Remote Working During COVID-19 Pandemic Directly Impacted US Household Spending Across Key Bill Categories

doxoINSIGHTS report shows 45% of consumers had at least one bill increase in the past year; Categories most impacted by WFH were Utilities, Cable & Internet, and Mobile

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As Americans return to the office, many for the first time in sixteen months, doxo, the innovative web and mobile bill pay service, today released new survey data on the financial impact of remote work due to COVID-19 on household bills. As many Americans were without access to employer facilities for over a year, the latest doxoINSIGHTS report shows consumers shouldered a large bill pay burden to account for long hours worked from home. The categories most impacted by remote work – Utilities, Cable & Internet, and Mobile – were therefore the most likely to have shown an increase since March of 2020.

Key findings from the latest report, “Household Bills and Financial Health After a Year of COVID-19” include:

Household bills that increased over the past year were the categories most impacted by remote work

Almost half of respondents (45%) experienced an increase in spending in at least one household bill over the past year The bills that increased were those categories that required more usage due to remote work brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic:

77% saw an increase in Utilities 32% saw an increase in Cable & Internet 17% saw an increase in Mobile Phone

Higher usage accounted for increases in these categories, combined with a substantial percentage of individuals who incurred fees because they delayed at least one payment

70% of Utility bill increases were due to more usage; 12% were due to missed payments  49% of Cable & Internet bill increases were due to more usage; 17% were due to missed payments 51% of Mobile bill increases were due to more usage; 19% were due to missed payments

As Americans saw spikes in WFH related bills, these same bill pay categories were also the first place they looked to trim expenses

70% of people were actually able to cut spending in at least one household bill category over the past year The three most common bills to be reduced were also all in categories likely to be impacted by the shift to remote work:

48% decreased Cable & Internet 46% decreased Utilities 33% decreased Mobile

“While remote work due to Covid may have saved Americans on their commuting costs, it inversely affected household bills tied to the services we all used as a result of being home more - namely, utilities, mobile phone and internet,” said Jim Kreyenhagen, VP of Marketing and Consumer Services at doxo. “The good news is that many households also began paying closer attention to how much they were paying across these categories, looking to trim costs or reduce usage where possible, and this may help save them on their bills even as they return to the office.”

In addition, two of every five respondents (40%) said they had delayed paying at least one bill during the pandemic. For more on these findings, including the ways in which Americans trimmed their bill payments, from reducing usage to switching providers, please visit: https://www.doxo.com/insights/

About doxoINSIGHTS

doxoINSIGHTS provides direct insight into household financial health and spending activity by leveraging consumer surveys and doxo’s unique aggregate bill pay data set, comprising actual bill payment activity to confirmed household service providers across the country. doxo data brings together the broadest available data set for analyzing actual household bill payment activity, pulling from over 5 million paying consumers across over 97% of U.S. zip codes. doxo’s payment network covers over 100,000 billers in 45 different service categories and enables payments using bank accounts, credit cards or debit cards. This uniquely broad statistical foundation powers doxoINSIGHTS reports – uncovering key trends for household financial health and bill payment behavior.

About doxo

doxo provides simple, secure all-in-one bill payment to any biller, with any payment method, on any device. A doxoPLUS subscription adds free bank payments and five essential financial protections that boost household financial health. Through these services, doxo currently serves over five million paying users who can make payments to over 100,000 local and national businesses, making doxo the largest bill pay directory in the nation. Billers on the network get paid directly, fast and free – and consumers have complete bill pay independence over when and how they pay their bills. doxo expanded its user base by more than 70 percent in the past year and is expanding its team to further accelerate growth and change the bill pay landscape to focus on the customer. doxo investors include MDV, Sigma Partners, and Bezos Expeditions. doxo is based in Seattle, WA. For more information visit www.doxo.com.