Online Bill Pay is Not Always Efficient and Timely

Online bill pay service can be the most convenient method of paying your bills, but at times it can cause your payment to arrive late. When tax bills arrive late to the Town, you may be required to pay additional interest or a late fee.

One very common reason for late payments is that your check is not actually mailed the same day it comes out of your bank account.

Your banking institution will move the money to a holding account when you request the check before then transferring the money to a third-party check processing company. Once a certain number of payments to a particular payee are received (i.e. the Town of Dedham) or after a certain number of days pass, the third-party check processing company mails a physical check to the Town.

If the Town does not receive your payment by the due date, it is considered late (even if your bank charged your account prior to the due date.)

The Town Hall is NOT located at 26 Bryant Street.

Another very common reason that a significant number of the bill pay service checks have arrived late or were lost in transit is because they were being mailed to 26 Bryant Street. Please verify that your banking institution has updated the Town Hall address to 450 Washington Street. 

The online bill pay process is not actually paperless.

Although you are signing up for online bill pay through your bank and setting up paperless and electronic transactions from your account, the bank mails a physical check to the Town and to your other payees.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to determine if there is a problem or delay with your payment made through online bill pay.

Your bank account balance will go down when your bank moves the money from your account to their holding account. If the mail is lost, destroyed by a sorting machine, delayed by the Post Office, etc., you will have no way of knowing that we didn’t receive your payment. It can take weeks on your part to resolve, and you will be responsible for any accrued interest.

A payment stub was not included with the check.

There are instances when a banking institution or taxpayer does not include a payment stub or specific identifying information with the form of payment. The Treasurer/Collector Team will research to determine what was meant to be paid, but it is very important to note the correct bill, plate, parcel ID, or account number in the check memo field. Please be aware that bill numbers can change annually. If the Town is not able to determine what the payment is for, it will be returned to the sender and you will be responsible for any accrued interest.