When Should I Pay A Bill? 7 Reasons You Should Pay Your Bills ASAP

Today’s article assumes that you are not living paycheck to paycheck and have money in the bank to cover your bills as they come in.

If you don’t have some money saved up yet, keep working. You can also try our save $1,000 in 90 days challenge.

So you have money sitting in the bank and you get a bill.

When should I pay the bill?

In order to get the most out of your money, you should pay the bill on the due date.

This gives you more time to accrue interest on the money in your bank account.

This is how I used to pay my bills. Of course, that was when interest rates were three, four or even five percent.

With today’s interest rates at one percent or less, the extra interest I get for waiting a couple of weeks to pay my bills doesn’t justify the risk of making a late payment.

Now I pay my bills when they arrive. Here are a few reasons you should, too.

How Paying Bills On The Due Date Can Backfire

If you wait until your bills are due soon, you run many risks that ultimately could cost you more than the pennies of interest you might earn for waiting.

1. The Money Isn’t There To Pay The Bill On The Due Date

Sometimes mistakes happen. By waiting, you risk not having enough money when it comes time to pay your bills. 

This happens more than you’d think, especially if you aren’t using a budget and thinking ahead.

You might have misjudged the total on all of the bills you have to pay. Maybe a surprise bill came up. Regardless of why it happens, if the money isn’t there you can’t pay your bill.

2. You Might Misplace The Bill And Forget To Pay It

Flat surfaces attract paper, junk and other things. If you’re like me, you throw your mail in a pile. You don’t look at that pile again for a few days or, honestly, a few weeks.

When you finally get around to cleaning up your pile of mail and other junk you realize… DARN IT! I forgot to pay that bill.

Another potential hazard is when your spouse, significant other or roommate cleans the house. They may not notice a bill is in the stack of papers and accidentally throw it away.

If this happens you’re in a whole mess of trouble. What kind of trouble you ask?

3. You Could Incur Late Fees

If you pay your bill late, chances are you’re going to incur a late fee. Most late fees will eat up multiple years worth of interest on your savings at today’s rates.

If that isn’t enough to convince you maybe this next pitfall will.

4. Your Interest Rate Could Go Up

Late payments can result in penalty APRs or other interest rate increases. I guarantee the extra cost is going to be much more than the interest you earn for keeping the money in your savings account for a few extra days.

Multiply this out by the life of the loan and you’re talking some serious cash.

5. Your Service Could Be Cut Off

If you forget to pay your cable, internet, cell phone, electricity, gas, water or other service-related bills, they can cut your service off.

That would be a nasty surprise when you don’t wake up the next morning. Without electricity, your alarm clock may not go off. If you show up late for work, you could even get fired.

6. The Bill Could Get Sent To Collections

Is this the second notice you have received to pay that bill because you threw the first one away? Do it again and it might go to collections over a measly $10 copay owed to your doctor.

7. Your Credit Rating Could Get Dinged

If you’re excessively late and your debt goes to collections your credit score will get dinged. This may lead to higher interest rates on all subsequent debts to the tune of thousands of dollars over your lifetime.

Don’t Risk It

Well there you have it. These are the reasons I pay my bills when I get them. In my mind, the drawback of waiting greatly outweigh the benefits. This is especially true when your interest rate is a measly one percent or less.

Want to make sure you never pay a bill late again? Check out this awesome post that shares 7 ways to make sure you never pay a late fee again. It even includes a free downloadable spreadsheet!

Do you pay your bills when you get them? If not, are you going to start?