An automatic payment is a regular payment that is set up and controlled by the customer, while a direct debit is a payment plan that has been agreed between the customer and Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
Automatic payments are typically set up via online banking, and you’ll need to manually change the payment amount yourself from year to year.
Direct debits are different from automatic payments as they are set up with your bank by Bay of Plenty Regional Council after you have agreed to the payment plan. Council adjusts the payment for you each year and notifies you at least 10 working days before the amount changes.
It’s important to note that when paying your rates by automatic payment, you must pay the full amount by the due date stated on your invoice to avoid penalties.
Please note
We do not offer the option to pay by automatic payment across the year. If the full amount is not paid by 20 October, a penalty will be charged on 31 October.
For this reason we recommend setting up a direct debit as then your payments would be calculated out across the year to 30 June 2023. If you do choose to pay by automatic payment, this will be self-monitored and you will need to make sure you clear your balance by 20 October 2022 to avoid incurring a penalty.