How to pay your water utility bill
Water utility bills are issued once every two months for most residential properties and every month for larger consumers. The City of Ottawa offers a variety of payment options for your water utility bill so you can find the method that is most convenient for you.
Which payment method is best for me?
My payment is due today:
Online payments by card through Paymentus made on weekdays do not have a cut-off time until 10PM. This means payments made on a due date before 10PM via Paymentus should be reflected as payments made on time.
Online, telephone or in-person payments made via your financial institution that are completed before your bank’s cut-off time if it is before your due date will be reflected as payments made on time. Check with your financial institution to find out the cut-off time applicable to you.
I want a payment receipt:
You will receive a physical receipt when paying in-person at one of our Client Service Centres and an electronic confirmation when paying online by card.
I want to pay online:
You can pay your water utility bills online by payment card.
I am house-bound:
You can pay via your financial institution online or by telebanking, online by payment card, through our PAD plan or by mail.
I have no computer:
You can pay via your financial institution in-person or by telebanking, through our PAD plan, in-person at a Client Service Centre or by mail.
If you choose to do so, you can use any publicly available computer with access to the internet and make a water utility bill payment online using your credit card or Debit card. A valid email address is required.
Update or cancel Pre-Authorized Debit plan (PAD)
There are two ways to update or cancel your Pre-Authorized Debit Plan (PAD):
1) Login to My ServiceOttawa, navigate to your registered water utility account and select "Pre-authorized Payment" on the left-hand side, (if you have not yet registered your water utility account, follow these instructions). Revenue Services requires 9 days to process updates and cancellations through this method. If you have a withdrawal scheduled within the 9-day period the funds will be withdrawn from the original bank account as scheduled. For more information, please refer to How to remove a PAD from a water and sewer bill account for cancellations or How do I change my PAD banking information or withdrawal date for updates.
2) Complete and return the Request for Change(s) - Pre-authorized Tax/Water and Sewers Accounts form. Revenue Services requires 30 days to process cancellation requests sent by this method.
Paymentus Corporation
Paymentus is a third-party service provider that securely processes online property tax and water utility payments on behalf of the City.
Security
When paying online, you can verify the security of the third party, Paymentus, by viewing the bottom right hand corner of the Paymentus screen where you will see an icon displaying a lock and indicating the site is secured by ‘Thawte’, Paymentus encryption security provider.
Payment Methods
We accept payment by MasterCard, Visa and American Express (Amex).
The maximum amount per transaction is $999,999.99. However, your personal financial institution may have preset daily limits based on your individual spending patterns. When making a large or unusual payment by credit card, call and advise your personal financial institution before completing the transaction.
Service Fee
Paymentus charges a fee which covers handling and processing costs. Fees on payments are charged directly to the client at a rate of 1.99% for credit card transactions. The City of Ottawa does not receive any part of the service fee. Paymentus is an independent corporation providing a hosted service for the City of Ottawa. Ottawa City Council passed By-law 2013-191 in June 2013 allowing third party payment processors to charge a fee for handling credit payments.
Your credit card statement will have two entries: one will be for the payment to the City of Ottawa and the other will be your service fee payment, noted as “Paymentus Corporation.”
Payment Confirmation and Processing Time
When using your credit card, you will receive an on-screen confirmation number. You will also receive an email receipt which will include the service fee from the third-party provider, Paymentus Corporation.
Your payment will be recorded on the day it was submitted. Payments made before 10:00 pm will be credited to your account on the next business day. Payments made after 10:00 pm will be credited to your account within two business days.
Technical Difficulties
For technical help with online card payment, please contact the Paymentus Call Centre: 819-525-2108 or email Paymentus customer care at customercarecott@paymentus.com.