1. (a) Payment may be considered late if the utility or its authorized agent for payment gets the payment after the utility’s close of business on the due date on the bill.
2. (b) If the utility is not open on the due date, customers may pay by the utility’s close of business on the next day the utility’s business offices are open without being late.

3. (c) Payment shall be considered late if a check is:

   1. (1) Postdated beyond the due date; or
   2. (2) Returned unpaid for reasons other than bank error.
4. (d) If a bank error causes a late payment, the utility shall correct its records to show that the customer paid the bill on time.
5. (e) If a utility issues a late notice or suspension notice to any customer whose payment was received by the utility or its authorized payment agent by the utility’s close of business on the due date, the record of the late notice or suspension notice shall be deleted from the customer’s account record.

Codification Notes: This section was promulgated as Rule 5.06 of the General Service Rules prior to codification in the Code of Arkansas Rules.