How To Read Your Bill
With our new system roll-out, you may have noticed your bill looks a little different. Nearly all of the information that was on your bill previously is still there, but in some cases it may be in a different spot, so below is a summary of the sections of your bill and what kinds of information is in each section.
1) Account Information – This section will contain your basic contact information as well as general billing information, such as the period bill for, total amount due, and when your particular billing due date is
2) Current Charges – Depending on whether you have water and/or electric service you could have one or two sections here. Each section will contain the amount you used as well as the billed amount for each item related to your water or electric service. The Current Charges for water will contain detail regarding each price tier.
3) Other Charges – This will contain the billing detail of all non-metered services such as Sewer, Garbage, Stormwater, and if you are a Georgetown Utility Systems electric customer, the Energy Conservation Fee.
4) Amount Due – Here you will find the Previous Balance of your last bill, the Payments made since your last bill, the Current Charges of your current billing period, and the Total Amount Due by Due Date.
5) Consumption Details & Historical Usage – If you have electric and water service, this section will be found on the reverse side of your bill. Here you will find the detail of your electric and water consumption, such as the Start and End Reads, meter information, and total consumption. Additionally, you will see a graph of your consumption for your metered services.
FAQ – Budget Payment Plan
Unpredictable variations in the weather make it very hard to fit your utility bill into a budget. Utility bills may vary monthly according to your consumption.
To help our customer “even out” the highs and lows of their utility bill payments, the City of Georgetown is offering an optional payment program to our residential customers. We call our program the Budget Payment Plan (BPP).
How does the plan work?
Each month, our BPP payment is an average of your current bill and the previous 11 billings, plus 5% of the balance in your reserve, whether that balance is a debit or a credit. This new plan does not change the rates that you pay or the amount of your consumption from month to month. It simply allows you to pay less in high usage months by paying more in low usage months.
What is a reserve balance?
The reserve balance is the difference between the actual charges that you incur and the averaged amounts that you pay. Depending on the fluctuations in your billings, it may sometimes be a debit or credit balance.
Will I pay the same amount each month?
No. Because it is an average including the current billing, and 5% of your reserve, THE AMOUNT YOU PAY EACH MONTH WILL VARY SOMEWHAT. It will not be a set amount.
How will I know what I really used?
Your electric and water meters will still be read each month, with the actual consumption printed on the bills, as usual. Also, under the amount due heading of your bill, total current charges will be the actual charges incurred. The blue total amount due by due date total will be the averaged amount that you pay. The difference will go into your reserve.
How do I know if I am eligible?
In order to qualify for the BPP you must…
Be a residential customer
Have no disconnections for nonpayment, insufficient checks or more than 2 late payments in the last 12 months of history.
How do I sign up?
If you would like to have your utility account billed though our Budget Payment Plan, please print and complete this application, found at the link below, to the Georgetown Utility Systems Customer Care, PO Box 1430, Georgetown TX 78627. If you would like more information, please call our office at 930-3640.
Budget Payment Plan Application
How to Contact Us?
Georgetown Utility Systems (512) 930-3640
Location: 300-1 Industrial Ave., Georgetown, Texas 78626
Lobby Hours: Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Call Center Hours: Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Email: customercare@georgetown.org
Customer Self Service Portal
To access the customer portal, please click the link below. If you have have not set up an online account, the instructions below will assist with the creation of your new online account.
The Georgetown Utility Systems online customer self service portal is now live. When navigating to the new portal for the first time, you will need to click the button to set up a new account. In order to set up your online account you will need the following items:
Before attempting to create a new log in you will need to have the following information readily available:
- Access to a valid email address that can be checked.
- Customer Utility Account number, (if using an older account number it must contain the dashes. Example 123-4567-89, new account numbers are in the following format 100123456.)
- Drivers License used when utility account was initially set up.
1. Click on “Sign up now”. All customers must set up a new account on the new customer portal below.
2. Enter a valid email address and click the button which says “Send Verification Code”.
3. Check for an email from Microsoft that says: “Microsoft on behalf of GeorgetownCSS”; copy the six digit verification code.
4. Paste the code inside the text field marked “Verification code”.
5. Click on “Verify code”. Note: each verification code is only valid for a few minutes.
6. Complete the rest of the form. Passwords must be a minimum of 8 characters long, contain at least one capital letter, one numerical digit, and must include one of the following characters !,@,#,$,%,^,&,* (Example: Gtown123!)
- Customer Account number must contain dashes if you are using the old system account number (example: XXX-XXXX-XX). The new billing system account number can also be entered (example: 10016223).
- Driver License – Enter the driver license number used when the original utility account was set up. The sign-in will not work if the driver license number does not match the one in the system.
- If you initially created your utility account with an out-of-state driver license that is no longer valid and you cannot find that number, contact Customer Care at customercare@georgetown.org or 512-930-3640. Have your current driver license information ready. A Customer Care representative will provide that information to utility staff who will be able to help you complete the steps to create a new account. Due to high call volume, there are long wait times. You can also email Customer Care and a representative will contact you as soon as possible.
- The “CREATE” Button will turn GREEN – once the entire form is filled out.
- Hit CREATE – If all the data is correct– it will take you to the Home Page of the Customer online portal!
If you are ready to complete your account set up please click the button below to access the Customer Self Service portal. Remember to keep this page open if you need to reference the steps.
During this transition period we will not assess late fees.
