How to Pay Bills in The Sims 4

The Sims 4 simulate a wide range of real-life activities, even those you probably wouldn't have to deal with in your own day-to-day life. Paying bills definitely falls into this category. Just like in real life, however, ignoring bills can cause utilities to shut down in The Sims, even though it happens much faster in the game.

How do The Sims 4 invoices work?

In The Sims 4, bills will be delivered to your home mailbox once a week. They will add up everything you need to keep the utilities on and allow you to pay the amount all at once. Once you receive an invoice, you have two days to pay it without any consequences. After 48 hours without any payment, your electricity will be cut off. If you continue to ignore bills for another 48 hours, the water in your home will also be shut off.

What happens if you don't pay your bills in The Sims 4?

Failure to pay the bills will also shut down utilities at any businesses your Sim owns. If you live in an apartment, your rent will be included with the rest of your bills, and if you don't pay it, the landlord will stop coming in to do repairs. In previous versions of The Sims, not paying your bills might actually get some of your property back, but that's no longer the case with The Sims 4.

Related: How to make money fast in The Sims 4

How do you pay the bills in The Sims 4?

In The Sims 4, there are three different methods of paying bills, but they are all very similar. In either case, the first step is to retrieve the invoices from the mailbox. Any Sim can pick up bills from the Mailbox, whether it's a child or an adult, but only adults can actually pay them. Once you have reviewed your invoices, you will see the grand total you owe. The easiest way to pay is to pay them directly in the mailbox using the bill payment command which should now appear.

If you don't want to pay your bills straight from the mailbox, you can also pay them from your cell phone or computer (as long as your power hasn't already been cut off). You will still need to collect the bills from the mailbox and verify the total, then you can ask an adult Sim to pay after you log in to your cell phone or computer. Whichever method you choose, you must first have the full amount in your bank.