Payment Arrangements The LADWP Payment Arrangement extends a customer’s balance across multiple billing periods. A Payment Arrangement is intended to assist eligible residential and commercial customers who have been delayed in billing or have experienced an extreme hardship. Payment Arrangements allow a longer period of time (over 60 days) to pay past due balances. The details of the Payment Arrangement appear on the customer’s monthly or bi-monthly bill and are due on the bill due date. The customer must make payments to the Payment Arrangement in addition to the new charges on their regular bill. At the time a Payment Arrangement is created, the Payment Arrangement amount is deducted from the customer's total current balance, while the account payoff balance remains the same. Customers may not increase the balance of the Payment Arrangement once it is created. Payment Arrangements will cancel collections if the full past due amount is moved to a Payment Arrangement. However, a Deposit service agreement is not eligible to be included in the Payment Arrangement and must be paid in full by the bill due date to remain enrolled in the Payment Arrangement. The customer will not be assessed late payment charges for the Payment Arrangement amount if all payments are made on time and in the agreed upon amount. (Note: The customer can still be assessed late charges for any amount outside the Payment Arrangement or in the event the Payment Arrangement is broken.) The Payment Arrangement may be modified without prior notice and terminated at any time.
Eligible Customers Payment Arrangement enrollment is limited to LADWP residential and commercial customers who have an active LADWP account with a past due balance. Customers can have only one active Payment Arrangement per account at a time. Payment Arrangements for billing errors can be set up for the number of months the customer was billed in error. Payment Arrangement enrollment is limited to active LADWP residential and commercial service agreements such as those for electric, water, and sanitation services. Payment Arrangements will not be offered on the following accounts: currently in the field for severance due to non-payment; severed due to non-payment; currently enrolled in Level Pay, a Pay Plan, or a Payment Arrangement; with a bank returned check that has not been cleared; where the customer has exceeded the allowable number of broken payment agreements in a 12-month period; with a legal alert; and where the business entity, such as a Corporation, Limited Liability Corporation (LLC), Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), Limited Partnership (LP), and Foreign Association, is not active with California Secretary of State. LADWP will make the final determination on whether a particular customer account is eligible for a Payment Arrangement.
Payment Amount The Payment Arrangement payment amount is calculated based on the original Payment Arrangement amount at enrollment and the number of scheduled payments. The payment amount appears on the customer's monthly or bi-monthly bill and is due on the bill due date. Customers must make payments to the Payment Arrangement in addition to the new charges on their regular bill.
Outstanding Balances and Taxes Upon Payment Arrangement enrollment, all outstanding balances on enrolled service agreements will be incorporated into the scheduled payment amount based on the Payment Arrangement term duration. LADWP acts as a collection agency for the California State Energy Surcharge, the Los Angeles City Utility User Tax, and Bureau of Sanitation Charges. These charges are included as part of the payment calculation.
Payment Notice While enrolled in the Payment Arrangement, customers will receive Payment Arrangement Plan information on their regular bills regarding their Payment Arrangement payment amount due for that billing period. The information will appear in a gray box and include the Payment Arrangement Amount, Total Payments/Credits, Balance on MM/DD/YY, Date Plan Began, Remaining Payments, and Payment Amount.
Billing Customers will continue to receive their regular bill, online or via mail from LADWP monthly or bi-monthly which will provide (among other things) any estimated or actual meter readings taken at the premises, actual or estimated consumption for the period, charges not included as part of their Payment Arrangement and other useful information about their Electric/Water/Sanitation services.
Payment Arrangement Termination LADWP reserves the right to terminate the Payment Arrangement for individual customers at any time and without advance notice to the customer.
LADWP Obligation LADWP reserves the right to choose which customers a Payment Arrangement is offered to and is under no obligation to offer a Payment Arrangement to specific customers, customer types, customer classes, etc.
When Payments Are Due Payment Arrangement payments are due by the bill due date shown on the customer’s regular bill. Payments must be made in full by 5:00 p.m. on the due date. If the required payments are not made on time, the Payment Arrangement will be considered broken. If a Payment Arrangement is broken, the unpaid portion will be added to the next bill noted as the Broken Payment Arrangement Current Balance Adjusted and will be due immediately along with new charges. Once removed from the Payment Arrangement, delinquent accounts may be subject to collections, disconnection for non-payment, and late payment charges.
Cancellation of a Specific Payment Arrangement Payment When a Payment Arrangement payment has been cancelled either by the customer or due to insufficient funds, the customer will be automatically removed from the Payment Arrangement. Once removed from the Payment Arrangement, delinquent accounts are subject to collection and disconnection for non-payment and may be assessed late payment charges. To be eligible for re-enrollment in a Payment Arrangement, all returned payments and associated fees must be paid in full in advance.
Automatic Payment If a customer is currently enrolled in Automatic Payment service, they will also be enrolled in Automatic Payment for their Payment Arrangement. At the time of enrollment, the customer should request a one-time suspension of their Automatic Payment until the Payment Arrangement is reflected on the new bill. If a customer signs up for Automatic Payment while enrolled in the Payment Arrangement, they must allow for a minimum of two (2) weeks to process the change. Payments due prior to the activation of Automatic Payment must be paid to ensure to meet the terms of the Payment Arrangement and prevent the Payment Arrangement from being automatically cancelled due to a missed payment.
