Tools
Bill Payment FAQs
General Information
Q: Are there payments that I can’t issue?
A: Due to legal requirements, we limit the ability to make certain types of payments. Payments to Payees outside of the United States are prohibited and may not be issued under any circumstances. In addition, the following payments are discouraged, but may be scheduled at your own risk:
- Tax payments to the Internal Revenue Service or any state or other government agency
- Court-ordered payments, such as alimony or child support
- Payments to insurance companies
Our bill payment provider will not notify you if you attempt to make any of these payments. In addition, they will not be liable if the payment was not processed on such payments.
Q: Can I pay bills with my credit card or savings account?
A: No, Bill Payment only accepts payments from checking (demand deposit) accounts.
Q: Can I use my regular checkbook?
A: Yes, Bill Payment does not replace your checkbook. You can continue to write paper checks as you normally would if you so choose.
Q: When will my payments be debited (withdrawn) from my checking account?
A: If the payee is being paid with either a paper check or an electronic payment, the amount of the payment will be deducted from your account within three (3) business days of your Send On date (the payment processing date). Please note that some electronic payment transactions (EFT’s) may clear your account the same day they are issued. Be sure your account is funded in advance to avoid bounced payments.
Q: What happens if I do not have enough money in my Checking Account to cover a bill?
A: We issue standard, approved payments against your Checking Account. Just as with a paper check, you have to maintain sufficient funds in the account to cover all payment obligations. We are unable to notify you if you have insufficient funds. Please note that you may be charged an NSF Fee for payments that are returned for insufficient funds and your Bill Pay account will be blocked until the payment is satisfied.
Q: How do I know when a payment has been sent?
A: On the Make Payments page you will be able to view your last five (5) processed payments. You may also select “View payment history” from the selection arrow next to your Payee. If you need to view additional Payees click on the View Reports and select the criteria you desire.
Making Payments
Q: How do I make a payment to any Payee?
A: The Make Payments page allows you to perform the most common bill payment tasks from a single location. To pay an existing Payee, please determine the Payee that you want to pay.
- Specify the details for each payment and click Pay
Result: A confirmation message appears beneath the name of the person or business. You can change or cancel the payment by clicking the appropriate link in the confirmation message.
Q: Where is my payment sent?
A: Your payment is sent to the address you provided for each of your Payees except for cases where our Bill Payment provider has a special relationship with a Payee, and they have a preferred address to which they want payments to be sent.
Q: How are payments issued?
A: Only you can authorize payments. You tell us who, when, and how much to pay. Payments are issued electronically or via paper checks, depending on the Payee’s capabilities. Both electronic payments and paper checks always include remittance information, ensuring that your Payee can accurately record that a payment has been received for your account.
Q: When are checks issued to my Payees?
A: Some Payees do not currently accept electronic payments and therefore only accept check payments. In this case, it is recommended that you set the Send On date at least five (5) business days in advance of your bill due date. Note that when you select your Send On date, or use the dynamic calendar to select a Send On date, a Deliver By date will be displayed. This is the date that the bill payment provider guarantees that your payment will be delivered to your Payee.
For Example: If your payment is due to the Payee on the 15th of the month and you set the Send On date in advance as the 10th, your check will be mailed to your Payee via first class mail. The money will be deducted from your account within 1-2 days of the Send On date you provided.
If you wait until the 10th to set the payment to go out, you must authorize your payment before 9:00 PM Eastern. (If you schedule the payment after 9:00 PM Eastern, your payment will not be issued the same day, but the following morning).
Q: When are electronic payments sent to my Payees?A: For Payees who can accept Electronic Funds Transfers (EFT’s), we recommend that you set the Send On date at least three (3) business days in advance of the due date. If you authorize payment in advance, your EFT will be sent after 10:30 PM Eastern on the day you designate for the payment to be sent, your Send On date. To have an EFT issued on the same day you authorize payment, you must authorize the transaction by 10:30 PM Eastern. Please note that some EFT transactions may clear your account the same day they are issued. Be sure your account is funded in advance of the Send On date to avoid bounced payments.
Q: How do I cancel a payment?
