Section 56.271. Payment

The due date for payment of a bill may not be less than 20 days from the date of transmittal; that is, the date of mailing, electronic transmission or physical delivery of the bill by the utility to the customer.

(1) Extension of due date to next business day. If the last day for payment falls on a Saturday, Sunday, bank holiday or other day when the offices of the utility which regularly receive payments are not open to the general public, the due date shall be extended to the next business day.

(2) Date of payment by mail. For a remittance by mail, one or more of the following applies:

(i) Payment shall be deemed to have been made on the date of the postmark.

(ii) The utility may not impose a late payment charge unless payment is received more than 5 days after the due date.

(3) Branch offices or authorized payment agents. The effective date of payment to a branch office or authorized payment agent, unless payment is made by mail under paragraph (2), is the date of actual receipt of payment at that location.

(4) Electronic transmission. The effective date of a payment electronically transmitted to a utility is the date of actual receipt of payment.

(5) Fees. Fees or charges assessed and collected by the utility for utilizing a payment option must be included in the utility’s tariff on file at the Commission.

(6) Multiple notifications. When a utility advises a customer of a balance owed by multiple notices or contacts which contain different due dates, the date on or before which payment is due shall be the latest due date contained in any of the notices.

Notation

Cross References

This section cited in 52 Pa. Code § 56.266 (relating to transfer of accounts).