Online Bill Payment FAQs
Q: How do I register for Online Bill Payment?
A: You must be registered for Online Banking to register for Online Bill Payment. If you are not currently an Online Banking user, click here for directions on how to register.
To register for Online Bill Payment, login to Online Banking, click the ‘Bill Payment’ icon, and then click the text link that states ‘Click here to sign up for Online Bill Payment’. You will be required fill out the Bill Payment Registration Form, and you will be prompted to accept First Federal’s Terms and Conditions. Allow 1 to 3 business days for processing. You will receive an activation e-mail from First Federal when you can begin to use Online Bill Payment. For quick reference on how to register, download the Online Banking How-To Chart (pdf).
Q: When is Online Bill Payment available?
A: You can schedule payments 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Q: Who can be paid using the Online Bill Payment system?
A: You may use Online Bill Payment to pay anyone in the United States and territories who can accept a check: charge accounts, utilities, banks, professionals, and even individuals, such as the person who mows your lawn. However, tax payments (such as federal, state, and local) and court-directed payments (such as alimony and child support) cannot be processed through Online Bill Payment.
Q: After Online Bill Payment is enabled, what do I do first?
A: Login to Online Banking and click the ‘Bill Payment’ button. Enter the name of the payee under the ‘Pay Someone New’ heading. You may set up an individual or a company as a payee. The system will begin to display payees matching the text that is typed.
Click the ‘Continue’ button once the payee name is entered correctly. If the payee is recognized by the system, it will only request information required to send the payment, such as an account number. You may still enter a payee if it is not in the Bill Payment system. Use the information from your most current bill to complete the process.
New payees will be added immediately, and you may add as many payees as you wish. Once a payee is added, you may make a payment immediately by clicking the ‘Go to Make Payments’ button. You can also initiate the process of signing up for e-bills if that option is available.
Q: How do I pay a bill once my payees are set up?
A: Login to Online Banking and click the ‘Bill Payment’ button. The list of payees that you have already set up will appear. Enter the amount in the ‘Amount’ field, then enter the date by either selecting a date in the calendar or entering one in the ‘Date’ field. Click the ‘Pay’ button. The system will display a processing message, and then move the payment the ‘Pending Payments’ section in the right-hand column. A message will display about editing or canceling the payment, along with a confirmation number. Please note that you have to click the ‘Pay’ button next to each payee to complete the process.
Q: How can I update information, such as the account number, for a payee?
A: To update a payee’s account number, login to Online Banking and click the ‘Bill Payment’ button. Your list of payees will display. Click the name of the payee you want to update, then click the ‘Change Information’ link on the right-hand side. Enter the new information and click ‘Save Changes’. Please note that some account numbers are provided to us directly from your payee to ensure accurate and timely electronic transactions, and you cannot edit those account numbers.
Q: When I add a new payee to my Online Bill Payment account, or change the account number, how quickly will the change take place?
A: When you update information in Online Bill Payment, the changes are implemented immediately.
Q: How can I make sure a bill has been paid?
A: The last five processed payments will display in the right-hand column. You may also click the down arrow next to a payee, then click the text link that states ‘View Payment History’. A report of all payments made to that payee will display.
To see a report of all bills that have been paid to all payees, click the ‘Search Records’ link, then select particulars from the drop-down menus.
Q: Can I receive an annual summary of my Online Bill Payments sorted by category or payee?
A: You can search your entire payment history by using the Search Records feature.
- From the navigation links in Online Bill Payment, click ‘Search Records’.
- You may select a specific payee or all payees from the dropdown menu.
- Select a specific funding account or all accounts from the dropdown menu.
- Indicate the timeframe for the data to be selected. Select either a standard list of timeframes or enter the ‘start’ and ‘end’ date fields.
- Select your subtotal preference.
- If desired, select additional items to include in your search, such as non-bill notices, filed items, unpaid bills, and pending payments.
- Click the ‘Search Records’ records. A results page that lists the report data you requested will appear.
Q: How many Online Bill Payment accounts can I set-up?
A: You can have up to 99 Online Bill Payment accounts; the accounts must be checking accounts. You cannot pay bills from savings or other accounts.
Q: Can I pay my bills on the weekend?
A: You can set up payments at anytime; however, payments will only be processed on a business day.
Q: When will the payment I authorized be debited from my account?
A: If the payee is being paid with either a paper check or an electronic payment, the amount of the payment will be deducted from your account within two business days of the payment processing date that you choose.
Q: How is my account debited?
A: Your account is debited via Automated Clearing House (ACH), a funds-transfer system that provides for the interbank clearing of electronic entries for participating financial institutions.
Q: If I make an error in selecting an electronic payee and it results in a late fee, am I responsible for the charges?
A: If you select an electronic payee with an address that is different from that indicated on the payment coupon, then you are responsible for the late fee. You always have the option to manually enter a different address for a payee. If you select an electronic payee with the address that matches the one indicated on the payment coupon, and the payment is routed incorrectly, then Metavante, our Online Bill Payment processor, will take responsibility for the late fee.
Q: What are e-bills?
A: An e-bill is sent electronically, instead of through the mail. You can receive e-bills in Online Bill Payment. First Federal retrieves the bill from your biller’s web site and redirects it to your Online Bill Payment. You can set up an e-mail alert when a new e-bill is delivered by clicking the payee name and then clicking the text link that states ‘Change notifications’.
Q: When registering a payee for bills retrieved from the biller’s web site, which user ID and password do I enter?
A: When adding or editing this type of payee, you will be prompted to enter your login information for that biller’s web site exactly as if you were accessing your account on their site. If you are not yet registered for online access through the biller’s web site, you must do so before continuing with the setup process. Note that you should enter your user ID and password (or other requested information) for the biller’s web site, not your First Federal Online Banking User ID and Password.
Q: Is the login information for my biller’s web sites private and secure?
A: First Federal is committed to safeguarding the privacy and security of your personal information. Your login information is kept confidential, and is used only to retrieve an electronic version of your bill from the biller’s web site so that we can present it to you online. For your security, all input fields for setting up your payee-specific login information are encrypted and hidden from view.
Q: How do I place a ‘stop payment’ on an Online Bill Payment?
A: A payment may be edited or deleted anytime before the process date. Payments that have been remitted electronically cannot be cancelled.
