Overdue debts are a major cause of stress for Brazilians, but it is possible to regularize the situation
According to the Brazilian Association of Financial Entities and Capital Markets (Anbima), debts are one of the main reasons of stress for Brazilians. Spending more of your income on retail products and credit cards and not paying water, electricity, internet and phone bills are some of the examples that literally keep many people up at night. Negotiating these amounts, catching up on payments and becoming financially educated, however, are ways to regain financial balance and reduce stress.
According to research by Anbima, almost half of Brazilians (49%) live with significant levels of stress because they are worried about their current financial situation. The state of worry about money can make these people unable to sleep, have problems with their family and suffer impacts on their productivity at work.
The uncontrolled use of credit cards is the main cause of family indebtedness. According to data from the Consumer Debt and Default Survey (PEIC), from the National Confederation of Commerce in Goods, Services and Tourism (CNC), the majority of debts – 86.2% – come from credit invoices.
Generally, people start the debt cycle by failing to pay their card bill or overdraft and then are unable to pay for priority services, such as water, electricity and internet. Also according to the CNC study, 30.2% of Brazilian families have debts of this type in arrears.
Financial management
As the superintendent of Sustainability, Innovation and Education of Anbima, Marcelo Billi, suggests in an interview with the press, keeping the accounts updated, avoiding compound interest of card debt – also known as interest on interest – and having a healthy relationship with money can reflect positively on people’s quality of life.
It highlights that good financial management not only contributes to individual economic stability, but can also strengthen family bonds and increase productivity at work.
According to the “Brazilian Debt Profile and Behavior 2023” survey, by Serasa, 53% of Brazilians who have debt say that the majority of their monthly budget goes towards electricity, water and gas bills. Furthermore, the majority, 83%, say they have already had to delay paying another type of bill to give priority to another.
The research, conducted in collaboration with the Opinion Box Institute, also highlighted that long delays in debt payments are common among a sizable percentage of Brazilians. About 74% of basic account debtors have at least one payment overdue for a year.
The study revealed that, for 82% of individuals, the value of these bills amounted to up to R$750 in their monthly budget, which represented almost half of the minimum wage in effect at the time of the research: R$1,320. The survey interviewed more than 11 thousand people over the age of 18 from all regions of Brazil, 52% men and 48% women.
You can pay in installments and negotiate overdue electricity bills
According to the National Electricity Agency (Aneel), the consumer can propose to the energy distributor the installment of the debts to be paid in the following months. It is up to the distributor to agree or not with this negotiation.
In the case of consumption units classified as low income, however, the distributor is required to pay the remaining debt in installments, provided that this debt has not previously been paid in installments.
Only the owner or legal representative can request such installment payment through the distributors’ service channels. Installments can be included in subsequent months’ invoices. In any case, penalties, late payment interest and monetary redetermination apply in all cases of delay. There is also the possibility of suspension of supply due to non-payment.
If you have any questions, it is important for consumers to contact their distributor directly or access the consumer.gov.br platform. If it is not possible to resolve the problem by these means, there is the possibility of contacting Aneel by calling 167, online or using the agency’s app.
How to check your overdue water bills
As highlighted by the Serasa Limpa Nome portal, keeping water bills updated is essential to have continuous access to this vital resource and avoid financial complications, fines and additional charges. Currently it is possible to access information on the status of debts, open accounts, arrears and make payments online.
To check late bills and make payments it is necessary to access the online portal of the company providing the service – since each city may have a different company responsible for this service – using the digital address which is usually shown on the utility bill. waterfall. Subsequently it is necessary to log in with the credentials provided during registration on the portal or create one, if the consumer does not already have one.
On the portal there is an option that allows you to view payment history and invoices for accounts already issued. From there you can identify outstanding accounts, amounts owed and due dates. The user should click on late invoices to check details such as fines, interest and other penalties that may apply due to late payment.
It is important to check the payment options offered by the site since, to facilitate payment, many companies offer the possibility of online methods, such as credit or debit cards.
Serasa recommends consumers consider the automatic payment option to avoid future delays. Companies offer this option, allowing the value of bills to be automatically debited from the user’s account each month on the correct date.
If the consumer still needs assistance or is facing financial difficulties, we recommend that you contact customer service. This is because several companies are willing to negotiate payment plans or offer customized solutions to resolve payment problems and delays.
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Source: Terra
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