Applied Pay review for insurance agencies: fees, deposits and agency system connections
Applied Pay is the payment tool built into Applied Epic, EZLynx and the Applied CSR24 client portal. Clients pay by card, ACH, digital wallet, text link or mailed check, and card payments reach your bank account the next day.
It fits agencies already on an Applied system. Applied sales quotes the subscription, and clients pay a convenience fee on each payment unless you lower it.
- Best for
- Agencies on Applied Epic or EZLynx that want payments to land on the client account without retyping
- Type
- Payment module inside an agency system
- Monthly price
- Quote only, from Applied sales
- Applied's charge
- 3.5% on cards and $4 on ACH, from Applied's setup guide
- Who pays fees
- The client by default. If you lower or waive the client fee, the agency pays the rest from its deposit
- Deposits
- Next day for card payments
- Agency systems
- Applied Epic, EZLynx and Applied CSR24
- Premium finance
- AFCO Direct, FIRST Insurance Funding and Imperial PFS (IPFS) at checkout
Our take
Applied Pay makes the most sense for an agency on Applied Epic or EZLynx. Staff send a link from the client account, and the payment lands back on that account or invoice without retyping.
Clients pay the convenience fee by default. Lower or waive it and the agency pays the difference, so set the fees with that in mind.
It works only with Applied Epic and EZLynx. An agency on another system, including Applied's own AMS360, should ask Applied first.
Pros
- Payments post to the client account in Epic and the invoice in EZLynx
- Cards, ACH, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Pay by Text in one checkout
- Clients sign a premium finance agreement at checkout with AFCO Direct, FIRST Insurance Funding or Imperial PFS (IPFS)
- Mailed checks go to a lockbox, a bank address that opens and scans them, and post to Epic
- Autopay by account, policy or invoice
- Next-day deposits on card payments
Cons
- Works only with Applied Epic and EZLynx, with clients paying through their portals. Ask Applied about AMS360
- The subscription price is a quote from Applied sales
- The services agreement isn't published
- Premium finance setup is documented only for Epic
Plans and fees
- How it's priced
- An agency subscription quoted by Applied sales, plus a charge on each payment
- In EZLynx
- Applied Pay is an upgrade to your EZLynx package
Fees on each payment
| Fee | Amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Card payment, credit or debit | 3.5% of the payment | The client, as a convenience fee you can lower or waive. The agency pays whatever the client doesn't |
| ACH payment | $4 a payment | The client, as a convenience fee you can lower or waive. The agency pays whatever the client doesn't |
| Premium finance at checkout | 0.5% of the financed amount when the loan is booked. Nothing on the down payment | The agency, or the client through a higher loan rate |
Card and ACH charges are from Applied's 2023 setup guide. Applied's help center, checked October 2026, gives the same amounts as the most you can charge clients. The finance fee is from Applied's 2024 finance brochure.
Good to know before you buy
- You can waive the client fee for some payment methods and keep it on others.
- You can make clients confirm the card fee on payments above an amount you set. The lowest you can set is $1,000.
- Epic records the premium payment only. The client's fee isn't part of that amount.
- An agency can run more than one merchant account.
Where the money goes
- Merchant account
- Your own Applied Pay merchant account, under the services agreement you sign
- Application review
- Applied reviews the application itself, in up to 3 business days
- Where deposits go
- The bank account you enter when you register
- How fast
- Next day for card payments. Checks sent to the lockbox are available in 1 to 2 business days
- Trust or operating account
- You name the account, and you can run several merchant accounts
- Split funding
- Yes, into more than one account
Lowering the client fee doesn't lower the charge. Applied takes 3.5% on card payments and $4 on ACH from your deposit when the payment settles. If you lower or waive the client's convenience fee, your agency pays the difference.
Ways clients can pay
Accepted
- Credit and debit cards
- ACH bank transfer
- Apple Pay and Google Pay
- Paper checks mailed to Applied's lockbox
- Premium finance at checkout
Payment links, portal and autopay
- How you request payment
- Email or copy a payment link, send Pay by Text or take a payment on the spot from the client account in Epic. Epic invoice emails can carry a pay link
- Client portal
- Applied CSR24 for Epic agencies and EZLynx Client Center for EZLynx agencies
- Autopay
- By account, policy or invoice, with reminders and confirmations
- Saved payment methods
- Clients can save a card or bank account
- Several invoices
- Clients can pay several invoices at once or pay on account
- Branding
- Checkout carries your agency's branding
Agency system connections
| Connects to | Type | How | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Epic | Agency system | Built in | Staff take payments from the client account. Each payment files on that account, and link payments apply to the matching charge |
| EZLynx | Agency system | Built in | You tag invoices and send them for payment. The payment status comes back to the invoice |
| Applied CSR24 | Client portal | Built in | Clients pay in the portal, and the credit applies to their Epic account |
| EZLynx Client Center | Client portal | Built in | Clients pay EZLynx invoices in the portal |
| AFCO Direct, FIRST Insurance Funding and Imperial PFS | Premium finance companies | Built in | Finance agreement and down payment at checkout |
| Integrated Lockbox | Check lockbox | Built in | Scans and deposits mailed checks and posts them to Epic |
Every connection Applied lists is to Epic, EZLynx, their client portals or these finance companies. An agency on AMS360 or another system should ask Applied before buying.
