The City of San Diego Water & Wastewater Internet Bill-Pay ServiceiPay Internet Bill-Pay Service, Water Department logo, Metro Wastewater Department Logo, City of San Diego Seal

Frequently Asked Questions
What if I forget my password?
What is iPay bill service?
What is an iPay bill?
How does City of San Diego Public Utilities Department's iPay bill payment work?
How secure is my bill payment and personal information?
Do I need any special hardware or software to sign up for City of San Diego Public Utilities Department's iPay bill payment service?
After enrolling in City of San Diego Public Utilities Department's iPay bill payment service, when can I start paying my bills?
How am I billed for City of San Diego Public Utilities Department's iPay bill payment service?
How do I cancel my iPay bill payment service?
Where can I find my account number?
If an account is in a name other than my own, can I still sign up for iPay bill payment service?
Will I receive a reminder that I have an iPay bill ready for viewing and paying?
How long does it take to receive an iPay bill?
Will I still receive a paper copy of the bill through the U.S. mail?
Can I store or view paid iPay bills?
When is the money for the payment drawn from my bank account?
How far in advance of the due date should I schedule my payments?
Can I make a payment greater than my regular monthly payment amount?
What if my request for an iPay bill is rejected?
The amount for an iPay bill seems incorrect. What should I do?
My iPay bill is late. What should I do?
How can I confirm that a payment has been made?
What do I do if the payment amount is incorrect?
What do I do if the payment date is incorrect?
What if I already enrolled in Direct Debit, can I enroll in iPay?
Q: What if I forget my password?
A: Click on the 'Forgot Your Password?' link on the logon page. You will then be asked your challenge question. Once you enter the correct response, you will be prompted to enter a new password. If you cannot remember your challenge response please call the Public Utilities Department customer service at (619) 515-3500

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Q: What is iPay bill service?
A: iPay bill service lets you schedule and make payments as well as receive and pay bills online. You can make payments anytime, anywhere, from almost any computer with Internet access. You can also set up recurring payments and schedule single payments up to a year in advance.

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Q: What is an iPay bill?
A: An iPay bill (electronic bill) is an electronic version of a paper bill that you can view online.

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Q: How does City of San Diego Public Utilities Department's iPay bill payment work?
A: There are two basic steps involved in using City of San Diego Public Utilities Department's iPay bill payment service:

Enroll in City of San Diego Public Utilities Department's iPay bill payment service
When you first begin using the service, follow the simple enrollment instructions. You will need to have the account number that appears on your bill handy, as well as the information from what ever form of payment you wish to use (i.e. routing and transit number for checking account, or account number).

Schedule payments
When you make a payment, you are specifying the date that you want City of San Diego Public Utilities Department to receive the payment. We recommend that you schedule your payment date four business days before the actual bill due date to allow time for processing.

Once a payment is scheduled, it appears in your list of scheduled payments until it is processed. After the payment is processed, it appears in your payment history with a status of "Paid." City of San Diego Public Utilities Department receives your payment on the payment date you specified and credits your account. Sometimes, however, it may take a few days to apply the payment to your account.

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Q: How secure is my bill payment and personal information?
A: City of San Diego Public Utilities Department uses several methods to ensure that your information is secure:

User Name and Password
Your user name and password are unique identifiers that only you know. If you don't share your user name and password with anyone, then no one else can sign onto City of San Diego Public Utilities Department's iPay bill payment site pretending to be you.

SSL
City of San Diego Public Utilities Department uses SSL (secure sockets layer) that ensures your connection and information is secure from outside inspection.

Encryption
City of San Diego Public Utilities Department uses 128-bit encryption to make your information unreadable as it passes over the Internet.

Automatic Sign Out
City of San Diego Public Utilities Department automatically signs you out of a session if you are inactive longer than twenty minutes. We recommend you sign out immediately after you are finished scheduling and making payments.

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Q: Do I need any special hardware or software to sign up for City of San Diego Public Utilities Department's iPay bill payment service?
A: No special hardware or software is required to use this service. You will only need Web access and your browser.

