Water Direct Debt Support scheme
If your customer is in financial hardship and in in debt with us, the Water Direct Debt scheme may help by paying their water charges and debt through their benefits. This means their arrears will slowly reduce, helping them gain control over their finances.
How does it work?
We're working with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to offer your customer the option to pay their water charges through their benefits.
This means:
- No missed payments.
- No recovery action.
- It's convenient as the payment is taken automatically from your benefit.
We'll also gives a £25 discount off their current year's charges.
Example of instalments
This is for illustrative purposes only and customers may have different instalments to the below.
| Charge Type | Amount |
|---|---|
| Current year's charges | £300 |
| Discount | -£25 |
| Arrears | £250 |
| Total amount to pay | £525 |
We'd spread the total amount over 52 weeks, so including the discount this would be £8.99 per week and then you would be debt free at the end of the scheme.
Is your customer eligible?
They may be eligible if:
- Their water account is for a domestic property where they currently live.
- Their arrears are more than £50.
- They’re in receipt of one of the following benefits:
- Income Support.
- Income based Job Seekers Allowance.
- Pension Credit.
- Employment and Support Allowance (income based).
- Universal Credit.
Apply online
for our Water Direct Debt scheme
By filling in this form, the customer agrees to us submitting an application to the Department for Work and Pensions on their behalf. They will be notified within 6 to 8 weeks of submitting the application to confirm they have been successful. Their instalments will be confirmed if you're they’re successful.
To contact the Department for Work and Pensions directly, take a look at the ways to contact the Department for Work and Pensions.