Posting and reconciliation
In Epic, each payment is recorded on the client's account, and a payment made from a link clears the matching charge. In EZLynx, the payment status returns to the invoice so it reconciles.
- Checks
- Lockbox checks create and reconcile the transaction in Epic and keep an image of the check
- Reports
- A daily balance dashboard, payout details and batch reconciliation emails in the Applied Pay portal
- Export
- Transactions export from the Applied Pay portal
Refunds, chargebacks and returns
- Refunds
- Full or partial, from the Applied Pay portal
- Chargebacks
- Email notices, and a chargeback view for staff with the Accounting role
- Returned ACH
- Returns and payments that bounce for insufficient funds show in the Accounting role's ACH sections
- Posting back to Epic
- Optional. Applied Pay can add a charge back to the client's Epic account for returns, chargebacks and bounced payments
Premium finance
- Lenders
- AFCO Direct, FIRST Insurance Funding and Imperial PFS. An agency can use up to three
- How it works at checkout
- The client signs the finance agreement and pays the down payment in the same checkout
- In Epic
- With auto-finance on, Epic applies the down payment, moves the financed balance to the finance company's account and attaches the agreement to the client
- Fee
- 0.5% of the financed amount, paid by the agency or added to the client's loan rate
- Who is the lender
- The finance company
- Changes and cancellations
- Changes to the agreement go through the finance company. If the client cancels, you can void or refund the down payment
Getting started
Talk to Applied sales
Get the subscription price and a copy of the services agreement.
Register from your agency system
Start in Epic, Applied CSR24 or EZLynx Client Center. Name an owner and the person who signs.
Add your bank account
Use a voided check or a bank letter. Then sign the agreement and fill in the PCI questionnaire.
Wait for approval
Applied reviews the application, which can take up to three business days.
Set your fees and send a link
Choose the client fees for each payment method, then send your first link from the client account.
Registration and checkout run in a web browser.
Security and PCI
Security
- Sensitive data is encrypted, and card numbers are swapped for stand-in codes
- Applied Pay handles the card industry (PCI) and bank transfer (NACHA) rules
- Bank accounts are checked as clients pay
What the agency must do
- Fill in a PCI questionnaire when you register
- Verify your bank account with a voided check or bank letter
Contract and your data
- Agreement
- The Applied Pay services agreement, signed during registration
- Your data
- Export your transactions from the Applied Pay portal
Applied Pay alternatives
- ePayPolicy$25 or $50 a monthWorks with Epic plus AMS360, HawkSoft and Momentum
- AndDoneNo monthly fee. Card and ACH rates by custom quoteIPFS financing with pay in full and AMS360 receipt posting
- InsurePayQuote onlyPays carriers electronically and sends premium refunds to clients
- Input 1$20 a month under $1,000 in payments, then no monthly feeFor HawkSoft and Momentum agencies, with its own finance company
See every option in insurance payment processing.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Applied Pay cost?
Applied sales quotes the subscription. Applied's setup guide puts its charge at 3.5% on cards and $4 on ACH, which clients pay by default.
What happens if I waive the client fee?
The agency pays it instead, out of its deposit.
Does Applied Pay work with EZLynx?
Yes. You send EZLynx invoices for payment and the status comes back to the invoice.
How fast does Applied Pay deposit?
Card payments arrive the next day.
Does Applied Pay offer premium finance?
Yes, through AFCO Direct, FIRST Insurance Funding and Imperial PFS at checkout.
How we researched this review. We based this review on the terms and product pages published by Applied Pay, reviewed in October 2026, together with our team's experience working with insurance agents and agency owners since 2008.
Corrections
Vendors change their pricing all the time and they don't email us when they do. So if you see a price on here that's gone up, a plan Applied Pay quit selling or a contract term that reads different now, let us know and send the link to the page where Applied Pay has it. Somebody here pulls up that page and checks it before we change anything on ours.