The short answer
DC TREASURER most likely is a payment to the Government of the District of Columbia. DC agencies including the DMV, the Office of Administrative Hearings and the Central Collection Unit tell people to make payments payable to DC Treasurer, but none of the pages reviewed here shows how card payments appear on a bank statement. Start by looking for a DC ticket, DMV fee or other District notice paid around that date, and remember that DC DMV adds a 2.5 percent service fee to card payments.
Why DC TREASURER points to the District government
DC DMV lists money orders and verified checks payable to DC Treasurer, and its ticket page tells people paying by mail to make the check or money order payable to the DC Treasurer with the ticket number in the memo line. The Office of Administrative Hearings gives the same payee name for fines from several agencies, including Public Works, Buildings, Licensing and Consumer Protection, Energy and Environment, and Metro Transit Police notices. The Central Collection Unit, part of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer's Office of Finance and Treasury, refers to debit and credit card chargebacks on a payment to the DC Treasurer.
Online routes differ by agency. DC DMV takes parking, photo enforcement and minor moving violation payments on its website and mobile app by Mastercard, Visa, Discover or American Express, and by phone at (866) 893-5023. The OAH page lists other online payment sites for some agencies, such as a Paymentus link for Public Works fines and paymentportal.dc.gov for Buildings and Licensing and Consumer Protection fines. These pages do not say which route shows DC TREASURER on a card statement.
Sources for this section: DC DMV: Pay tickets · DC DMV: Accepted forms of payment · DC Office of Administrative Hearings: Pay a fine · DC OCFO: Central Collection Unit. See the claim limits below.
Match the amount to a ticket or fee
Since December 15, 2025, DC DMV has added a 2.5 percent service fee to all debit and credit card transactions made online, in the mobile app and in person, so a DMV card payment can be slightly higher than the fine or fee itself. DMV also says the ACH and electronic check option was temporarily removed from online and app transactions on April 19, 2026.
DMV asks for the ticket number when you pay online and in the memo line when you pay by mail, so the ticket number is the easiest way to tie a payment to a notice. If you have more than one outstanding ticket and pay by mail without a ticket number, DMV applies the payment to the oldest ticket first.
Older debts can be paid elsewhere. The Central Collection Unit collects many non-tax District debts that are more than 90 days delinquent and referred to it, using the collection vendor Harris & Harris. CCU says payments on its installment agreements go through Harris & Harris and are withdrawn automatically by debit or credit card. CCU's main number is (202) 727-0771.
Can I still contest a DC ticket after paying it?
No, according to DC DMV. Once a ticket is paid you can no longer contest it, so DMV advises not to pay if you intend to contest.
Sources for this section: DC DMV: Pay tickets · DC DMV: Accepted forms of payment · DC OCFO: Central Collection Unit · DC OCFO: CCU frequently asked questions. See the claim limits below.
Before you reverse a card payment
DC DMV warns that if you pay a ticket by credit card and later reverse the payment, the notice of infraction is processed as if no payment was received. That can lead to a default judgment, the ticket being sent to collections and losing the ability to pay future tickets by credit or debit card. CCU adds that a returned payment to the DC Treasurer carries a $65 returned-payment fee, after which payments must be made by money order or cashier's check. If you recognize the ticket or fee but think the amount is wrong, raise it with the agency that issued it.
If nothing in your records matches and you did not authorize the payment, contact your card issuer promptly. The OCC's HelpWithMyBank site says prompt notice helps limit your liability for unauthorized credit card charges and that the bank must report the results of its investigation within two complete billing cycles or 90 days, whichever is less.
Sources for this section: DC DMV: Pay tickets · DC OCFO: Central Collection Unit · OCC HelpWithMyBank: unauthorized charges on a credit card. See the claim limits below.
Independent reference — not affiliated with Government of the District of Columbia. Billing names and policies change; verify with the merchant or your bank before acting.
Sources and evidence
Sources may support different parts of this page. A company homepage does not establish a statement descriptor, refund policy or contact detail. Check the claim notes and your own receipt before acting.
Descriptor identity corroborated · Checked 2026-11-01
Replaced two root-domain sources with two DC DMV pages, the OAH Pay a Fine page, two OCFO Central Collection Unit pages and an OCC page. Removed the unsupported claim that OCFO consolidates all payments under this descriptor, the camera-ticket and tax examples presented as most common, the unsupported boot and tow FAQ, the generic convenience-fee answer, the generic statement filler, cancelSteps, the vague refund window and the fraudRisk verdict. Added DMV's 2.5 percent card fee, the card-reversal warning and the CCU returned-payment fee. Identity is corroborated by the payee name; the exact card statement wording is unconfirmed.
