Financial support

You can split the cost of your bill into more manageable instalments by:

• Setting up a Direct Debit

• Setting up a payment plan

WaterHelp*

If your household is on a low income, you may be able to get a 50% discount on your bills.

Find out if you qualify for WaterHelp

WaterSure

If you're on a meter and use a larger amount of water because you have a big family or a water-dependent medical condition, we may be able to cap your bills.

Find out if you qualify for Water Sure

*Before 1 April 2020, WaterHelp was known as WaterSure Plus. The criteria and benefits are unchanged. You’ll see the new name appearing on bills and letters during 2020. You don’t need to take any action.

If you’re falling behind on your bills, our joint scheme Water Direct may be able to help.

The scheme has been designed in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It allows you to combine your bill with any other bill arrears into one weekly payment. This goes straight from your benefits. 

Find out if you qualify for Water Direct

Find out if you qualify for our payment matching scheme. We could match every pound you pay, helping you to clear your debt much faster.

Learn more about our Customer Assistance Fund.

If you're in debt, you can stop companies chasing you for payments while you get expert advice. You can do this by using a government scheme called Breathing Space.

To set it up, you’ll need to talk through your financial situation with a debt adviser. If they believe it’s right for you, they’ll apply to get you on the scheme and let us know.

Once Breathing Space has been set up:

• We won't chase you for payment for at least 60 days
• We'll work with you and or your debt advisor on a manageable payment plan
• We'll still be in touch about essentials, for example, if we're working in your area

Find free debt advice

If you need support during this difficult time, we’re here to help. We may be able to temporarily reduce or postpone your water bill payments for three months. We're calling this a 'flexible payment period'.

Learn more about our flexible payment scheme.

The following organisations offer free, confidential support:

Citizens Advice for general money, legal and consumer support

Stepchange for debt advice and money management support

Turn2Us for information on welfare benefits and charitable grants

Money Advice Service for debt advice and tools for managing budgets

Our Trust Fund also supports free, confidential money management advice and one-to-one debt counselling for customers who need it most. Find out more on the Trust Fund website.

If you are struggling to pay your water bill and would like to talk through your options, please call our Extra Care team on 0800 009 3652. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. We’ll talk through your income and payments so please have this information handy.

If your hearing or speech is impaired, you can contact us using Relay UK.

We want to make sure you’re aware of other free services you may be eligible for. Just like the help we offer with your bills, our priority services register is there for you when you need it most.

Sign up to let us know if you have ongoing medical or mobility concerns, long-term health conditions or communications needs. By sharing your needs with us, we can tailor our services to you. We can also prioritise how we support you during a water stoppage.

Find out if you’re eligible for priority services.