Talking about money can be tough. But, if you're struggling to pay your bill, we have a range of schemes to help.
What support can I get?
- Is your household income less than £18,725 (not including any disability or housing benefits)?
- Are you in receipt of a qualifying benefit and have either:
- Three or more children under the age of 19 living at home? Or:
- Someone in your household has a medical condition that means you need to use more water? - Do you live alone or in a bedsit or sheltered accommodation?
If the answer is yes to any of these questions and you find yourself struggling to pay your water bill, have any money worries or receive benefits there are lots of ways we can help.
The best thing is to give us a call so we can find the right option for you.
A specially trained member of our Customer Care team is waiting to offer confidential advice and support. Call us on 0800 952 4000(opens in a new tab) (Monday to Friday between 8am - 7pm)
You can also send us a private message on Facebook(opens in a new tab).
Social Tariff:
Our Social Tariff caps your drinking water bill, which we are responsible for. We can also include a discount on your waste water charges, as we bill on behalf of your waste water provider.
You would qualify for this if your yearly household income is less than £18,725, excluding any disability and housing payments you may receive.
If your yearly household income is over £18,725 but less than £22,020 and your waste water provider is Southern Water, you may be able to get a discount on the waste water part of your bill.
You can find out who your waste water supplier is by visiting Water UK's website(opens in a new tab).
If you are of pensionable age, or know someone who is, you could be missing out on getting Pension Credit. Thousands of people in our area aren't claiming when they should. If you receive Pension Credit, you may also qualify for our Social Tariff. To check and apply for Pension Credit, visit the Government's website here(opens in a new tab).
WaterSure:
Our WaterSure Bill cap means you will not be charged more than our average bill. You could be eligible for WaterSure if you are a metered customer in receipt of certain qualifying benefits and have either three or more children under the age of 19 or have someone in your home with a medical condition, which means you use a lot of water.
To find out more about these support tariffs and if you are able to apply, login to your South East Water online portal, My Account (opens in a new tab).
Helping Hand:
Our Helping Hand scheme is funded by donations from us and offers financial assistance to clear water and sewerage debt owed.
We make grants through the scheme to our customers who demonstrate they are taking steps to achieve financial stability but need help clearing water and sewerage debt which has built up over the years.
You can apply for the Helping Hand Scheme by using My Account here(opens in a new tab).
Water Direct:
This is a third party scheme administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). If you claim certain benefits such as Income Support, Pension Credit, Income-based Jobseeker’s or Employment Support Allowance, we may be able to take deductions straight from your benefits.
In summary, it may be possible for the DWP to pay us directly from your benefits if you are in receipt of one of the above.
The scheme is free and, if successful, you won't have to worry about any further debt recovery action. You'll pay your current year's charges plus a fixed amount to help clear your arrears.
If you're on assessed charges, there may also be a cheaper tariff for you:
Single Occupier Tariff:
The Single Occupier Tariff is designed for customers on unmetered charges who are the sole occupier of the property. The Single Occupier Tariff brings the assessed charge down to the equivalent of a one-bedroom assessed property.
Single Room Tariff:
We offer a Single Room Tariff which can help those customers who occupy a single room with communal hot water and laundry facilities, such as sheltered accommodation and bedsits.
If you're eligible for either of the above tariffs, please get in touch.
Get in touch
If you'd rather speak to someone on the phone, please call our dedicated Customer Care team on 0800 952 4000.
All of our advisors are specially trained to offer confidential advice and support. Lines are open Monday to Friday between 8am - 7pm.
Independent advice
There are a number of independent organisations we can recommend which offer independent advice on a range of different subjects, from disability and ill health to wellbeing and financial worries.
Visit our dedicated Trusted Organisations webpage for more information.