- DC DMV, OAH and the OCFO Central Collection Unit use DC Treasurer as the payee name for District payments, and CCU refers to card chargebacks on payments to the DC Treasurer.
No reviewed page shows DC TREASURER as the text on a card or bank statement, or says which agencies' card payments carry it.
Sources: DC DMV: Pay tickets (checked 2026-11-01) · DC DMV: Accepted forms of payment (checked 2026-11-01) · DC Office of Administrative Hearings: Pay a fine (checked 2026-11-01) · DC OCFO: Central Collection Unit (checked 2026-11-01) - DC DMV accepts card payments online, in the app and by phone; OAH lists different online payment sites for some agencies.
The pages do not map payment routes to statement descriptors.
Sources: DC DMV: Pay tickets (checked 2026-11-01) · DC Office of Administrative Hearings: Pay a fine (checked 2026-11-01) - DC DMV's 2.5 percent card service fee, the ACH removal, the ticket-number requirement, the oldest-ticket-first rule and that paid tickets cannot be contested.
The service fee is documented for DMV transactions only.
Sources: DC DMV: Pay tickets (checked 2026-11-01) · DC DMV: Accepted forms of payment (checked 2026-11-01) - CCU collects referred non-tax debts over 90 days delinquent through Harris & Harris, installment payments are drafted by card, and CCU can be reached at (202) 727-0771.
Does not say how Harris & Harris card drafts are labeled on statements.
Sources: DC OCFO: Central Collection Unit (checked 2026-11-01) · DC OCFO: CCU frequently asked questions (checked 2026-11-01) - DC DMV's warning about reversed card payments and CCU's $65 returned-payment fee and payment restrictions.
Describes District policies, not the outcome of any specific dispute.
Sources: DC DMV: Pay tickets (checked 2026-11-01) · DC OCFO: Central Collection Unit (checked 2026-11-01) - Report unauthorized credit card charges to the bank promptly; the bank must investigate within two billing cycles or 90 days.
General OCC guidance for OCC-regulated banks; no outcome for a specific charge.
Sources: OCC HelpWithMyBank: unauthorized charges on a credit card (checked 2026-11-01)
- DC DMV: Pay tickets https://dmv.dc.gov/service/pay-tickets
Ticket payment options, accepted cards, pay-by-phone number (866) 893-5023, checks payable to the DC Treasurer, oldest-ticket-first rule, 2.5 percent card service fee, ACH removal, no contesting after payment and the card-reversal warning. Does not show a card statement descriptor. · Checked 2026-11-01
- DC DMV: Accepted forms of payment https://dmv.dc.gov/service/accepted-forms-payments
Money orders and verified checks payable to DC Treasurer, accepted cards and the 2.5 percent card service fee. Does not show a card statement descriptor. · Checked 2026-11-01
- DC Office of Administrative Hearings: Pay a fine https://oah.dc.gov/page/pay-fine
Checks and money orders payable to DC Treasurer for several agencies' fines, plus agency-specific online payment links (Paymentus for DPW, paymentportal.dc.gov for DOB and DLCP). Does not show a card statement descriptor. · Checked 2026-11-01
- DC OCFO: Central Collection Unit https://cfo.dc.gov/service/central-collection-unit
CCU contact number (202) 727-0771, Harris & Harris as collection vendor for non-tax debt over 90 days delinquent, Office of Finance and Treasury affiliation, and the $65 fee on returned payments or card chargebacks to the DC Treasurer. · Checked 2026-11-01
- DC OCFO: CCU frequently asked questions https://cfo.dc.gov/service/ccu-frequently-asked-questions
CCU installment payments go through Harris & Harris and are withdrawn automatically by debit or credit card; payee DC Treasurer for money orders and cashier's checks. · Checked 2026-11-01
- OCC HelpWithMyBank: unauthorized charges on a credit card https://www.helpwithmybank.gov/help-topics/credit-cards/disputes-unauthorized-charges/unauthorized-charges/unauthorized-charge-steps.html
Notify the bank promptly about unauthorized credit card charges; investigation results within two billing cycles or 90 days. Not specific to DC; applies to OCC-regulated banks. · Checked 2026-11-01
Descriptor identity corroborated · medium · About UnknownCharges