Utility Billing Payment FAQs

Invoice Cloud is a web-based, electronic invoice presentment and payment company that we have partnered with to provide faster, more convenient billing services to our customers. By automating billing and collections, customers can click and pay online while helping the environment and reducing clutter in their home or workspace.

The City wanted to make paying bills easier for our customers, and sought a new vendor with a modern, mobile-friendly site to display, safely process, and store financial information. The City chose Invoice Cloud because it is easy to use, and the security is the strongest available. All data transmitted and stored is secured to the highest standards.  The data is not sold or released for any purpose other than to complete transactions.

It is convenient, saves time, reduces errors, and allows you to receive bills anywhere at any time.  You can continue to receive a paper bill, but if you elect to go paperless, you can always print out a copy of the bill if needed.

Paying online with a credit card or electronic check saves time, gives you the flexibility to pay how and when desired, and saves money (no more stamps, paper checks or envelopes), and Invoice Cloud will store your information for future use — but only if you choose to store it.

Yes, an email address is required for payment confirmation.  A payment receipt is sent via email.

Under "How would you like to pay" click on the drop-down box and choose EFT Check.

Yes, you will receive a confirmation email.

You may need to register to receive electronic bills by email, but registration is not required for One Time Payments. One Time Payments require that you enter your payment information each time you make a payment. By registering, you avoid that step and gain access to your payment history.

By registering, you have access to all of your invoices regardless of type and all of the features of the payment portal.  These features include the ability to view all current invoices, see previous invoices and payment dates, update your profile information, access the online customer service system, go paperless (if bill type allows), schedule payments for a specific date, and sign up for Auto-Pay.  You also avoid having to enter your payment information each time you pay a bill.

Registering is easy and can be done when you make a payment.  There are two ways you can make a payment.

1. When you receive an email notification that your bill is ready to be paid, simply click on the "View Invoice or Pay Now" button.  You will be directed to the City’s "Pay and/or View Bills Online" site, powered by Invoice Cloud. Once there, you will be given the opportunity to register or make a One Time Payment.  If you choose to register, you will be asked to provide a password and accept the terms and conditions to use the system.  The payment information you enter in your profile will then be securely encrypted and saved for your next visit.
2. You can go directly to the City’s website and click on the “Pay Your Bill” button.  You will then be directed to the City's "Pay and/or View Bills Online" site, powered by Invoice Cloud.  Once there, you will need to locate your account and be given the opportunity to register or make a one-time payment.  If you choose to register, you will be asked to provide a password and accept the terms and conditions to use the system.  The payment information you enter in your profile will then be securely encrypted and saved for your next visit.

To login the first time you use the system, you will need your Account Number which you can find on your bill. If you don't have a bill, you can contact our office and we can help you. Once you have registered, you will only need your email address and password to log in.

Click on "Forgotten Password?" at the bottom of the login screen. You will need your account number and email address to retrieve your password.  If you're unable to locate this information, you may call the City, and after verifying your identity, the City can provide you with the information.

There are two ways that payment responsibilities can be shared.  If the other payer is part of your household, you may choose to share your login information with that individual.  In a situation where personal financial data is not shared, you may forward your email notification to the individual, who will then click on the "View or Pay Now" button and elect to make a one-time payment.   They will need to enter their name, email address, address and payment information.  They will receive the payment confirmation.  You can verify their payment by viewing the invoices in your account.

You can pay by credit or debit card, Venmo, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay or you may issue an electronic check from your bank account (checking or savings). 

Yes, your bill can be paid in any of the following ways:

• Email notification based payment — click the "View invoice or Pay Now" button in your email
• Web based online payment — login to online bill pay via the website www.ankenyiowa.gov/pay
• Phone payments — pay by phone 24/7 by calling (866) 301-1718
• Paper check — sent by whatever means you choose, including US Postal Service

No, to complete the online payment process, you will need an email address so that the system can deliver your payment confirmation.  If you do not have an email address, you can choose to obtain a free email account from gmail.com or outlook.com or another provider of your choice.

After you submit your payment, you will see a payment confirmation screen.  It will contain your payment confirmation message.  It will show an approved number for credit cards or a processed number for electronic check.  You will also receive a confirmation email after your transaction is submitted.  The email will include your account number, invoice number, amount paid, and confirmation message.  If your electronic check does not pass through the bank, you will receive an email informing you of the rejected payment.  You may need to call the City in order to pay again.

Yes, you may use one payment method for part of the transaction and another payment method for other parts of the transaction.

Credit card transactions typically take 48 hours to settle.  An authorization is issued immediately; however, it takes 48 hours for the money to be moved.

EFT transactions typically take 48 – 72 hours to settle.

If you are registered, the only information you need to have available to complete a payment transaction is your email address and password.  If you make a One Time Payment, then you will also need your bank account or credit card information and your account number.

You can make payment or review your account 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  It is always a good idea to pay or schedule a payment at least a few days before the due date to allow for processing time.

Yes, you will have 24/7 access to your account for invoice review and payment, payment history and customer service requests.

Simply log into your account and change any of your personal information under the My Profile tab. If you are unable to change some of your information, you may need to call the City and have them change it for you.

If you feel that this fee has been assessed in error or you would like more information about late fee charges, please contact the City.

If you elect to opt in to Auto-Pay, it means that your bills will be paid automatically on their due dates using your default credit card or bank account. This will avoid any late fees and free you from having to remember when to pay.

Yes, simply go into your profile and uncheck the auto-pay box that you had previously checked when you elected to opt into Auto-Pay.

The Auto Pay date will not appear under scheduled payments. Auto Pay will be debited from your account on the due date.  

Scheduled payments are scheduled individually by you for each bill on your specified date.

Yes.  You can set up a future payment at any time prior to the bill due date.

Auto-pay is an automated process that pays your balance in full each billing cycle at 2:00 AM on the due date.  Scheduled payments are manually entered by you for the date you choose for each bill you choose.

You will need to contact your bank and cancel your automated or scheduled payment before the payment is due (typically, payments are made a couple days in advance of the due date, so don’t wait until the last minute).

No, you will receive an email notification each time a new bill is ready for you to view and pay.  Email notifications go to the email address used when you registered, a second email address may added if you wish to send notifications to an additional or back up email address.

Yes, simply go into your profile and under Paperless Options, select "No, I don’t want to go paperless."  Be sure to update/save the change.

• Option 1: Click on "Complete paperless process" link within email to complete enrollment.   If you do not, the paperless option will not be active and will drop off the system within a few days.  
• Option 2: Log into your account and cancel paperless registration. Choose >My Profile>paperless option>cancel paperless registration.

If you are unable to find the information you need in your online payment history or open invoices, please call the City at 515-963-3565.
You may email your questions to customerservice@ankenyiowa.gov.

Invoice Cloud uses the highest standards in Internet security.  Account information is truncated to protect confidential data.  Any information retained is not shared with third parties.

Absolutely.  Invoice Cloud will safely store all of your financial information using Payment Card Industry (PCI) Compliant systems.  This includes truncating (abbreviating) account numbers so that even the City does not see your complete account information.

You and the City's authorized staff.  No one will have access to your financial information as all check routing numbers and credit card numbers are truncated, so you never have to worry about security.  As a security precaution, we don’t even show your full financial information back to you.

If you are registered, you can login to the website and view the bill there, or you can call the City and ask them to resend the email.