Bill
Bills are present in The Sims series of games, and must be paid in order to avoid a visit from the Repo-man, who will repossess (take) household items in place of payment. Bills are present in all base games of The Sims and, therefore, are a common occurrence in all games. Bills are paid using Simoleons held in the family's account. If there is not enough money in the account to cover the cost of the bill, the bill cannot be paid. The value of the bill is determined by the value of the lot, including all items on the lot.
Bills in The Sims
In the original The Sims series of games (including the original game), bills are delivered to the lot's mailbox every three days. To pay a bill, an adult Sim must remove the bill from the mailbox, then select the bill and agree to pay the amount charged. If the family can afford to pay the bill, the Sim will pick up the bill and place it back in the mailbox and the amount of the bill will be deducted from the family account.
After a period of time, bills will begin to change colors as they becomes late. Bills start out as a white color, then change to yellow, then orange, then eventually red. After several days of non-payment, a message will appear warning the player of delinquency. If the bills are not paid after this point, a Repo-man will arrive on the lot and repossess items roughly equal in value to the debt owed.
Bills in The Sims 2
In The Sims 2 and subsequent expansions, bills are delivered to the lot's mailbox on Tuesday and Thursday at 10:00 am. Bills may be paid by teen, young adult, adult or elder Sims, as long as the value of the bill is available in the family's or household's account. If left unpaid, bills will go through color changes similar to those in The Sims, and will eventually explode, at which point a Repo-man will arrive to repossess household items.
Bills are delivered to residential lots, as well as dormitories and apartments.
Bills in The Sims 3
Bills in The Sims 3 are the nearly the same as bills in The Sims 2. When bills are unpaid, a Repo-man will arrive and repossess property, often far exceeding the debt owed for non-payment. Bills can be paid by selecting a teen, young adult, adult, or elder Sim, selecting the mailbox, and selecting the pay bills option. Multiple bills may be paid at one time.