Introduction
We know that for some customers, meeting water
bill payments can be difficult. That is why we have
introduced a new scheme to help our customers
who are amongst those most in need of financial
support.
Called ‘Help to Pay’, our scheme is aimed at
households who are in receipt of Pension Credit
(either Pension Guarantee Credit or Pension Savings
Credit) and are struggling to pay their water bill. The
full list of eligibility criteria is explained in the ‘Your
questions answered’ section below.
Customers accepted on to the scheme will have
their annual charges capped at a set amount. Tier1
applies if the qualifying person is the only adult
living at the address; for other households with a
qualifying person, Tier 2 charges apply.
Help to Pay
scheme
Water Sewerage Total
Tier 1 £122.98 £133.22 £256.20
Tier 2 £173.66 £188.14 £361.80
If your bill is currently more than this amount, and
you feel you meet our eligibility criteria, please
complete the attached application form and return it
to us at the address shown on the form.
We have explained more about the scheme below,
but please call us on 0800 072 6765 if you have any
questions.
Your questions answered
How do I apply for the scheme?
You need to complete the enclosed application form
and return it to us so we can assess your eligibility.
Alternatively, give our friendly helpful team a call on
0800 072 6765.
What are the eligibility criteria?
The person applying must meet the following
criteria to apply:
• be in receipt of Pension Credit (either Pension
Guarantee Credit or Pension Savings Credit);
• all other adults living at the address must be
receiving Pension Credit or state pension;
• occupy the premises as your only home;
• meet our affordability criteria, which will include
us looking at all possible ways of reducing your
charges.
In addition:
• water supplied to the premises is not used for:
- watering a garden (other than by hand) by means
of any apparatus; or
- automatically replenishing a pond or a swimming
pool with a capacity greater than 10,000 litres.
You must also provide us with income and
expenditure information for the entire household
so we can carry out an affordability assessment.
The information we need is shown on the attached
application form. It is important that you provide
this information to allow us to determine your
eligibility otherwise your application will be
unsuccessful.
What if my application is successful?
If you’re successful, your annual bill will be capped at
a set amount. We’ve shown our charges to the left.
Your new bill will be based on the Help to Pay tariff
charges from the date you applied (if you don’t have a
water meter), or the date of your last meter reading.
Our charging year runs from 1st April to 31st March.
Are my existing payment arrangements
affected if I move on to the scheme?
If you currently pay your bill in instalments, we will
recalculate your payment amounts and confirm the
new amounts to you.
The way you currently pay your bill will remain
unchanged if you move onto the scheme:
• if you pay by Direct Debit you will continue to
receive the additional £5 annual discount for
paying in this way;
• payment card customers can continue to use their
existing card to make regular payments;
• if your water charges are collected as part of your
rental agreement you will continue to pay in this
way;
• if you pay at your bank, Post Office or online, you
can continue to pay by this method.
My water charges are currently based
on meter readings. If I am accepted
on to the scheme, will you continue to
read my meter?
Yes. If you have a water meter and your application is
successful, we will continue to read your water meter
every six months. This will allow us to monitor how
much water you use – and if your readings show that
your metered charges would be less than the Help to
Pay tariff, then the good news is that we will bill you
for the lower amount instead.
United Utilities
PO Box 50
Warrington
WA55 1AQ
unitedutilities.com/
difficulty-paying-bill
0800 072 6765
Opening hours:
8am - 8pm Mon to Fri;
8am - 4pm Sat
If you have hearing or
speech difficulties and use
a textphone please dial
18001 followed by the
number you require.
For further
information
Help to Pay scheme
Application form 2021/2022
