BillPayer Questions & Answers

Updated June, 2007

Q. What is BillPayer?
BillPayer is a feature connected to our Internet Home Banking service, Private PC.  BillPayer allows you to pay bills (such as electric, phone, water, etc.) online.

Q. Are there any fees for BillPayer?
BillPayer is FREE as long as you use it within 45 days.  If it is not used, a fee of $4.75 will be charged on the last business day of each month it hasn't been used.

Q. Will I need Private PC to have BillPayer?
Yes, to have the bill payment feature, you will need to have Private PC and a Share Draft Checking account with Florida Telco.  Payments are made from your Share Draft Checking account. 

Q. How do I sign up for BillPayer?
When you log in to Private PC, click on the BILLPAYER icon on the left vertical menu bar.  Next, select ENROLL BILLPAYER to view BillPayer disclosures and once you click on AGREE you can begin using the BillPayer service.
For extra help, please click here for more information.

Q. How do I set up a payee?
Use FIND PAYEE to search through our Master Payee List for the company you want to pay.  If there is not a match, try using variations of the company name.  For example, use Jacksonville Electric Authority for JEA.  If you can't find your payee on the Master List, use ADD PAYEE to set it up. For extra help, please click here for more information.

Q. Does the address need to be exact on a payee that I wish to pay?
The address for a payee you wish to pay should be exactly as the address shown on your personal bill. There may be many single payees displayed with numerous addresses to handle different types of payments at a company. If the address shown on your bill is not available on the master payee list, simply click on ADD PAYEE to add a new payee with that payee's information.  While the new payee is processed you will see INACTIVE under the status. Once the information is verified you will see ACTIVE under the status and can begin scheduling payments for the payee. 

NOTE : There may be times when you add a payee with the information shown on your bill, and after the information comes back, the verified address is automatically changed on your personal payee list. This will happen when the payee requests that the payment be sent to a different address. The information is correct and you do not need to delete it and start all over again.

Q. What information do I need when I request a new payee through ADD PAYEE?
The information requested will include the payee name, address the payment should be sent to, account number with this payee, phone number for this payee and the name on your account with this payee. For example, your Florida Telco account may be "Joe B. Smith" but the account with your payee may say "Sally Smith".

Q. Can I set up a personal payee to pay an individual that is not a company?
Yes. You would use ADD PAYEE and input the information requested. 

Q. Is there anyone I can't pay using BillPayer?
Excluded merchants are governmental agencies, including but not limited to the Internal Revenue Service, all state and local tax authorities, collection agencies, and recipients of court-ordered payments like child support and alimony. Payments to any organization or individuals with addresses outside of the United States are also excluded.

Q. What payment method does my payee use?
BillPayer payees can be paid by either CHECK or ELECTRONIC.  To verify which your payee uses check out the "Payment Method" column in the PAYEES section.

Q. What is the difference between a bill paid by CHECK and one paid by ELECTRONIC means?
A CHECK payment is a paper draft sent though the U.S. Mail system. You must allow sufficient time for the payee to receive this type of payment...just as you were mailing the payment yourself.  An ELECTRONIC payment is sent out electronically and is the most preferred payment method, but some payees are not able to accept this type of payment.  ELECTRONIC payments clear within a few days.

Q. How do we get more ELECTRONIC payees?
Talk to your payees! Ask them if they will accept electronic credit payments. They decide if they will accept electronic credits. Many will do electronic debits but do not accept electronic credits. 

Q. When setting up a new payee, is the payee account number the same for CHECK and ELECTRONIC payment methods?
Not always. Some payees use a different account number than what is shown on your bill if you use an electronic method.  If you find the payee on the master list as an ELECTRONIC payment, you may need to contact your payee to identify what account number they will accept electronically.  If you do not find your payee on the list, you can add the payee and use the account number shown on your bill.  Our BillPayer processor will contact the payee to determine if they will accept electronic payments and they will adjust the account number if needed.

Q. If I'm trying to pay several accounts with the same payee, can I list all the accounts numbers in the account number field of one payee entry?
No.  You should set up separate payee entries if you have more than one account number with the payee.  For example: If paying Jacksonville Electric Authority for water and electric, you should have two different account numbers for JEA.  You would need to set up one payee for electric and a separate one for water.  If you set up only one payee to pay the two bills, there is a possibility that your payment will be applied all to one bill instead of being divided between the two.

Q. Can I pay my Florida Telco loans through BillPayer?
We recommend you do not use BillPayer to make payments to your Florida Telco loans and credit cards.  Payments would be sent to our BillPayer Processor and then sent out to us like any other payee.  A timelier way to make payments is to use the TRANSFER option in Private PC.  Loan payments are credited immediately and credit card payments are credited by the next business day.   

Q. When can I begin scheduling payments?
You can schedule payments for payees that have an  ACTIVE status.  If you selected the payee from the Master Payee List, the payee will be ACTIVE immediately.  If you had to request the payee through the ADD PAYEE, you will have to wait until the payee information is verified.  This process is normally completed within 10 days.  Once a new payee has been verified, the status will change from INACTIVE to ACTIVE.  If you have a payee that is still not active after 10 days, you can submit a Payee Inquiry from the link on the main BillPayer screen.

