Paperless billing delivers bills electronically instead of by mail; digital payments let customers pay without writing and mailing a check. For local governments, the shift can reduce print and mail costs, simplify billing work, and give customers more convenient ways to pay.
A federal executive order called for federal agencies to phase out paper-based payments by September 30, 2025. That requirement applies to federal agencies, not local governments, but it gives local governments a reason to assess their own readiness for digital billing and payments.
Customer preferences are shifting, too. In InvoiceCloud’s State of Online Payments survey, only 4% of Americans surveyed said they prefer to write checks for bill payments.
How Can Local Governments Embrace Paperless Billing and Payments?
Start by evaluating your current billing and payment system. Can it support your team’s goals and make it easy for customers to move away from paper? If not, focus on three steps:
- Choose an easy-to-use digital payment solution that supports paperless billing.
- Train your staff to use the solution and help customers with the transition.
- Educate your customers about their billing and payment options.
InvoiceCloud supports that work in five ways: accessible digital payment options, opportunities to reduce costs, implementation support, tools that simplify billing operations, and ongoing help with customer adoption.
1. Digital Payments for Everyone
InvoiceCloud is dedicated to making payments easier for everyone, including people who are less comfortable with technology or have limited access to it. Customers can choose from multiple payment options, use guest checkout, enroll in AutoPay, and receive personalized communications.
An easy-to-use experience can help customers choose digital payments and enroll in paperless billing. For example, The Villages, a community with a predominantly 55+ customer base, achieved a 77% digital adoption rate after implementing InvoiceCloud.
2. Cost Reduction
Printing and mailing paper bills takes staff time and budget. One industry estimate puts the cost at up to $6 per invoice. Digital options such as guest checkout, AutoPay, paperless billing, and personalized reminders can help organizations reduce print and mail expenses and billing-related inquiries.
InvoiceCloud reports that its solutions cut billing-related operational costs by 25%. In one customer example, Truckee Meadows Water Authority saved $160,000 through a paperless billing initiative with InvoiceCloud. InvoiceCloud also reports that its customers collectively saved $60.7 million through paperless billing over the 12 months preceding this article’s July 2025 update. These figures describe reported outcomes, not savings guaranteed for every organization.
3. Ease of Implementation
Switching electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP) providers can feel like a major undertaking. InvoiceCloud’s implementation team draws on experience with thousands of customers to guide organizations through the transition and help them meet project deadlines.
InvoiceCloud also offers 150+ integrations with a range of customer information systems, helping connect billing and payment workflows and support smoother reconciliation.
“We now offer customers everything they want, all in one place, making payments easier than ever,” said Sharon Whaley, Director of Customer Service at San Jose Water. “Thanks to Oracle and InvoiceCloud’s joint solution and dedicated implementation teams, all deadlines and goals were met with the exceptional collaboration of all parties involved.”
4. Peace of Mind and Simpler Workflows
Moving away from mailed checks can reduce exposure to check theft and fraud. Banks issued approximately 680,000 reports of check fraud in 2022, nearly double the number in 2021. Digital payments can help reduce risks associated with paper checks, though no payment method eliminates fraud risk.
InvoiceCloud’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) infrastructure also helps teams spend less time on manual billing work. InvoiceCloud reports a 50% reduction in IT and finance billing-related manual processes, supported by streamlined workflows, integrations, managed upgrades, exception handling, and automated reconciliation.
“Following a data breach, we had a critical need for a system that provided the highest level of security,” said Petra Trevino, Customer Service Manager for the City of San Angelo. “InvoiceCloud delivered exactly that, helping us restore trust in digital payments, while creating efficiencies to devote extra attention to security and other top priorities.”
5. Ongoing Partnership
Support does not end at implementation. InvoiceCloud offers hands-on user training, instructional classes, platform testing, and learning resources to help staff get started.
For customer education, InvoiceCloud provides a library of free, downloadable, customizable content that organizations can use to build awareness and encourage digital payments. These adoption growth services provide continuing support as organizations work to increase enrollment in their communities.
With these services, the City of Roseville launched a paperless enrollment initiative with a 90% success rate. More than 9,000 customers signed up for digital billing, resulting in over $100,000 in cost savings.
Cut Costs, Boost Productivity, Improve Customer Experience
A move to paperless billing and digital payments takes more than new technology. Local governments need a solution customers can use, an implementation plan staff can manage, and continued support to encourage adoption. InvoiceCloud brings those pieces together to help organizations reduce paper-based work and give customers a better way to pay.
Let’s talk about your billing and payment goals.