How to Pay Bills During an Extended Absence

It's important to find someone who is organized and trustworthy to assist you in paying bills while you're away. Your credit rating depends on it.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Checkbook Wallets
• Calculators
• Postage Stamps
• Envelopes
• Notebook Papers
• Pens
• Pens
• Calculators

1. Call all credit-card companies, insurance companies and other creditors that bill you monthly. Have all bills forwarded to a trusted family member or friend during your absence.

2. Make a list for your family member or friend of all creditors who must be paid monthly.

3. Make sure that your checking account has sufficient funds. Write one check to each creditor for each month that you'll be out of town. Postdate all checks accordingly, and leave them with your temporary bill payer. Supply envelopes and postage as an extra courtesy.

4. Log all postdated checks in your checkbook register so that you can balance it later.

5. Call all creditors once you return to have your address reinstated.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask that your temporary bill payer keep all bill receipts for your records.
• If you don't have direct deposit at work, arrange for someone to deposit your paychecks during your absence.
• Make sure that all checks are thoroughly filled out, except for the amount. Blank checks are an invitation for fraud.

[SueanneD]

on 1/16/2009 I've always wondered about this. Great advice. Thanks.

on 8/8/2006 If you're going to be away from your residence that long, chances are you've saved up enough for the long haul. Why not just pay your bills ahead of time? It's easy to figure out how much you usually pay per month for each bill, so on the last bill before you go, pay that extra amount. Virtually all collectors will let you do this, but be sure to pay a little more than the usual (say for your cell phone bill) so you don't have an oddly expensive bill that saps your credit line.
Also, have the post office, local newspaper and magazine subscriptions hold your mail until you return, instead of forwarding all of your mail to someone who probably has a lot of their own mail begin with.

on 11/22/2005 You can either pay all of your bills as you go by using Internet cafes (get a list before you depart) or schedule all of your monthly bills to be paid automatically before you leave. At the end, you will have a full accounting of what was sent.