Pay your PSEG Long Island bill: 6 channels, 3 traps to avoid

Q: How long does a mailed cheque take to post?

Plan on 3 to 7 business days from mailing to posting on your PSEG LI account. Mail at least one week before the due date.

Q: What if I cannot pay the full amount this month?

Call PSEG LI at 1-800-490-0025 before the due date and ask for a Deferred Payment Agreement. Then check whether you qualify for HEAP, the Household Assistance Rate, Project Warmth or REAP.

Q: Does PSEG Long Island deliver natural gas?

No. PSEG LI is electric only. Natural gas on Long Island is delivered by National Grid. For a gas emergency call National Grid at 1-800-892-2345, never PSEG LI.

By James Pochez | Updated 25 May 2026 | 9 min read

Your bill is branded PSEG Long Island but the money flows to LIPA. PSEG LI is the operator hired by LIPA to print the bill, run the call centre and chase late payments; LIPA owns the wires, sets the rate schedule and receives the revenue. That split does not change how you pay, but it explains why the cheque you mail goes to a LIPA-administered lockbox in Hicksville, not to PSEG's New Jersey headquarters. PSEG LI accepts payment through six channels: Auto Pay (DirectPay), online via My Account, phone via the 24/7 automated line, by mail, in person at a Customer Service Centre and at any Authorized Payment Centre. The cheapest channels are Auto Pay, an online bank-account payment and a mailed cheque (all zero fee). Card payments route through Western Union's SpeedPay and carry a $2.95 per transaction fee that PSEG LI does not see a cent of. Power outage? Call 1-800-490-0075 (24/7). Smell gas? Call National Grid at 1-800-892-2345, NOT PSEG LI — gas on Long Island is delivered by National Grid, not PSEG.

Pay-by-phone lines

Automated, bank account (free)

1-800-490-0025

24/7. Need your account number on hand.

Card, via Western Union SpeedPay

1-888-608-6669

$2.95 per transaction. Up to 4 payments / 30 days.

Power outage (24/7)

1-800-490-0075

Or text OUT to PSEGLI (773-754) once registered.

Smell gas? National Grid LI

1-800-892-2345

PSEG LI is electric only. Gas on LI is National Grid.

Mail your payment

Write your account number on the back of the cheque. Mail at least 7 days before the due date.

Routine bill payment: PSEG Long Island
P.O. Box 888
Hicksville, NY 11802
DirectPay (Auto Pay) enrolment form: PSEG Long Island DirectPay Program
P.O. Box 9083
Melville, NY 11747-9083

Never mail cash. Use a cheque or money order, made out to PSEG Long Island. The lockbox does not accept cash and PSEG LI will not reimburse cash lost in the mail.

Fee-free shortcuts

1

Enrol in DirectPay (Auto Pay)

Bill is debited 20 days after the issue date. Zero fee. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for the first cycle to switch over.
2

Pay from My Account using a bank routing number

Same effect as DirectPay but one-time. Zero fee. Avoids the $2.95 SpeedPay surcharge.
3

Combine with Balanced Billing

Same fee structure but smoothes the July-to-September AC spike across 12 months.

See Balanced Billing

The six channels, side by side

Same statement, six destinations. The fee column is the one most customers do not realise varies by channel.

Comparison of PSEG Long Island payment channels by fee, speed and access
Channel	Accepts	Fee	Posts in	Best for
DirectPay (Auto Pay)	Bank account	$0	Day 20 after issue	Stable income, want zero touch.
Online, My Account	Bank account	$0	1 to 2 business days	One-off payments; you set the date.
Online, SpeedPay	Credit / debit card	$2.95	Same day	Cash-flow squeeze; need points / float.
Phone, automated	Bank account or card	$0 bank, $2.95 card	1 business day	Anyone without My Account.
Mail (lockbox)	Cheque, money order	$0	3 to 7 business days	No internet; comfortable with cheques.
In person, Authorized Payment Centre	Cash, cheque (varies)	Up to $1.50 store fee	1 to 3 business days	Cash payers; unbanked households.

