is credited. |
| Data element | Taxpayer-developed software (EDI, MMREF, X12) | The smallest discrete item of information in an electronic data interchange (EDI) transaction set. A data element may be single-character codes, literal descriptions, or numeric values. Analogous to a "field" in a "record." |
| Data element length | Taxpayer-developed software (EDI, MMREF, X12) | This is the range, minimum, of the number of character positions available to represent the value of a data element. A data element may be of variable length with range from minimum to maximum (1/15), or it may be of fixed length in which the minimum is equal to the maximum (15/15). |
| Data element name | Taxpayer-developed software (EDI, MMREF, X12) | A non-numeric name, such as "tax number," "applied period," or "payment type" for a data element that may be used for dictionary look-up. |
| Data element number | Taxpayer-developed software (EDI, MMREF, X12) | A numeric code identifying a data element, which may be used for a dictionary look-up. |
| Data element separator | Taxpayer-developed software (EDI, MMREF, X12) | A unique character preceding every data element that is used to delimit data elements within a data segment. |
| Data element type | Taxpayer-developed software (EDI, MMREF, X12) | A data element may be one of six types: numeric, decimal, identifier, string, date, or time. |
| Debit | Electronic payment | Term associated with ACH-Debit. The action taken when the Department's bank withdraws a tax payment from the taxpayer's bank account; the taxpayer's account is debited. |
| Dial-up | Software | The file transmission method that uses a computer's modem to send tax return, report and/or payment files to the Department's EDI service provider. This method should only be used by taxpayers who do not have Internet access on their computer. |
| EDI | Taxpayer-developed software (EDI, MMREF, X12) | Electronic Data Interchange - the electronic transfer of data in a standard format (based on the ANSI X12 standard). EDI software translates your tax data into a standard EDI format to be transmitted to the Department of Revenue for processing. |
| EFT | Electronic payment | Electronic Funds Transfer - the transfer of funds between bank accounts by electronic means. Electronic funds transfer is the term used to describe any transfer of funds initiated through an electronic terminal, telephone, or computer. When you pay your tax using EFT, funds are electronically transferred from your bank account to the Department's bank account. |
| EFTPS | Electronic payment | Electronic Federal Tax Payment System - This term and system refer to payment of FEDERAL taxes only. This is the federal government's electronic tax collection system for the payment of business and individual taxes. |
| Electronic application | e-Services general information | An interactive program developed by the Department and maintained on its web site. Includes tax registration, e-Services enrollment, file and pay. |
| Encryption | Security | The process of protecting information as it moves from one computer to another. Passing through a complex mathematical process (an encryption algorithm), the information is encoded before it is sent and decoded with a secret key when it is received. Without this key, the information is undecipherable. Computers use a binary number, usually 40- to 128-bits in length, as the key. The larger the key, the more difficult it is to break the encryption and decipher the message in transit. In other words, encryption is a way of making data unreadable to everyone except the receiver. |
| e-pay | Electronic payment | Electronic payment of taxes and/or fees. |
| Fed Wire | Electronic payment | Federal Wire - Use of Fed Wire transfers for tax payments to the Department is only allowed in emergency situations. Taxpayers are responsible for all associated costs. |
| FEIN | Taxpayer general information | Federal Employer Identification Number - issued by the United States Internal Revenue Service |
| File conversion utility | Taxpayer-developed software (EDI, MMREF, X12) | Programs whose purpose is to change a file from one format to another. The Department provides a file conversion utility for both communications services tax and unemployment tax. These utilities convert spreadsheet or database files into the required format for filing tax returns. |
| File transmission methods | Software | The Department prescribes three methods for taxpayers to send their tax return, report and/or payment files electronically. The three methods are Dial-up, HTTPS(SecureNet), and FTP. |
| FTP | Taxpayer-developed software (EDI, MMREF, X12) | File Transfer Protocol - Rules determining the format and transmission of data that allow users to copy files between their local system and any system they can reach on a network. |
| Functional Acknowledgment (FA) | Taxpayer-developed software (EDI, MMREF, X12) | A transaction set (997) transmitted by the receiver of an EDI transmission to the sender, indicating receipts and syntactical acceptability of data transmitted according to the ASC X12 standards. The functional acknowledgment allows the receiving party to report back to the sending party problems encountered by the syntax analyzer as the data is interpreted. It is not intended to serve as an acknowledgment of data content. |
| IE | DOR Internet file-and-pay | Microsoft Internet Explorer - A web browser used to navigate the World Wide Web (Internet). A web browser is required to use the Department's electronic applications. |
| Initiate (payment) | Electronic payment | The act of authorizing an electronic payment. |
| Initiation date | Electronic payment | Date on which an electronic payment is authorized by the taxpayer. For ACH-Debit payments, the initiation date should be no later than 5:00 PM, ET, on the banking business day before the return and payment due date. For ACH-Credit payments, contact your bank for specific requirements. |
| Internet file and pay | DOR Internet file-and-pay | Use of the Department's Internet site to submit a tax return and a payment. |
| ISP | DOR Internet file-and-pay | Internet Service Provider - A company that provides users access to the Internet. Before you can connect to the Net, you must first establish an account with an ISP. For a monthly fee, the Internet Service Provider gives you a software package, a username, a password, and an access phone number. Once you install the software on your computer and go through the registration process, you'll be able to navigate (surf) the Web, send e-mail, chat, and read newsgroups, among many other things. |
| IVR | Electronic payment | Interactive Voice Response - a computerized telephone system offered by the Department that allows a caller to respond to prompts to make a tax payment. |
