How do customers’ accounts get charged?

There are two types of payments through the Bill Pay system. Each of these is processed as follows:

Check Payments – Checks issued through Bill Pay are processed at 3:00 A.M. (ET) and 1:00 PM (ET). Checks scheduled to be paid on a date that falls over a weekend will be processed on Friday at 1:00 PM (ET). Checks scheduled on a bank holiday will be processed the business day prior to the bank holiday at 1:00 PM (ET). Check payments amounts will not be taken from your account until the payee has endorsed the check and has returned it back to The Milton Banking Company.

Electronic Payments – Electronic payments issued through Bill Pay are processed at 3:00 A.M. (ET) and 1:00 PM (ET). When a customer processes a bill between 3:01 A.M. (ET) and 1:00 PM (ET), the funds will be removed from the customer’s account the same business day. Payments processed between 1:01 P.M. (ET) and 2:59 A.M. (ET) will be processed the next business day. Scheduled payments that falls over a weekend will be processed on Friday at 1:00 PM (ET). Scheduled payments that fall on a bank holiday will be processed the business day prior to the bank holiday at 1:00 PM noon (ET).

Are checks drawn against the customer’s account then mailed to the Payee?

Yes. All checks issued through Bill Pay are encoded just as if they were a check from the customer’s own checkbook.

What will happen if a customer’s Bill Pay check is NSF?

Bill Pay checks are received just like a regular check and may be handled in the same manner as a check written out of the customer’s checkbook against an insufficient balance.

When are transactions processed?

Bill Pay payments are processed each day at 3:00 A.M. (ET) & 1:00 PM (ET). Any payments entered up to those times will be processed the same day. Any payment issued via check will be printed and mailed the same day. Electronic payments will be processed the same day. Both check and electronic payments that are scheduled over a weekend will be processed on Friday at 12:00 noon (ET). Any payment scheduled on a bank holiday will be processed the business day prior to the bank holiday.

What is the lead-time for a payment to be made?

Since check payments entered before 3:00 A.M. (ET) & 1:00 PM (ET) are mailed that day, sufficient time must be allowed for the post office to deliver the check. Please allow 2-3 days for electronic payments.

What fees are associated with the product?

Bill Pay is a free product for consumer accounts. Business accounts with bill pay will be charged a monthly fee of $5.00. For this they will receive the first 20 bill pay items free with a $0.50 per item (bill pay) charge thereafter during each statement cycle.

What will the maximum payment amount be?

Since electronic payments are validated against the account balance prior to processing, and check payments settle against the customer’s account like any other check, there is no dollar limitation on payments made through Bill Pay.

How many payees are customers able to set up?

There is no limit to the number of payees a customer can have.

How long will payment history be viewable online?

Payment history for active and deleted payees is retained and viewable for 18 months.

Who, if anyone, are customers not allowed to pay?

Customers cannot send an electronic payment to a payee that is not in the database. Payees paid by check must be sent to an address in the United States or its territories (or the 50 states).

Can customers place stop payments for Bill Pay checks?

Yes. After the check is printed and mailed, the payment history will show the check number for that payment. A customer can then place his or her own stop payment at the standard rate for Stop Payment requests.