Billing frequently asked questions

How do I read my bill?

If you have questions about the items on your bill, please visit our Understanding your bill page.

How do I pay my bill?

To pay online, log in to My Account and select Pay now. You can also pay over the phone, by mail or in person. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and electronic checks are accepted online and over the phone. For more details, see Ways to pay. 

When will my payment be processed?

Payments will post to your account on your payment date. Log in to My Account and select View payments.

What should I do if my payment is rejected?

You will be charged a return check fee of $18 if your online payment is returned. There is no fee for a rejected credit card payment.

Log in to My Account and make a payment with a valid payment method. If you have an invalid payment method on file, update with valid payment information. 

Can I cancel a scheduled payment?

Log in to My Account and select View payments to cancel a payment that has a scheduled or pending status.

What happens if I delete the payment method that was used to set up the payment?

Scheduled payments will be canceled if you delete the payment method that was used to set up the payment.

How do I set up automatic payments?

Log in to My Account and select Auto Bill Pay in the Billing & Payments menu. Your enrollment will take effect on the next bill cycle. Please pay any outstanding invoices manually to avoid late charges.

If I'm on the SMUD Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) program, can I also sign up for paperless billing?

Yes, you can sign up for paperless billing to view your monthly bill.

Text alerts

Does SMUD charge per text message alert?
No. SMUD does not charge for alerts. However, usage rates of your wireless carrier may apply. Please check with your carrier for the terms of your plans.

How do I activate text alerts?

Log in to My Account and select Manage alerts.

• The first time you sign up for text alerts, we'll send a verification text message to your phone with instructions. You'll need to reply yes to register your phone for any subsequent notifications.
• If your phone has previously received SMUD text alerts and you're only changing or adding an alert, no verification is necessary in most cases. The exception is some financial transaction alerts require a slightly different verification process. For these alerts, you'll need to reply to it with a confirmation code.

Why is my text alert in pending status?

Your text alert may be pending because SMUD has not received your opt-in confirmation, your phone number is incorrect or your phone number is not text enabled.

To receive text alerts, log in to My Account and select Manage alerts. Verify your text-enabled phone number or request another confirmation text. Be sure to reply yes when you receive the text from SMUD.

How do I stop text alerts?

If you no longer wish to receive any text alerts from SMUD, simply respond stop to the most recent text you received. If you're receiving text alerts for more than one of our programs, you'll need to log in to My Account and select Manage alerts to update your preferences.

Note: SMUD may still send you important information such as emergency and safety notifications after you opt out of alerts.

Which wireless carriers deliver SMUD text alerts?

The following wireless carriers support SMUD alerts: Alltel AWCC, AT&T, Boost Mobile, Cellular One, MetroPCS, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wireless and Virgin Mobile USA. SMUD retains the right to amend this list at any time.

Email alerts

How do I know if SMUD has my correct email address?
When you sign up for email notifications online, all of the email addresses you provided will be displayed. If you wish to use one of these, please select it. You can also provide a new email address. Update your email address anytime by logging in to My Account and selecting Manage alerts. 

Does SMUD charge per email alert?
No. SMUD does not charge for email alerts. However, the data rates of your wireless carrier may apply. Please check with your carrier for the terms of your plan.

How do I know if an email alert is really from SMUD?

SMUD emails are clearly marked with our logo. Most emails also include a physical address for SMUD and additional contact information such as a phone number. Please contact us if you're unsure about an email you have received.

Note: SMUD may still send you important information such as emergency and safety notifications after you opt out of alerts.

How will my email address be used?

SMUD is strongly committed to protecting customer information. We'll only send emails about your SMUD service or other information you have authorized. Additionally, in accordance with the federal CAN-SPAM Act, we provide the following three components in non-transactional emails that communicate information about SMUD services or programs:

• Message identification: Email is clearly marked as being from SMUD.
• Opt-out mechanism: Each email includes an unsubscribe and/or email preferences link at the bottom.
• Sender identification: Each email includes a valid physical address.

How do I stop email alerts?

If you no longer wish to receive optional email alerts, select unsubscribe at the bottom of an email. You can also change your notification preferences by logging in to My Account and selecting Manage alerts. It may take up to 10 days for your unsubscribe request to take effect. We appreciate your patience during this time period should you receive one or two additional emails.

Note: SMUD may still send you important information about your service such as emergency and safety notifications after you opt out of the optional alerts.

What is SMUD's refund policy?
You may request a refund if there's a credit balance, duplicate payment or overpayment on your account. If payment was made by electronic or physical check, a 14-day waiting period is required.

To request a refund, please contact a Customer Service Representative at 1-888-742-7683 between 7 AM and 7 PM, Monday through Friday.

What is SMUD's credit card policy?

• SMUD does not give cash refunds for credit card transactions.
• We will issue your refund to the credit card originally used for payment.
• The amount of your refund depends on how much credit is on your account after any outstanding balance has been paid.
• If you paid with a pre-paid credit card, the refund will be credited back to the pre-paid credit card. If you don't have that card anymore, the credit will remain on your account.
• We'll process your refund request within 5 business days of your request. However, the actual date that the funds will be credited back to your original credit card depends on your financial institution.

How is my personal and financial information kept safe?

We use several methods to ensure that your information is kept safe, including user ID and password, SSL, encryption and automatic sign out. See our Privacy Policy, Terms & Conditions and Browser Support Policy.

Can I use any computer to pay my SMUD bills?

Yes, however, computer security experts advise that you may put your information at risk when you use a public computer for personal business. While we use security measures to protect your personal information on our website, using public computers may compromise the security of your information. Public computers include those in schools, libraries and internet cafes. 

How do I change my mailing address, phone number or email?

Log in to My Account and select Manage profile.

How do I change or delete my payment information?

Log in to My Account and select Payment Methods in the Billing & Payments menu. Note: Deleting a payment method will unenroll you from Auto Bill Pay and will cancel any scheduled payments.