Fees and posting windows reflect PSEG LI tariff disclosures, May 2026. Bank-channel fees may be charged separately by your bank.

The SpeedPay card-fee trap

PSEG LI does not process card payments in-house. Every Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover transaction is routed through Western Union SpeedPay, which charges $2.95 per transaction on top of the bill. PSEG LI receives zero share of that fee — it goes to Western Union.

What the SpeedPay fee actually costs you

One card payment per month, 12 months: $35.40 a year in pure surcharge. That is roughly the cost of one extra week of summer AC usage.
SpeedPay caps: up to 4 transactions per 30 days, $600 per residential transaction. Splitting one bill into two payments doubles the fee.
Cards accepted: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and STAR / NYCE / PULSE / ACCEL debit network cards.
Where it shows up: on your card statement as a separate Western Union line, not on your PSEG LI bill. Easy to miss when reconciling.
The fix: add your bank account to My Account once and forget the card route. Same posting day, $0 fee.

Bill assistance: 4 programmes most LI customers never apply for

If you cannot pay in full, call PSEG LI at 1-800-490-0025 before the due date and ask about a Deferred Payment Agreement. Then check whether one of these four programmes can permanently reduce the bill.

Programme 1

HEAP (Home Energy Assistance Programme)

Federal grant administered through NY's Office of Temporary & Disability Assistance. Regular benefit (autumn / winter) and emergency benefit available. Apply via otda.ny.gov/programs/heap or your county Department of Social Services.

Programme 2

Household Assistance Rate

A LIPA-funded delivery-side discount that reduces the per-kWh delivery charge and the basic service charge for income-eligible customers. Lasts for as long as you remain enrolled. Sign-up via the same My Account portal.

Programme 3

Project Warmth

Long Island-specific emergency assistance run by United Way of Long Island. One-off grants for households at risk of disconnection. PSEG LI partners with the programme; call the United Way 2-1-1 LI line to apply.

Programme 4

REAP (Residential Energy Affordability Partnership)

Free in-home energy audit and weatherisation for income-eligible LI households. Cuts future kWh usage rather than the current bill. Apply through PSEG LI's energy efficiency line at 1-800-692-2626.

5 expensive payment mistakes on Long Island

Frequently asked questions

Why does my bill say PSEG Long Island if LIPA is the utility?

Because PSEG Long Island prints, mails and handles customer service for the bill on behalf of LIPA. LIPA owns the wires and sets the rate schedule but contracts day-to-day operations (including billing) to PSEG LI under a 12-year management contract. The lockbox cheques are deposited into a LIPA-administered account, even though the envelope says PSEG.

Is there a fee to pay with a credit or debit card?

Yes. Card payments route through Western Union SpeedPay and incur a $2.95 per-transaction service charge. PSEG LI does not receive any portion of the fee. Paying directly from a bank account, whether through DirectPay, My Account or the automated phone line, is always free.

How long does a mailed cheque take to post?

Plan on 3 to 7 business days from the date you drop the envelope at the post office to the date the payment shows on your PSEG LI account. Mail at least one week before the due date to avoid a late-payment charge.

What if I cannot pay the full amount this month?

Call PSEG LI at 1-800-490-0025 before the due date and ask for a Deferred Payment Agreement. PSEG LI is required to offer reasonable payment arrangements under New York's Home Energy Fair Practices Act. Then check whether you qualify for HEAP, the Household Assistance Rate, Project Warmth or REAP.

Does PSEG Long Island deliver natural gas?

No. PSEG LI is electric only. Natural gas on Long Island (Nassau, Suffolk, Rockaways) is delivered by National Grid. For a gas leak or smell, leave the building first and call National Grid at 1-800-892-2345, never PSEG LI.

What if there is an outage and the bill is still due?

Report the outage at 1-800-490-0075 first. Bill due dates are not paused by an outage; pay through whatever channel you can reach (mobile My Account works on cellular data) and follow up with PSEG LI for any restoration-related billing adjustments after the lights come back.