Payment Programs
The programs below will also allow you to have more flexibility in your payment options. These programs (Budget Billing and Automatic Bank Draft) are designed to meet your changing lifestyle and to keep your costs down.
If you are having trouble paying your utility bill, please contact Customer Account Services at 891-4YOU before your utilities are cut off. Reasonable accommodations may be made and certain customers may be eligible for financial assistance payments from Project Share.
Budget Billing
The City Of Tallahassee offers an innovative program that allows you to have a level amount in your monthly utility bill. By averaging your bill and flattening out the peaks, as well as the valleys, you are able to achieve a consistent bill for your utility services.
Here's how Budget Billing works. We total your past twelve (12) months of utility usage (billed amounts) and divide by twelve (12) to find your average monthly bill. To this average, 20% is added to arrive at a figure that you will be billed throughout the next year. The 20% addition protects you from significantly underpaying bills if your usage increases during colder winter or warmer summer weather. Every twelve months, we will automatically review your account to determine the difference between your actual utility bills and your budget billed amounts. This difference will then be used to compute next year's bill. Any amount of underpayment or overpayment is rolled into the new budget billing amount.
What do you need to do to sign up for Budget Billing?
You must have been a residential utility customer at the same location for at least the past 6 months. Secondly, you must have no outstanding balances. Finally, we ask that you give Budget Billing a chance by participating for at least one year.
Request Budget Billing Online by going to YOU Online and selecting "Program Request" or by calling Utility Customer Service at 891-4YOU (4968).
Automatic Bank Draft Program
This participation is simple, convenient and free. Each month, during the billing process, your account will be credited for the monthly billing (consumption) and any outstanding charges. Therefore, your account is paid in full at the time of billing. The funds will not be debited from your bank account for at least 27 days after the bill date. Therefore, you have almost 4 weeks to review your bill for accuracy prior to the actual draft.
You will continue to receive your utility bill just as you have been in the past. Please review your bill and contact our Customer Service division at 850-891-4968 with any billing questions. Generally, past due amounts will be drafted and considered paid. However, there may be special circumstances that require payment of past due billings prior to beginning the bank draft program. Reviewing the bill will alert you as to what amount has been billed, paid and what amount will be drafted.
We will contact ("pre-note") your financial information, in order to test our communication with your bank. This should verify the information is correct and valid. Approximately 2 weeks is needed to complete the "pre-note" process and your account may have billed and drafted prior to your responding. We will attempt to clear up any bank-related issues for you but we may require your assistance in some cases. Therefore, a daytime phone is very important when completing the enrollment form.
Once "Auto Pay" is activated on your account the utility bill remittance will state: "Funds for the bank draft amount will be automatically withdrawn from / charged to your bank account after MM-DD-YY (for example 04-01-07) - Do not send any payment". Likewise, the amount to be drafted will be identified in the TOTAL BANK DRAFT AMOUNT field which replaces the TOTAL AMOUNT DUE field.
Draft items (payment request to Bank) that are rejected or returned as unpaid by your bank (insufficient funds, account closed, etc.) are treated as a Returned or NSF checks. A service charge will be assessed and failure to make the payment good by a prescribed date will result in utility service interruption.
If you have any questions concerning this program or need any additional information, please give us a call during regular working hours (8:00 AM-5:00PM) at (850) 891-8464.
If you would like to participate, please complete the downloadable form (PDF), and return the completed form to:
City of Tallahassee
Revenue Division, Box A-4
300 South Adams Street
Tallahassee FL 32301-1761
Stopping an Individual Bank Draft or Stopping the Bank Draft Program
An individual draft may be cancelled over the phone at (850) 891-8464. You must provide the utility account number, your Social Security Number and your Driver's License number. Stopping the draft program permanently must be done in writing. Send a letter signed by the account holder that includes the utility account number, Social Security Number and Driver's License number to:
City of Tallahassee
Revenue Division, Box A-4
300 South Adams Street
Tallahassee FL 32301-1761