Utility bills and notices

Monthly bills are recurring files plus a list. Past-due and disconnect notices are deadline mail. First-Class is the default. Certified is not automatic on every shutoff.

What utilities still put in the mail

Two rhythms. A cycle, and a deadline.

  • Monthly bills

    Recurring files plus a list from CIS. Same path every cycle. Statements & invoices →

  • Past-due notices

    The same upload path, on a clock. Ops approves before the piece leaves. A past-due file is not a monthly bill with a red stamp we add. Send the notice CIS already built.

  • Disconnect notices

    Deadline mail. Ops confirms the file and the list before the piece leaves.

  • Other CIS exports

    Service notices your CIS already builds. We do not write tariff language.

Bills on a cycle. Disconnects on a deadline.

A monthly bill is a recurring file and a list. Export from CIS. Upload. A person confirms. We print, insert, apply postage, and deliver the pieces to USPS. Next cycle, same path. We do not read meters. We do not calculate usage. We do not run the customer information system.

Past-due and disconnect notices use that same upload. The difference is the clock. Ops needs a mail date it can run, not a guess. Approve by 1:00 PM CT for same-day when the job is eligible. Approve by 10:00 PM CT for the next business-day mail date. Mail dates are Monday through Friday. Do not restate the full eligibility list on every disconnect. Read the cutoff page once, then run against it. Cutoff rules →

Cycle bills and shutoff notices are different jobs. A monthly bill file should not ride as Certified by default. That option belongs on the disconnect stack, and only when you add it. First-Class is the default path. You approve the proof. Certified is never same-day, and it is not a postcard. Certified Mail → Scan status on a qualifying First-Class bill is not shutoff proof. Tracing →

Occupants move. Addresses are checked before print so fewer bills leave for a vacant house. Address verification → Put the utility mark on the envelope if ops wants it. Artwork has to be approved before a cycle; that can take 1–2 business days. Features → Fund the meter. We do not publish a unit price per bill. This is production mail, not a postage meter in the office. Compare →

Plan the disconnect week against the cutoff page, not against a hope that USPS is fast. We do not publish transit days. Same-day is a production window for eligible First-Class, not a delivery promise, and not a Certified path. If ops needs proof on a shutoff, schedule it as Certified and give it the next business-day window. Cycle bills can ride the default path. Shutoffs cannot borrow a same-day window they do not have.

What this is not

  • Not a CIS

    Accounts, rates, and billing rules stay in your customer information system.

  • Not meter-reading

    We do not collect usage. We mail the bill file CIS already built.

  • Not the office meter

    Production print and postage. Not a meter on a clerk’s desk. Compare →

  • Not field ops

    We do not hang door tags or read a meter in the field. We mail the CIS export.

Utility mail FAQ

Can USMail.ai mail utility bills?

Yes. Monthly bills are recurring files plus a list your CIS already exports. Past-due and disconnect notices use the same upload path on a deadline. A person approves. We print, insert, apply postage, and deliver the pieces to USPS.

Do you replace the CIS or read meters?

No. We do not read meters. We do not calculate usage. We do not run customer information systems. Export the bill file and the list. We produce the mail. Recurring files →

Is Certified Mail automatic on disconnect notices?

No. First-Class is the default. Shutoff proof is Certified Mail only when you add it before you approve. It is not the default on every bill. Certified is never same-day. Certified Mail →

What cutoff should ops use for cycle bills vs shutoff mail?

Approve by 1:00 PM CT for same-day when the job is eligible. Approve by 10:00 PM CT for the next business-day mail date. Mail dates are Monday through Friday. Certified is never same-day. Full eligibility →

Get started

Open the app. Export the bill file CIS already has. Watch the cutoff on disconnects.