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Budget Billing
Plan Ahead with Predictable Monthly Payments
Seasons change, cooling costs rise and fall, and your energy use varies. This can make it difficult to anticipate your utility bill costs. That’s why we offer Budget Billing. Budget Billing is our free program designed to help with the fluctuation of your monthly electric bills. Instead of paying your total energy used each month, you would pay an average amount spread out through the year until your bills are paid in full.
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How It Works
Budget Billing balances the highs and lows of your monthly bills throughout the year to create a predictable payment amount that’s about the same every month.
Your monthly Budget Billing payment will be an average of your recent energy bills. Payments may vary slightly to cover the cost of your actual usage, but this won’t occur more than once per quarter.
The settle-up balance, noted on your monthly bill, is the difference between your Budget Billing payment and your actual cost of usage over time. For example:
You would continue to pay your set Budget Billing amount of $100 each month. If your debit or credit becomes too large, we will adjust your Budget Billing payment.
If you unenroll in Budget Billing, your debit or credit balance will be added to your next bill, which will be adjusted to reflect this change.
Your monthly Budget Billing payment will be an average of your recent energy bills. Payments may vary slightly to cover the cost of your actual usage, but this won’t occur more than once per quarter.
The settle-up balance, noted on your monthly bill, is the difference between your Budget Billing payment and your actual cost of usage over time. For example:
- If your Budget Billing amount is $100, but your actual charges for the month are $75, you’d have a credit of $25.
- If your Budget Billing amount is $100, but your actual charges are $125, you’d have a debit of $25.
You would continue to pay your set Budget Billing amount of $100 each month. If your debit or credit becomes too large, we will adjust your Budget Billing payment.
If you unenroll in Budget Billing, your debit or credit balance will be added to your next bill, which will be adjusted to reflect this change.
Am I Eligible for Budget Billing?
To qualify for Budget Billing:
- Your account must be current without any past-due balances.
- Your account cannot be enrolled in a Payment Arrangement.
- Accounts with Green Choice, solar plans, landlord agreements or non-metered services are not eligible.
- There is no minimum billing history required for residential customers. However, the more history you have (up to 12 months), the more accurate your average monthly payment will be. Business customers must have at least three months of billing history to qualify.
How to Enroll
First, make sure you meet all eligibility requirements.
Then, sign into your APS account to enroll through the Budget Billing section.
Follow the on-screen prompts until you see the green confirmation bar at the top of your screen.
If you need further assistance, call us at (602) 371-3694 or (866) 993-1377 and say “Budget Billing” when prompted. We’re here to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Then, sign into your APS account to enroll through the Budget Billing section.
Follow the on-screen prompts until you see the green confirmation bar at the top of your screen.
If you need further assistance, call us at (602) 371-3694 or (866) 993-1377 and say “Budget Billing” when prompted. We’re here to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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When you enroll in both Budget Billing and AutoPay, we’ll automatically withdraw your predictable payments using the payment method you choose.
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Gain year-round peace of mind knowing your bills will be about the same amount every month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Residential Customers
- Your monthly Budget Billing payment is based on an average of the last 12 months of energy bills for your home.
- When you have less than 12 months in your home, the previous billing history for your location is included to determine the average amount for your Budget Billing payment.
- If there is less than 3 months of billing history for your location, square footage is temporarily used to determine your Budget Billing payment. This way you do not have to wait to enjoy the benefits of Budget Billing.
- When building 12 months of your own billing history at your home, you may experience more frequent adjustments to your Budget Billing payment.
- The more of your own billing history you have for your home, the more consistent your Budget Billing payment amount will be.
Business customers
- To enroll in Budget Billing, you need at least 3 months of billing history for your business location.
- Your monthly Budget Billing payment is an average of the last 3-12 months of energy bills and may be adjusted as you build your own billing history.
- Yes, they can change. If your energy usage changes over time, your Budget Billing payment may be adjusted to cover the average cost of your usage.
- For example, if you are on a time-of-use plan, when you use energy can affect your bills. Additionally, heating and cooling fluctuations due to weather, equipment or household changes, such as charging an EV or an increase or decrease of family members/roommates, could affect your energy bills.
- Changes in energy usage patterns may result in a change to your Budget Billing payment. But a change will not occur more than once in a 3-month period and must meet minimum parameters. Customers are notified by a message on their bill the month prior to the change.
- Residential customers: When the system recalculates a Budget Billing payment, the difference between the current amount and the new amount must differ by more than 10% and $10 for the change to occur. And the month prior to the change, you will be notified by a message on your bill.
- Business customers: When the system recalculates a Budget Billing payment, the difference must be more than 15% and $15.
- If there are exceptions to the above parameters used to change the payment amount, customers are sent a letter by APS.
- Your settle-up balance is the difference between your Budget Billing payments and the actual cost of your energy usage. It is normal to have a settle-up balance since the system tries to keep your monthly payment consistent. You can find your settle-up balance and your actual charges on your monthly bill.
- The settle-up balance varies based on the highs and lows of your energy charges. Your account will show a credit if your actual charges are lower than your Budget Billing amount and a debit if your actual charges are higher.
- For example, if your monthly Budget Billing amount is $100 and your charges are $75, you would have a settle-up credit balance of $25 ($75 minus $100 = -$25). If your charges were $110, you would have a settle-up debit balance of $10 ($110 - $100 = $10).
- If you unenroll in Budget Billing or are removed from the program due to late payments (3 times within the most recent 12 months), your settle-up debit balance will be due with your next bill. If it is a credit amount, it will be added to future bills.
- If you have a settle-up credit balance, you still need to pay the total amount due by your payment due date. This information is located on page 1 of your bill.
- Your settle-up credit balance is needed to offset higher actual costs during high-usage months, such as when the AC runs during the summer. This is what helps maintain more consistent payments year-round despite seasonal highs and lows.
- As with other APS payments, you may be subject to a late fee when you miss your Budget Billing payment. After three late payments during the most recent 12 months (whether you are on Budget Billing all 12 months or not), your account will be removed from Budget Billing and settled up.
- Any leftover debit or credit balance will be added to your next bill.
- Need help remembering to pay your bills on time? Sign up for a Payment Reminder alert, or make your payments automatic with AutoPay.
- Budget Billing is NOT a rate plan but a convenient billing program that works with your rate plan. With Budget Billing, you still pay for all the energy you use, but in a different way.
- Your monthly payment is based on the average cost of energy use for your home or business. This is how Budget Billing offers you a more consistent monthly bill, making it easier to plan ahead for your expenses.
- If you become a solar customer (does not include APS Solar Communities), have three late payments in the most recent 12 months, or enroll in a payment arrangement, your account will be removed from Budget Billing.
- Additional accounts not eligible for Budget Billing include landlord agreements, Green Choice and non-metered services.
- Qualified customers enrolled in the Energy Support program can also participate in Budget Billing to enjoy a more consistent monthly bill. You will continue to see your Energy Support program discount applied to your energy charges and not directly to your Budget Billing payment.
- Over time, depending on how you use energy, the Energy Support program discount may reduce the average cost of your energy use and lower your Budget Billing payment amount.
- You can call us any time at (602) 371-7171 (metro Phoenix) or (800) 253-9405 (other areas) to unenroll from Budget Billing.
- When you leave Budget Billing, your settle-up debit balance will be due with your next bill. If it is a credit amount, it will be added to future bills.
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