District of Columbia payment service provider bonds.
From $100.
A taxicab payment service provider (PSP) needs approval from the Department of For-Hire Vehicles (DFHV) to process in-vehicle payments, and 31 DCMR § 403.3 requires a surcharge bond with the application. DFHV’s application has called for a $100,000 bond payable to the D.C. Treasurer. The premium is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum.
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How much does a District of Columbia payment service provider bond cost?
1% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
The surcharge bond is a checklist attachment, not an underwriting project. Enter your amount, pay, and attach it to the application. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your company details, the bond amount DFHV requires, and an effective date that lines up with the licensing period. That is the application.
Issued
No credit check up to $10,000, and most applications approve instantly. Your executed bond and power of attorney are generated as soon as you pay.
File with DFHV
Attach the executed bond to your PSP/MTS application or renewal. DFHV takes applications on paper, so we mail the wet-ink original whenever you need it.
What it is and who needs it.
What the surcharge bond actually guarantees
Chapter 4 of Title 31 DCMR governs taxicab payment service providers — the companies that supply and support the modern taximeter systems District taxicabs are required to run. Approval of a PSP’s MTS is what gives the company its operating authority, and § 403.3 requires each application to be made under penalty of perjury and to arrive with a $1,000 application fee and a surcharge bond. The rules define a surcharge bond plainly: a bond payable to the D.C. Treasurer for the purpose of securing the payment of passenger surcharges to the District.
That is the money the bond stands behind. A PSP collects the passenger surcharge — currently 25 cents per trip — as an authorized additional charge on every taxicab trip, and must remit it to the D.C. Treasurer at the end of each seven-day period with an emailed report certifying the payment. If a discrepancy over surcharges owed cannot be resolved within 30 days, § 408.15(d) lets the Office make a claim directly against the surcharge bond. It is not insurance for the PSP: if the surety pays, the PSP repays the surety.
The bond outlives the license by a year. DFHV’s published PSP/MTS application has required an original surety bond of $100,000 payable to the D.C. Treasurer, effective during the licensing period and for one year thereafter, on the department’s own bond form, and the form permits cancellation only on 60 days’ written notice to DFHV by registered or certified mail. Under § 408.15(e) the bond is returned within 30 days after the business loses its operating authority — but not while a surcharge discrepancy is open. Renewal applications are due at least 60 days before the MTS approval expires, with a $1,000 late fee after that.
You need this bond if you are
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with DFHV. Attach the executed bond to your PSP/MTS application or renewal. DFHV takes applications on paper, so we mail the wet-ink original whenever you need it.
What sets the price
The premium is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
No credit check up to $10,000. Above that, the carrier may run a soft pull, which never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields — your company details, the bond amount DFHV requires, and an effective date. No credit check up to $10,000. Above that, the carrier may run a soft pull, which never affects your score.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other District of Columbia bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Attach the surcharge bond and file with DFHV.
From $100, no credit check up to $10,000, and the bond issues as soon as you pay. Enter the amount DFHV requires and keep the application moving. Free until issued.