Other LADWP Payment Assistance Options While enrolled in the Payment Arrangement, customers will not be able to enroll in an additional Payment Arrangement or Level Pay. If an additional payment assistance option is created on an account currently in a Payment Arrangement, the new agreement may be deleted upon discovery without further notice to the customer.
Discounts LADWP does not offer any additional discounts specifically for customers opting to enroll in a Payment Arrangement. Any discounts or financial assistance customers may already be receiving will be calculated into the Payment Arrangement payment amount.
Unenrollment from a Payment Arrangement:
There are several circumstances that may lead to a customer being unenrolled from the Payment Arrangement; the most common are detailed below. If the following situations occur, a customer may be unenrolled from the Payment Arrangement without notice. If a customer believes they should not have been unenrolled, the customer may contact 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397) to review their account. Once removed from the Payment Arrangement, delinquent accounts are subject to collection and disconnection for non-payment.
Delinquent Payments Customers who become delinquent or miss payments may be unenrolled from their Payment Arrangement. Once removed from the Payment Arrangement, delinquent accounts are subject to collection and disconnection for non-payment and may be assessed late payment charges. If a customer is unenrolled from the Payment Arrangement due to delinquent or missed payments, they can call 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397) to see if they are eligible to re-enroll in another Payment Arrangement or other type of payment agreement.
Customer Initiated Cancellation Customers can choose to terminate their Payment Arrangement enrollment at any time during the Payment Arrangement term. To cancel the Payment Arrangement, the customer must contact LADWP via phone by calling 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397), in person at one of our Customer Service Centers, or online while logged in to their LADWP account. Upon cancellation of the Payment Arrangement, the customer’s total payoff balance will become due immediately by the next regularly scheduled payment due date for the customer’s regular billing.
Changes in Account Status to Non-Qualifying Statuses Customers whose account status changes to Cash Only or Bankruptcy (or statuses that involve other legal issues such as Small Claims) may be removed from the Payment Arrangement. If the account status returns to normal, customers can call 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397) to see if they are eligible to re-enroll in another Payment Arrangement or other type of payment agreement.
Unpaid Non-Eligible Charges for a Payment Arrangement Customers who become delinquent on Non-Eligible Charges, such as a deposit, while enrolled in the Payment Arrangement may be removed from the Payment Arrangement. If a customer is removed from the Payment Arrangement due to non-payment, all unpaid charges will be due immediately in order to avoid collection and/or disconnection of service.
Transfer of Commodity Services If a customer relocates to another service address within LADWP service territory, the Payment Arrangement will continue uninterrupted.
Termination of Commodity Services If the service agreements enrolled in the Payment Arrangement are stopped at the customer’s request, the Payment Arrangement will also be cancelled. LADWP must be notified when a customer intends to vacate the premises and the meter(s) must be accessible for a final read and turn off. We must receive one (1) business-days’ notice for these requests. Online requests require two (2) business-days’ notice. A customer may be held liable for any service used until such notification is received and meter access is available. Customers may request termination of service online at www.LADWP.com and by phone at 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397).
Energy Theft Investigations In the event that LADWP investigates and determines that a customer enrolled in the Payment Arrangement has actively participated in Energy Theft, the unlawful taking of energy from the utility company or its customers, the customer will be immediately removed from the Payment Arrangement. All existing charges, in addition to charges applied by the Energy Theft Investigation team, will be due immediately.
After Cancelling Your Payment Arrangement If a customer’s Payment Arrangement has an outstanding balance, the remainder of that outstanding balance will be due once the Payment Arrangement is cancelled. Once removed from the Payment Arrangement, delinquent accounts are subject to collection and disconnection for non-payment. Current LADWP policy provides for no less than 10 days notification prior to discontinuance of service for non-payment. Termination for failure to make proper application, tampering, or safety violations may be made without notice.
Additional Details:
Advance Payments Customers making payments larger than their Payment Arrangement payment amount, will have the balance of the advance payment held as a credit. The credit will be applied to new charges accrued during the next billing period. This also applies to Customer Assistance program pledges including but not limited to LIHEAP or LIHWAPP. If customers would like to make a large payment toward their overall debt balance, they may request to break the Payment Arrangement, make the payment, and then re-enroll in a Payment Arrangement for the remaining balance to prevent a large credit from sitting on their account while still owing on the Payment Arrangement.
Service Account Credit Adjustments While enrolled in the Payment Arrangement, any credit adjustments applied to the account will not change the scheduled payment amount of the Payment Arrangement but will be applied toward the new charges on the regular bill.
Ineligible Service Account Credits Credits or credit adjustments on service agreements will not be reflected in the Payment Arrangement details and will not reduce the amount of the Payment Arrangement owed. Any credit adjustment will go toward new charges unless the Payment Arrangement is broken, and the credits are applied to the overall account balance.
