Handling paperwork online
Paying a bill online
What you will be able to do In 6 minutes, you'll know how to pay a bill online without a reference number error, and keep the proof of your payment.
A public bill is always paid online in the same way. The notice you receive carries, in a box made for it, two pieces of information to copy: the identifier of the organization asking you for the amount, and the bill's reference number. You then enter the exact amount, followed by an email address, because that's where the proof of payment will arrive. Then comes the bank card, and an extra check requested by your bank, which you validate yourself. Once the payment is accepted, a receipt arrives by email: that's the one to keep. In France, the public portal for paying local bills is called PayFiP, and paying there is free. A tax stamp is bought the same way on timbres.impots.gouv.fr, and you then receive a 16-digit number along with your proof of payment. We're going to practice on a screen we drew ourselves. Nothing here is real, no money leaves your account.
Simulated screen
I practice
This screen was drawn by us. Nothing is sent, nothing is installed, and no real brand is shown.
The situationA payment notice has arrived in your mailbox, with an "online payment" box.
The interactive exercise needs JavaScript. The written step by step, just below, says exactly the same thing.
The written step by step
The same steps, in words, to read or print. This sheet works even without the exercise.
The reference, digit by digit
Your turn Your notice shows the reference 68 4213 55. Tap the entry that copies it exactly.
The exact reference is 68 4213 55, copied exactly from the "Online payment" box on the notice.
The amount that doesn't match
Your turn Your notice states €104.50. Tap what needs correcting before you pay.
The "Amount to pay" field shows €140.50 while the notice states €104.50: that's the one to correct before paying.
The bank's check
Your turn Your bank asks for a check before accepting the payment. Tap what you do.
You read the amount shown by the bank, compare it to the one on your notice, then confirm the check yourself.
The receipt is the proof
Your turn The payment is accepted and a receipt is sent by email. Tap what you do with it.
You save the receipt received by email and keep it with the bill: it carries the date, the amount, and the transaction reference.
The doubt, an hour later
Your turn An hour later, you're no longer sure the payment went through. Tap what you do.
You reread the receipt email, then check your bank statement: both say the same thing.
The sheet to keep
- You go through the official door: the payment address printed on the notice and typed yourself, or your personal account.
- The organization's identifier and the bill's reference number are copied digit by digit: two digits swapped, and the payment lands on another file.
- The amount is checked again before paying, and it's paid in full: public portals don't accept split payments.
- The email address requested isn't there for decoration: it's how the receipt arrives.
- The check requested by your bank shows the payment amount. You read it, then confirm it yourself.
- A receipt arrives by email with the date, the amount, and the transaction reference. You keep it with the bill.
- In France, the public portal for paying local bills is called PayFiP, and paying online there is free. A tax stamp is bought on timbres.impots.gouv.fr, with its own proof of payment.
- If in doubt later, the receipt and the bank statement provide the answer. You never pay again as a precaution.
The reflexes in this skill
I stop before I click
Urgency is the sign of a trap. A message that counts down the hours is trying to stop you from thinking. Putting your phone down for two minutes costs nothing, and it is almost always enough.
I go through the official door
The address typed in by hand, the app installed from the official store, the phone number printed on the back of your card. Never the link someone hands you, even when it looks right.
I make a copy of what matters
Photos, documents, contacts: anything that exists in only one place can disappear along with the device. A copy somewhere else turns a breakdown into a minor inconvenience.
Two questions to check
Nothing is graded, and nothing is saved anywhere except in your own browser.
On your notice, the bill's reference is 68 4213 55. What do you do with these digits?
See the answer
I copy them exactly, in order, without missing any
This reference identifies a specific bill at a specific organization. A swapped or missing digit, and the payment lands on another file, or isn't accepted at all.
The payment is accepted and a receipt arrives by email. What do you do with it?
See the answer
I keep it with the bill: it carries the date, the amount, and the transaction reference
This receipt is the only proof the money left, and it carries everything a service might ask for. Paying again, on the other hand, creates an overpayment that will need claiming back.
I've done it
Check this box once you can do this skill on your own.
Your progress stays in your own browser.