Fee-Free Assessment Payments Under WUCIOA
As of January 1, 2026, associations must offer at least one method for homeowners to pay assessments without incurring a service fee. This provision was included in the SB 5129 acceleration of WUCIOA requirements.
The law does not prohibit offering payment methods that carry fees such as credit card payments with processing charges. It requires that at least one fee-free option exists. Homeowners must have a path to pay their full assessment amount without any portion going to processing fees, convenience fees, or service charges.
What This Means for Your Board
Many HOAs have historically offered online payment through services that pass credit card processing fees through to homeowners. Under WUCIOA, this is fine as long as it is not the only option. The compliant approach is a fee absorption model where the HOA absorbs any processing costs so the homeowner pays exactly the assessment amount with nothing added.
How My HOA Voice Handles This
My HOA Voice uses Stripe Connect and supports both compliant approaches. Boards can absorb processing fees on any payment method so homeowners pay their exact assessment amount, or accept physical checks at no processing cost. Card payments are available at 3.4% + $0.30 per transaction (absorbed by the HOA). Recurring assessment schedules reduce collection overhead.