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FAQs
PowerPay™ Frequently Asked Questions
Questions—
- What are the forms of payment, and when are transactions processed?
- How are holidays and weekends handled?
- How much time do I have to add, delete, or edit a payment?
- How far in advance can a payment be set up?
- How many payees can I set up?
- Can I edit an existing payee?
- How long does it take my payment to reach the payee?
- What is the maximum payment amount?
- Can an electronic payment be deleted once I submit it?
- When do funds for payments debit my account?
- Are checks drawn against my account mailed to the payee?
- What will happen if I do not have sufficient funds for a payment?
Answers—
- What are the forms of payment, and when are transactions processed?
There are two forms of payment—PAPER CHECK and ELECTRONIC. CHECKS are printed and mailed from the Service Bureau on the same day that they are processed. ELECTRONIC payment information is transferred electronically to the payees on the same day they are processed.
All PowerPay™ payments are processed two times each business day. The first processing begins at 3:00 a.m. EST, and the 2nd processing begins at 1:00 p.m. EST. Any payments entered after the 3:00 a.m. processing, and before the 1:00 p.m. processing will be processed the same day.
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- How are Holidays and weekends handled?
Bills do not get paid on holidays or weekends. If a SCHEDULED bill payment falls on a holiday or weekend, it will be paid on the Friday BEFORE the weekend, or the last working day BEFORE the holiday.
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- How much time do I have to add, delete, or edit a payment?
You can add, edit, or delete a payment up to 3:00 a.m. EST for the 1st processing, and up to 1:00 p.m. EST for the 2nd processing, on the day the payment is sent.
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- How far in advance can a payment be set up?
Currently, a recurring scheduled payment can be set up in advance to any date in the future. A one-time payment can be set up to be sent 5 years in the future.
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- How many payees can I set up?
There is no limit to the number of payees you can set up.
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- Can I edit an existing payee?
The only things that can be edited on an existing payee are the alias name on the account and the account number. To make any other changes the payee must be deleted and re-entered.
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- How long does it take my payment to reach the payee?
For an ELECTRONIC PAYMENT, allow 3 to 4 business days from when the payment is submitted. For a CHECK, we guarantee that the check will be in place in the U.S. Mail on the same day the payment is submitted—if it is entered before 1:00 p.m. EST. (This is the same as if you wrote a check out of your checkbook, and put it in the mail on the same day. The only difference is that it will be printed and mailed from the Service Bureau.) Typically you should allow 5 to 7 business days for a check payment. (Note—we have no control over the U.S. Postal Service).
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- What is the maximum payment amount?
Electronic payments are validated against the account balance prior to processing, and check payments settle against the customer's account like any other check. Therefore, there is no dollar limitation on payments made through PowerPay™. You are limited only by the amount of funds in your account.
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- Can an electronic payment be deleted once I submit it?
No. Once the payment is submitted, it will be processed. It will then be up to the customer to contact the payee for a refund, or ask the bank to submit a claim.
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- When do funds for payments debit my account?
For an ELECTRONIC PAYMENT, funds are debited the same day that the payment is sent, if the payment is sent before 1:00 p.m. EST. Electronic payments submitted after 1:00 p.m. EST are debited the next day during bill pay processing. CHECK payment funds are debited from the account when the check clears the account.
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- Are checks drawn against my account mailed to the payee?
Yes. All checks issued through PowerPay are encoded just as if they were a check from the customer's own checkbook. The signature line on the check is usually printed as 'Signature on File', or 'As Authorized by Accountholder'. The checks are printed and mailed from the Service Bureau.
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- What will happen if I do not have sufficient funds for a payment?
CHECK payments are handled in the same manner as a check written out of the customer's checkbook against an insufficient balance. ELECTRONIC payments are verified for funds availability during processing. If the funds are available, the customer's account is debited for the payment. If the funds are not available with the 3:00 a.m. EST processing, the system will try again at the 1:00 p.m. EST processing. You will receive a message after processing informing you that the payment could not be processed due to insufficient funds. The payment will continue to be attempted for three consecutive business days. After that the system will cease trying to make the payment.
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