Accounts receivable invoice

An overdue account is subject to a compounded annual interest of 16.08% (1.25% per month). Interest accrues daily from the due date on each invoice until the account is paid in full. Payments are applied first to interest and then to invoices, from oldest to most recent. Your account is credited when payment is received and deposited at our office.

If an invoice is not paid by the due date, the City of Ottawa will undertake various cost-recovery actions. These actions can include (but are not limited to) City services suspension, reporting the debt to the credit bureau, tax-rolling the debt, or even legal action. 

City of Ottawa Accounts Receivable and Payable Setoff:  Should your account become overdue, any amount payable to you or your company may be reduced by your outstanding receivable balance / debt.

Effective January 1, 2024 

Collection agency fees 

Overdue accounts referred to a private collection agency will incur a $50 handling fee plus agency commission. 

Credit card and Interac Online and Debit service fees

The third party service provider, Paymentus Corporation charges a service fee for all payment card transactions. Those clients who choose this payment channel will be responsible for paying the fee at a rate of 1.99% for credit card and Debit card transactions. Payments made using Interac Online are charged a flat fee of $0.49.

Interest 

An overdue account is subject to a compounded annual interest of 16.08% (1.25% per month). Interest accrues daily from the due date on each invoice until the account is paid in full. Payments are applied first to interest and then to invoices, from oldest to most recent. Your account is credited when payment is deposited at our office. 

Invoice copy / Account statement fee

If a duplicate copy of an invoice is required, a fee of $41 applies.

Payment Redistribution fee 

If a payment is made in error and requires a transfer to/from another City of Ottawa account (ie property tax or water & sewer account), each adjustment will incur a fee of $33.  

Refund fee 

A $33 fee applies when producing a refund to cover the cost of refunding credits to clients when credits are not the result of an error by the City. 

Returned payment fee

All returned payments are subject to a $53 administrative fee.

Transfer to tax fee

Overdue accounts that are transferred to a tax account will incur a $52 administrative fee and may be collected in the same manner as property taxes.

Online by Payment Card

Online Accounts Receivable Payment

You may pay your accounts receivable invoice online with MasterCard, VISA, American Express (AMEX), Mastercard Debit, or Visa Debit. A service fee of 1.99% is applied when paying online by credit card or Visa and Mastercard debit, by the service provider, Paymentus Corporation. A valid e-mail address is required.

You will need your customer number and should have your invoice number from your Accounts Receivable invoice/statement. If you do not have your invoice number, you may enter your customer number to proceed. If you do not have either of the required numbers, please call Accounts Receivable Unit at 613-580-2424 ext. 13668.

Payment Confirmation:

You will receive an on-screen confirmation number and an email receipt which will include the service the third-party provider, Paymentus Corporation.

For more information on Paymentus, please refer to our Paymentus page.

Online by e-Transfer

You can now pay your City of Ottawa Corporate Accounts Receivable invoice via e-Transfer. To use Interac e-Transfer, you must have online banking enabled on your bank account and your bank must support Auto Deposit. *N.B. The City of Ottawa is unable to accept e-transfer payments from Desjardins, Tangerine and any others that do not meet both payment conditions. **   

To submit an Interac e-Transfer payment to City of Ottawa Accounts Receivable: 

1. Log into your online banking profile and select the e-transfer menu option. 
2. Select the bank account you want the payment to be withdrawn from and indicate the amount of your payment. 
3. Add the City of Ottawa Accounts Receivable as the payee name and input the email address destination for the e-transfer: accountsreceivable@ottawa.ca.  
4. You are required to indicate in the "Message" box: 
   • The customer number(s)* 
   • The invoice number(s)* 
   • Payment breakdown by invoice if multiple invoices are being paid. (If you are prevented from supplying a full breakdown due to character limitations, please send a separate e-mail with the breakdown to accountsreceivable@ottawa.ca.) 