Billing Corrections If LADWP rebills a customer account to correct a bill, we may cancel the Payment Arrangement. This will not count against the customer as a broken agreement and the customer may contact LADWP to re-enroll into a new Payment Arrangement.
Meter Reading There will be no changes to the customer’s routine monthly or bi-monthly meter reading as a result of enrolling in the Payment Arrangement. LADWP still needs access to a customer's meter(s) to obtain accurate meter reading(s) on a routine basis. If a customer needs to make arrangements for access or needs additional information concerning this service, please contact Customer Service, Monday through Friday between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. and Saturday between 9:00 am and 2:00 p.m. at 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397). LADWP reserves the right to remove a customer from the Payment Arrangement if that customer does not provide access to obtain regular routine meter readings.
Glossary
Balance on MM/DD/YY: The remaining unpaid amount of your Payment Arrangement as of your bill date. This balance is shown on your regular bill and reflects any payments that have been applied to your Payment Arrangement by this date.
Billing: Customers will continue to receive their regular bill, online or via mail from LADWP monthly or bi-monthly (every 2 months), which will provide (among other things) any estimated or actual meter readings taken at the premises, actual or estimated consumption for the period, charges not included as part of their Payment Arrangement and other useful information about their Electricity/Water/Sanitation services.
Broken Payment Arrangement: A Payment Arrangement is considered broken if the customer does not pay the total Payment Arrangement amount due and the total amount of new charges on their regular bill by 5:00 p.m. on the due date. If the Payment Arrangement is broken, the unpaid portion will be added to the current bill as the Broken Payment Arrangement Current Balance Adjusted and will be due immediately along with new charges. Delinquent accounts may be subject to collections, disconnection for non-payment, and late payment charges.
Broken Payment Arrangement Current Balance Adjusted: A notation on the customer’s bill that a Payment Arrangement was broken during the prior billing period. The amount shown reflects the unpaid portion of the Payment Arrangement at the time it was broken, now added to the current bill and due along with new charges by the bill due date.
Credit Adjustments: Credit adjustments are often applied to a customer’s eligible service agreement in lieu of a cancel/re-bill or in the event LADWP cannot perform a cancel/re-bill on a specific account. Credit adjustments will not impact the scheduled Payment Arrangement payment amount if applied when a customer is currently enrolled in the Payment Arrangement. Credit adjustments may impact the account payoff balance.
Date Plan Began: The official start date of your Payment Arrangement, determined by the last meter reading date on your LADWP account, and shown on your regular bill. This date marks the beginning of your Payment Arrangement plan and is used to calculate when your future payments are due.
Late Payment Charges: Late Payment Charges are late fees assessed on past due balances. If the terms of a payment agreement are broken, late payment charges may be assessed on the account. It is the customer's responsibility to ensure that all payments are made by the agreed upon due dates to avoid incurring such charges.
Non-Eligible Charges for a Payment Arrangement: There are certain charges or adjustments that are not included in a customer’s Payment Arrangement plan. Fees related to insufficient funds or bank returned check penalties, along with the amount of the returned payment, will not be included. These fees and charges must be paid prior to enrolling in a Payment Arrangement. Additionally, a Deposit service agreement is not eligible to be included in a Payment Arrangement.
Number of Payments: The total number of equal payments you have agreed to make to complete your Payment Arrangement. This number is determined when you set up your Payment Arrangement and remains fixed for the duration of your Payment Arrangement plan.
Outstanding Balances: The current amount due for your various utility services in addition to any past due balances owed.
Payment Amount: The payment amount for the Payment Arrangement shown on your regular bill is calculated based on the total amount included in the plan at enrollment and the number of scheduled payments.
Payment Arrangement Amount: The total amount you agree to pay under this Payment Arrangement plan shown on your regular bill. This amount will be divided into equal payments over the length of time and number of payments you have agreed to.
Payment Due Date: The payment amount, along with any new charges, is due by 5:00 p.m. on the regular bill due date.
Remaining Payments: The number of payments you still need to make to complete your Payment Arrangement as shown on your regular bill. This number will decrease each time you make a successful payment until you have paid the Payment Arrangement Amount.
Service Agreements: A service agreement is a technical term used by LADWP’s system to help define the terms and conditions controlling how the system manages the specific service supplied to the customer. There are different types of service agreements for each service, such as Residential Electric and Residential Water. A separate service agreement is required for every service supplied to a customer account. For example, a residential customer may have three (3) services - water, electric, and refuse - at their residence so they will have three (3) different service agreements – Residential Electric, Residential Water, and Residential Refuse (Sanitation). Customer accounts can have multiple service agreements but must have at least one (1) service agreement.
Total Payments/Credits: This is the sum of all money added to your account during the billing period. This includes your regular Payment Arrangement amount, any extra payments you made, and any credits LADWP has applied to your account. If you want to know more about making payments ahead of schedule, please see the Advance Payments section under Additional Details.
Utility Services or Services: Refers to your electric, water, and sanitation services.