| MMREF | Taxpayer-developed software (EDI, MMREF, X12) | Magnetic Media Reporting and Electronic Filing format; this is the prescribed format for transmitting to the Department the unemployment tax employer's quarterly report. |
| NACHA | Electronic payment | National Automated Clearing House Association - The banking trade association responsible for developing and maintaining rules for the ACH Network. |
| Obligated agent | e-Services general information | A company or person who prepared and reported unemployment tax on behalf of 100 or more employers during the prior state fiscal year (July 1 through June 30). These entities are required to electronically file the Employers Quarterly Report (Form UCT-6) for each employer. |
| Obligated taxpayer | e-Services general information | An obligated taxpayer is required to file and/or pay tax electronically. Generally, if the taxpayer paid in excess of $20,000 during the prior state fiscal year (July 1 through June 30), or files a consolidated return, they are required to file and/or pay tax electronically. For unemployment tax, employers who paid tax for ten or more employees during any calendar quarter of the prior state fiscal year are required to file and pay the tax electronically. Persons who prepared and reported unemployment tax on behalf of 100 or more employers during the prior state fiscal year are required to file the quarterly reports electronically. |
| Password | e-Services general information | A combination of letters and/or numbers which, when used with a User ID, verifies the identity of an enrolled taxpayer upon entry to an electronic file and pay system. |
| Payment processor | Electronic payment | The part of the Department's bank that accepts a taxpayer's electronic payment instructions and presents the instructions to the Federal Reserve to make the appropriate withdrawal from the taxpayer's bank or credit card account. |
| Payment warehousing | Electronic payment | A method by which taxpayers may send their electronic payment and return early. DOR will not withdraw the payment from the taxpayer's bank account until the date specified by the taxpayer. |
| PIN | Security | Personal Identification Number: PINs are commonly assigned to bank customers for use with automatic cash dispensers. They are also used for individual access to computer networks or other secure systems. |
| PTIN | Taxpayer general information | Preparer Taxpayer Identification Number - issued by the United States Internal Revenue Service |
| Recovery ID | e-Services general information | A number assigned to users of the Department's electronic applications (for example, tax registration, e-Services enrollment, intangible tax file and pay). This number, paired with another identifying number, allows the user to return to an unfinished session should they not be able to complete it in one sitting. |
| SecureNet(HTTPS) | Software | The file transmission method that uses a secure Internet (HTTPS) communication system which enables taxpayers to transmit tax return, report and/or payment files to the Department electronically. SecureNet is managed by BSWA, the Department's EDI service provider.
Taxpayers who develop their own filing software to generate return, report and/or payment files will use SecureNet or FTP as their method to transmit their return, report and/or payment files. |
| Security | Security | See Disclaimer, Security Statement, Privacy Statement and Conditions of Use. |
| Settlement date | Electronic payment | Date on which an electronic payment is transferred from the taxpayer's bank account and is deposited into the Department's bank account. See Initiation date. |
| Software file and pay | Commercial Software | Using commercial software vendors' products to file a tax return and make a payment |
| SSN | Taxpayer general information | Social Security Number - issued by the United States Social Security Administration |
| Telefile | Telephone | An interactive computer program that allows eligible individuals to electronically file their tax return using a touch-tone telephone. |
| Touchtone payment | Electronic payment | The initiation of an electronic tax payment using a touchtone telephone. |
| Transmit | e-Services general information | To electronically send data from one point to another. |
| User ID | e-Services general information | A combination of letters and/or numbers that identifies an enrolled taxpayer using a particular electronic application. To log into a file and pay system, you need a User ID and a Password. |
| User Information | e-Services general information | General term for User ID and Password, or User ID and Passcode |
| Version/Release | Taxpayer-developed software (EDI, MMREF, X12) | Identifies the publication of the standard being used for the generation or the interpretation of data in the X12 standard format. The version/release being utilized in a transmission is identified in the Functional Group Header Segment (GS) and the Interchange Control Header Segment (ISA), e.g., 3070 (1997 release). |
| Voluntary taxpayer | e-Services general information | A taxpayer who is not obligated to file and/or pay tax electronically, but chooses to do so. |
| Waived taxpayer | e-Services general information | A taxpayer who is obligated to file and/or pay electronically, but because of special circumstances has been given permission by the Department to file returns on paper. |
| Waiver | e-Services general information | Permission granted by the Department allowing an obligated taxpayer to file paper returns for a specified period of time. To request a waiver, the taxpayer must submit a completed Request for Waiver from Electronic Filing (Form DR-654) along with their completed Enrollment and Authorization for e-Services Program (Form DR-600) to the Department. |
| Warehouse (payments) | Electronic payment | See Payment warehousing. |
| X12 | Taxpayer-developed software (EDI, MMREF, X12) | The American equivalent of UN/EDIFACT and various other national and industry EDI messaging protocols. |
| X12.5 Interchange Control Structure | Taxpayer-developed software (EDI, MMREF, X12) | This standard provides the interchange envelope of a header and trailer for electronic interchange through a data transmission and provides a structure to acknowledge the receipt and processing of this envelope. |
| X12.6 Application Control Structure | Taxpayer-developed software (EDI, MMREF, X12) | This standard describes the control segments used to envelop loops of data segments, to envelop transaction sets, and to envelop groups of related transaction sets. |
| Zero return | e-Services general information | A tax return filed when no tax is due |
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