Q. How do I schedule a payment?
Select ADD NEW PAYMENT to schedule a payment for an active payee.  You can also select the payee from your PAYEES list and submit an add payment from that screen.  Once all payments have been scheduled, we recommend viewing your PENDING PAYMENTS to verify the correct payments are scheduled to be paid from your account.

Q. What days can I schedule a payment for?
You can schedule a payment for any future date.  However, payments are processed only on regular Florida Telco CU business days, excluding holidays. Any payments scheduled for a Saturday, Sunday or a holiday date will be processed on the next business day. All payments must be scheduled before 8:30am each business day, to be processed that day.

Q. What is the difference between a RECURRING PAYMENT and a ONE TIME PAYMENT when I am setting up a new payee payment?
A RECURRING PAYMENT is a payment for the same amount each period. For instance, if your mortgage payment is $567.00 each month and is due on the 5th of each month you could schedule this payment as RECURRING. The payment would be made on the 5th of each month automatically. You would not need to set this payment up each month, as Bill Payer would schedule it automatically.  On the other hand, if you have a credit card payment that requires payment of different amounts each month, you would establish this as a ONE TIME PAYMENT. You will then need to set up a new payment amount each month and schedule the payment date.

Q. How do I modify or make changes to a payment that I have scheduled?
If you have scheduled a payment for a future date, you may modify the payment at any time up until the payment is actually deducted from your Share Draft Checking account.  Simply click on PENDING PAYMENTS to pull up your scheduled payments and select the payment you wish to modify, then click on MODIFY PAYMENT.  Once all changes have been made and all payments have been scheduled, we recommend viewing your PENDING PAYMENTS to verify the correct payments are scheduled to be paid from your account.

Q. How do I cancel a payment that I have scheduled that has not yet been deducted from my account?
If you have scheduled a payment for a future date, you may delete the payment at any time up until the payment is actually deducted from your Share Draft Checking account. Simply click on PENDING PAYMENTS to pull up your scheduled payments and select the payment you wish to delete, then click on DELETE PAYMENT. 

Q. When are payments taken from my account to pay my bills?
Payments are taken from your account at 8:30 a.m. on the actual calendar date that you request, excluding weekends and holidays. If the payment is scheduled on a weekend or holiday, it will be processed on the next business day.  Payments scheduled after 8:30 a.m. for that business day will not be accepted.  You will be instructed to schedule your payment for a future date.

Q. What if there aren?t enough funds available in my Share Draft Checking to process a scheduled payment?
If you have funds available by using overdraft protection (same as your share draft overdraft protection), the payment will be processed using these funds. If a transfer from shares is required, you will be charged a $1 overdraft transfer fee. If there are not enough funds available, (Payment History will show a status of "Insufficient Funds") your payment will not be processed and will need to be rescheduled by you for payment on a later date. You should monitor your account for available funds on days that you have payments scheduled. Remember, some check and ATM deposits are not available immediately.

Q. How can I tell if my payment has been made to a payee?
In the Billpayer screen, click on the PAYMENT HISTORY icon. Under STATUS it will show you one of six comments: 1) IN PROCESS - payment was deducted from the account and processed. The post was successful. 2) CHECK SENT - payment was processed and sent by check to the payee. 3) ELECTRONIC PMT SENT - payment was processed and electronically sent to the payee. 4) CK CLEARED MM/DD/YY - the check payment was received and processed by the payee. 5) INSUFFICIENT FUNDS - the account didn't have the funds to make a payment. The item wasn't submitted for payment. 6) PAYMENT ERROR - a transmission error occurred.  

Note: On electronic payees, the status will not change from "Electronic Pmt Sent." This is because there is no way to acknowledge the payment has been deposited by the payee.

Q. How far back can I view my payment history?
Your payment history is available for up to 120 days.

Q. My Bill Payer payment has not reached my payee. What do I do?
The approximate time that it takes a payment to reach a payee is at least 5 business days if a check has been mailed, and at least 3 business days for an electronic payment. This allows time to produce a check or transmit an electronic payment to the payee. You will need to allow sufficient time for the mailed payment to reach the company. If a reasonable amount of time has passed and your payee claims that the payment has not been received you can submit a payment inquiry.  We have an electronic form on the main BillPayer screen to submit a payment inquiry or you can contact a Member Services Representative.  Payment inquiries normally take about 2 to 10 business days for research.

Q. How do I cancel my enrollment in BillPayer?
At the top of the BillPayer screen, click on the CANCEL ENROLLMENT icon.  Canceling enrollment will delete all payee and payment information, including pending payments.  Some members have been unable to see the CANCEL ENROLLMENT button within their screen window.  This is because their PC setting for "area" or "screen area" is less than 800 x 600.  If you are unable to view the entire Private PC or BillPayer frames, refer to your PC user guide for how to change this setting.

Q. Who is ORCC?
ORCC is Online Resources & Communications Corporation.   They are our BillPayer processor that handles all BillPayer payments with payees.   All questions regarding payments should be directed to a Florida Telco Credit Union representative that will contact ORCC regarding any problems.