To make a payment over the phone, dial 1-855-347-0509.
Click here for dates and times for walk-in help at an office location. This page will be updated as new dates and times are added.
People are getting calls from scammers who threaten to cut off their service if they don’t buy them a gift card. Don’t fall for this scam!
Remember, Georgetown Customer Care will never ask you to:
- make a payment over the phone
- pay in gift cards
- provide your personal information
Paying Your Bill
Georgetown Utility Systems (GUS) has launched a new online billing portal that provides residents a way to manage usage and payments more effectively. Customers can now log on to our new customer self service portal, by clicking here, to pay their bill, track and compare usage, and receive timely information and updates. By creating an account, users can sign up to receive billing and service notifications and set up auto pay by debit/credit card or bank draft. Customer are ensured peace of mind knowing that their sensitive payment information is protected by the most stringent Payment Card Industry (PCI) requirements.
In order to complete the account sign up process, you will need the following information:
- Account Number – (Account number must be typed how it appears on the bill. If there are dashes, on the bill, you must also type in the dashes when creating the account.)
- Email Address – (You will have to have access in order to receive a verification code, sent to the address you provide)
- Personal Identification Information – example, Drivers License
Future plans for the service include tailored products for water conservation programs, expanded smartphone technology capabilities such as outage notifications, bill and payment alerts, and bill pay options.
More Ways to Pay
Online Payments:
- One-time payments can be made through the new customer portal beginning on 8/6/2018. Click here for access.
- Customers will be issued a new account number that will need to be used to update their online bill payment account. This number can be found on your bill dated after 8/6/2018.
Auto-draft accounts: (Credit/Debit or Bank Routing):
-
- If you are a current auto-pay customers – You will need to set up a new auto-pay account via the new portal after August 6, 2018. Click here for access.
24-hour Payment Drop Boxes:
- Available for after-hours, weekends and holiday payments
- Locations:
- 113 E. 8th St. (east side of City Hall)
- 300 Industrial Ave. (Municipal Complex)
- 851 FM 970, Florence, TX (formerly Western District Office)
Regular mail:
- Mail payments to Georgetown Utility Systems, P.O. Box 1430, Georgetown, TX 78627
Customer Care Call Center:
- Call us at (512) 930-3640, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for assistance.
Lobby and Cashiering Center:
- Located at the Georgetown Municipal Complex, 300-Industrial Blvd, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Does your bank send us your utility bill payment? Please take a few minutes to verify the utility account number is the same account number on your bill payment sent from your bank. Not having the correct utility account number may delay or keep your payment from being posted.
How to Read Your Bill
If you would like information on what is on your bill, click here
G.U.A.R.D.
Georgetown Utility Analysis and Reporting Doorway is a customer portal which allows customers to track water and energy usage on a daily basis. This is a great tool to gain an understanding of how much water and energy customers consume, and can be useful to help with conservation and reducing cost of utility bills. Click on this LINK to view our helpful GUARD introduction video that will provide instructions for registering and utilizing this great tool. Click HERE to register.
Utility Payment Scams
Did someone from the City of Georgetown or Georgetown Utility Systems call and demand payment on the phone? Don’t be fooled. It’s a scam.
The scammers typically demand payment to a special toll-free number with a pre-paid credit card. Deceptive technology can create the illusion on caller ID that the call is from the City or the utility.
Georgetown Utility Systems won’t call you and demand payments by phone, and it is strictly against policy for any customer service representative to accept payment in the field. If a bill payment is overdue, there is a three-step notification process:
- First, late notices are mailed to customers with unpaid balances the day after the billing due date.
- Second, an automated phone call is provided to the phone number on the account two weeks after the billing due date.
- Third, a second automated phone call is provided to the phone number on the account three weeks after the billing due date.
If you have questions about a utility bill, call the Georgetown Utility Systems Customer Care Center at (512) 930-3640 or toll free 1-888-474-4904, before providing financial information regarding your utility account. You can also click on the following link to find out the different ways to pay your bill.
Penalty Waiver Application
A customer who is disabled, or who is 60 years of age or older, may request, in writing, a standing waiver of the late penalty, for utility payments made after the due date.
The customer’s disabled status must be verified by an Award Letter from the Social Security Administration. This waiver applies only to the account holder or their spouse.
Utility Customer Confidentiality
On June 18, 2021, Governor Greg Abbott signed HB 872 and declared it effective immediately. What does this mean for City of Georgetown utility customers? Prior to HB 872, if a customer wanted their account information to remain private, the customer would have to fill out a Confidentiality Request form.
With the passage of HB 872, all customer information of municipally-owned utilities is completely private* and may not be shared without customer permission. To learn more about HB 872, visit https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=87R&Bill=HB872
If you would like your customer information to be accessible (not private) to outside entities, please fill out the Request to Disclose form located here.
* Confidentiality under Chapter 182 does not prohibit a government-operated utility from disclosing personal information in a customer’s account record to: (1) an official or employee of the state, a political subdivision of the state, or the United States acting in an official capacity; (2) an employee of a utility acting in connection with the employee’s duties; (3) a consumer reporting agency; (4) a contractor or subcontractor approved by and providing services to the utility, the state, a political subdivision of the state, or the United States; (5) a person for whom the customer has contractually waived confidentiality for personal information; or (6) another entity that provides water, wastewater, sewer, gas, garbage, electricity, or drainage service for compensation.