A: You can choose to cancel a payment up until 10:30 PM Eastern on the night prior to the date you scheduled the payment to be sent, your Send On date. For example, if you have designated that your payment should be sent out on the 10th, you can cancel the payment up until 9:00 PM Eastern on the 9th. You cannot cancel a payment on the designated day a payment is to be sent. To cancel a payment, click the Cancel link in the Pending Payments section on the Make Payments page
Q: What options do I have for scheduling recurring payments?
A: You have the following options:
- Once a year
- Once every 6 months (These payments will be every 6th month on the date you indicate).
- Once every 3 months (These payments will be every 3rd month on the date you indicate).
- Once every 2 months (These payments will be every 2nd month on the date you indicate).
- Once a month
- Twice a month
- Once every 2 weeks
- Once a week
- Once every 4 weeks
E-bills
Q: What are e-bills?
A: E-bills are any bills that you have opted to receive electronically if the Payee provides that option.
Q: How do I know when I’ve received an e-bill?
A: Any recently received e-bills waiting to be paid are displayed and highlighted in a yellow box on the right-hand side of your Bill Payment landing page (the first screen you are brought to when you select the Bill Payment button). You will also receive an email from jdcu@billsupport.com stating that an e-bill has been delivered to you.
Q: How do you retrieve bills from my biller’s website?
A: First, you register with your biller’s website. Then, you provide us with your user ID and password, and we’ll go to your biller’s website and retrieve your bill for each month. That way you can come to one place and see all your bills.
Q: Can my bills be paid automatically?
A: Yes, there are two ways that you can schedule payments automatically: Automatic Payments and Recurring Payments. Each is used in different circumstances.
- Automatic payments typically are used in situations where you are receiving your bill electronically (e-bills).
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If you would like to automatically pay a bill that arrives to you, you may establish automatic payment rules. The automatic payment rule instructs us to issue a payment every month for a specific Payee without requiring your approval each time. You can pay the full bill, pay the minimum due, or pay a fixed amount that you are comfortable paying each month. For example, you could set up your credit card bill to be paid automatically in three different ways:
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Pay the entire bill if it is xx amount or less. You are contacted by email for approval if it is more then the desired amount.
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Pay the minimum amount due every month.
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Pay xx amount every month.
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Recurring payments typically work well with fixed payment plans like car loans or mortgages where you are not receiving a bill online (e-bill)
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If you regularly make a payment for a fixed amount without receiving an e-bill you can establish a recurring payment rule to make this payment automatically. For example, your mortgage company may have provided you with a coupon book instead of billing you monthly. You can tell us to issue this payment to your mortgage company each month.
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Q: Can I pay all of my received bills at one time?
A: Yes, once a bill is received it will pre-populate the Make Payments section for each individual Payee. All you have to do is modify the amounts if you wish, and schedule the date to be sent. Once this is done click Pay to the right of each bill you are paying.
Q: What is a filed bill?
A: A filed bill is one that you do not want to pay through your Bill Pay, but want to save for your records. For example, a bill with a zero balance or a bill that no longer needs to be paid. Once you file a bill, it is permanently removed from your Bill Inbox and cannot be paid.
Q: I registered a Payee for e-bills, why am I receiving the paper bill at home?
A: Some Payees may continue to send a paper bill to your home even after you begin receiving the bill online. To avoid making duplicate payments, it is best to pay only those bills that arrive online. Some Payees may offer the option of “turning off” the paper bill, either by indicating such a preference on their website or by contacting their Customer Service department via phone or e-mail.
Reports
Q: How does the Reports feature work?
A: The Reports feature allows you to do a variety of tasks quickly, such as retrieving filed bills, analyzing spending habits and researching payment dates. In addition, you can download report data into most popular personal finance programs, including Quicken, MS Money, and Excel.
Q: Can I download report data into my personal finance software?
A: Yes, the information you download is compatible with many of the leading personal finance programs, including Quicken, Microsoft Money, and Excel. To download a report into any of these programs, select the program you want to download into and then click Download.
Q: Can I print a copy of a report?
A: To print a hard copy of any report, from the report results click on the Print button in the upper right.