Please note that most browsers use 40-bit encryption. For the highest level of security available, we suggest you use 128-bit encryption to access your bill. You can download 128-bit encryption by visiting one of the following Web sites:

For Microsoft Internet Explorer, please go to:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/download/128bit/default.asp

For Netscape Navigator, please go to:
http://www.netscape.com/download/index.html

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Q: After enrolling in City of San Diego Public Utilities Department's iPay bill payment service, when can I start paying my bills?
A: After you complete and submit the enrollment form, we process your enrollment and activate your service immediately. You can then access City of San Diego Public Utilities Department's iPay bill payment service to pay a current bill or view past bills. You should begin receiving an iPay bill within a month or so, depending upon the billing cycle.

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Q: How am I billed for City of San Diego Public Utilities Department's iPay bill payment service?
A: There is no cost for enrolling in and using City of San Diego Public Utilities Department's iPay bill payment site. See the User Agreement for complete details.

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Q: How do I cancel my iPay bill payment service?
A: You can cancel your iPay service by de-enrolling your account from the Sign on page.

B: You may also cancel your iPay bill payment service by calling City of San Diego Public Utilities Department's customer service office at (619) 515-3500.

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Q: Where can I find my account number?
A: You can find your account number on a recent paper bill. View a sample Water/Sewer bill.

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Q: If an account is in a name other than my own, can I still sign up for iPay bill payment service?
A: Yes, but please be sure to use the correct account number as it appears on the monthly paper bill.

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Q: Will I receive a reminder that I have an iPay bill ready for viewing and paying?
A: You will receive an e-mail notification reminding you that your iPay bill has been presented and is ready for you to review and pay.

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Q: How long does it take to receive an iPay bill?
A: Once your request to receive an iPay bill has been accepted by City of San Diego Public Utilities Department, it may take a month or more, depending on the billing cycle, before you begin receiving bills electronically.

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Q: Will I still receive a paper copy of the bill through the U.S. mail?
A: You will no longer receive paper bills through the U.S. mail.

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Q: Can I store or view paid iPay bills?
A: You can view paid iPay bills by looking at "Payment History." iPay bills may become unavailable after a period of time. You can always use your browser's print function to print the bill if you want to keep long-term records.

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Q: When is the money for the payment drawn from my bank account?
A: The funds for the payment are debited from your account on the scheduled payment date. Keep in mind that you should always have funds available to cover the payment on that date.

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Q: How far in advance of the due date should I schedule my payments?
A: We suggest you schedule your payment for at least four to five business days before the actual payment due date.

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Q: Can I make a payment greater than my regular monthly payment amount?
A: Yes, simply type in the amount of the payment you wish to send instead of your regular monthly payment amount.

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Q: What if my request for an iPay bill is rejected?
A: If your request for an iPay bill is rejected, please try one of the following:

Try to request an iPay bill again by making sure you entered your information (especially your account number) completely and accurately.

Contact City of San Diego Public Utilities Department's customer service office at (619) 515-3500 to gain better understanding of why your iPay bill request has been rejected.

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Q: The amount for an iPay bill seems incorrect. What should I do?
A: If you have questions about an iPay bill, please contact City of San Diego Public Utilities Department's customer service office at (619) 515-3500.

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Q: My iPay bill is late. What should I do?
A: If your normal iPay bill billing cycle has passed and you still have not received your iPay bill, contact City of San Diego Public Utilities Department's customer service office at (619) 515-3500.

Depending on billing cycles, the exact day you receive your bill each month may vary. Also, remember that it can take over a month before you receive your first iPay bill from City of San Diego Public Utilities Department.

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Q: How can I confirm that a payment has been made?
A: After the payment date, check the status of the payment by looking in "Payment History." If the status is "Paid," then the payment has been sent to City of San Diego Public Utilities Department. You can also check to see if the funds have been drawn from your bank account. Or you can call City of San Diego Public Utilities Department to see if they received and credited the payment. (Sometimes it may take City of San Diego Public Utilities Department a few days to credit your account.)

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Q: What do I do if the payment amount is incorrect?
A: If the payment amount is incorrect and the payment shows that it is "scheduled", edit the payment with the correct amount.

If the payment has been processed, you cannot change the payment amount. If you over-paid, please contact City of San Diego Public Utilities Department's customer service office to request a refund or a credit toward the next payment.

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Q:  What if I already enrolled in Direct Debit, can I enroll in iPay?
A:  You need to contact the Public Utilities Department to cancel your Direct Debit before you can enroll in iPay.

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