Note: Only City of Ottawa Accounts Receivable invoices can be paid with this banking information. These invoices have document numbers beginning with 1600*****, 1800*****, 91****** or 1100*****(Rent) and are either invoiced on blue paper or by email from ar-in@ottawa.ca. Other City of Ottawa invoices cannot be paid using this bank account (i.e., property taxes, water, provincial offences tickets etc.). Doing so will result in fees and penalty charges or the rejection of your payment.  

Any interest or penalty that may accumulate as a result of EFT payments not being immediately identifiable due to missing or incomplete e-mail notifications will not be waived and additional fees may be applied if the payment requires a transfer or is deemed unprocessable. 

Online by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) 

You can pay your City of Ottawa Corporate Accounts Receivable invoice via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) if your business has access to this service via your financial institution.  

To establish EFT payments and to submit a remittance: 

1. Contact accountsreceivable@ottawa.ca with your EFT request and to obtain the City of Ottawa's banking information (which is exclusive to Accounts Receivable payments and cannot be used for other City payments like property taxes or water).  
2. Email your remittance details to accountsreceivable@ottawa.ca a minimum of one business day prior to the transfer. The email must contain: 
   • The date the payment(s) will be transferred 
   • The payment amount(s) 
   • The customer number(s)* 
   • The invoice number(s)* 
   • Payment breakdown by invoice if multiple invoices are being paid 
   • Contact name and phone number 

Note: Only City of Ottawa Accounts Receivable invoices can be paid with this banking information. These invoices have document numbers beginning with 1600*****, 1800*****, 91****** or 1100*****(Rent) and are either invoiced on blue paper or by email from ar-in@ottawa.ca. Other City of Ottawa invoices cannot be paid using this bank account (i.e., property taxes, water, provincial offences tickets etc.). Doing so will result in fees and penalty charges or the rejection of your payment.  

Any interest or penalty that may accumulate as a result of EFT payments not being immediately identifiable due to missing or incomplete e-mail notifications will not be waived and additional fees may be applied if the payment requires a transfer or is deemed unprocessable. 

Pre-authorized Debit (PAD) plan

The Pre-authorized Debit (PAD) plan offers you the convenience of having your payments automatically debited to your bank account on the first and/or fifteenth of every month. Enrolment in the Plan is free. To qualify, all existing accounts receivable invoices must be paid up-to-date.

To enroll, complete the Pre-Authorized Debit Application form.

Payments will be applied from the date authorized until the debt has been paid in full, unless the plan is terminated. To withdraw from the plan or change banking information you must provide Accounts Receivable with (30) days written notice. Subscribers to the PAD, who have two (2) returned item within a 12-month period, will become ineligible to continue on the PAD program. The balance of the debt will become due immediately and subject to applicable penalties. An NSF fee applies for all returned PAD payments.

In-Person

• at any Client Service Centre using cash, cheque, debit or credit card

Note: A service fee may apply for credit card payments.

By Mail

Mail your payments to:

City of Ottawa, Accounts Receivable
P.O. Box 3441, Ottawa, ON K1P 1J5

Please do the following: 

• Mail/courier your payment to arrive in advance of the due date to avoid interest 
• Make cheque(s) payable to City of Ottawa  
• Write your customer and invoice number on the memo line of the cheque (if your cheque will pay for more than one invoice, indicate "multi") 
• Include the payment stub from the bottom of your invoice if you have one (do not fold, staple, stamp or write on the payment stub) 
• Payment breakdown by invoice if multiple invoices are being paid with a single cheque 

We accept post-dated cheques.  However, please contact our office prior to mailing them in order to discuss your account with us.  

Your account is credited when payment is deposited at our office. Cheques processed after the due date of the invoice will result in additional interest charges in accordance with the by-law. 

Any interest or penalty that may accumulate as a result of cheque payments not being immediately identifiable due to missing or incomplete invoice identification and distribution will not be waived and additional fees may be applied if the payment requires a transfer or is deemed unprocessable. 

Phone

Please call Accounts Receivable at 613-580-2424 ext. 13668, Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm (June to August, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm). 

Email

AccountsReceivable@ottawa.ca