WaterSure and Water Social Tariffs 2026: How to Cut Your Water Bill
If you're on a water meter, receive certain benefits, and have a large family or a medical condition needing extra water use, WaterSure can cap your bill at the company's average. Most suppliers also run separate social tariffs for low-income households — here's how both work.
Two Separate Schemes, Often Confused
Water bill support in England and Wales comes through two distinct routes, and it's easy to conflate them:
- WaterSure — a nationally defined scheme (though administered by individual companies) that caps a metered bill at the company's average, for specific eligible households.
- Water social tariffs — individually designed discount schemes run by each water company for lower-income customers generally, under looser and more varied eligibility rules.
Most water companies only allow a customer to be on one form of support at a time, so it's worth checking both before applying to see which saves you more.
How WaterSure Works
WaterSure exists because metered billing can unfairly penalise certain households — most obviously large families and households with a genuine medical need for significant extra water use, both of whom use more water for reasons outside their control.
Eligibility requires all of:
- You (or someone in your household) pays the water bill and the property is metered (or a meter is due to be fitted)
- You receive a qualifying means-tested benefit — Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance/Employment and Support Allowance
- Either: three or more dependent children live at the property, or someone in the household has a medical condition on the approved list requiring high water use (examples include certain skin conditions such as psoriasis or eczema, incontinence, and conditions requiring home dialysis)
If accepted, your bill is capped at your water company's average household bill for that year, regardless of how much water your meter actually records you using.
How Water Social Tariffs Work
Social tariffs are set up individually by each of the regional water companies (for example, Thames Water, United Utilities, Severn Trent, Anglian Water each run their own version), and eligibility criteria differ between suppliers:
| Typical eligibility factor | Notes |
|---|---|
| Household income threshold | Varies by company — some set a fixed income cap, others assess relative to household size |
| Receipt of certain benefits | Some schemes require this, others assess income directly |
| No meter requirement | Unlike WaterSure, most social tariffs are available to unmetered customers too |
| Discount level | Commonly 20–50% off the standard bill, varies significantly by supplier |
Because rules differ by company, always check your specific supplier's scheme name and criteria directly — some brand it as a "WaterCare," "Assist," or similarly named scheme rather than a generic "social tariff."
Comparing the Two
| Feature | WaterSure | Social tariff |
|---|---|---|
| Meter required | Yes | Usually no |
| Eligibility basis | Large family or medical need + benefit | Low income (criteria vary by company) |
| Savings mechanism | Bill capped at company average | Percentage discount off standard bill |
| National consistency | Broadly consistent rules across companies | Varies significantly by supplier |
How to Apply
- Identify your water company (check a recent bill — note that water supply and wastewater/sewerage may be billed by different companies in some areas).
- Visit the company's website and search for "WaterSure" or "financial support" / "social tariff" — most have a dedicated help page.
- Gather proof of the relevant qualifying benefit (a benefit award letter or online Universal Credit statement usually suffices).
- For WaterSure on medical grounds, get supporting evidence from a GP or relevant health professional confirming the qualifying condition.
- Submit the application through the company's process — usually an online form, sometimes a phone application.
- If declined for one scheme, ask specifically whether you might qualify for the other — many households are eligible for a social tariff even if they narrowly miss WaterSure's specific criteria.
Other Ways to Reduce a Water Bill
Alongside WaterSure and social tariffs, most water companies also offer:
- Payment matching or breathing space schemes for customers struggling with arrears
- Free water-saving devices (shower timers, tap inserts, cistern displacement devices) that reduce metered usage
- WaterDirect arrangements, where water charges are paid directly from certain benefits to prevent arrears building up
If you're struggling with water bills generally, contact your supplier early — under industry rules, water companies cannot disconnect a household's water supply for non-payment of arrears (unlike energy), but arrears can still affect your credit file and lead to debt recovery action, so early contact is worthwhile regardless of which support scheme applies.
Frequently asked questions
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