If you receive certain benefits or you’re on a lower income, then Welsh Water may be able to help with their social tariff. The HelpU tariff helps low income households by placing a cap on the amount that you have to pay for your water.
How does the Welsh Water social tariff work?
If you qualify for the HelpU social tariff, then Welsh Water will place a cap on your water bill so that you won’t pay more than a certain amount over the course of a year. Currently this is capped at £266.47 per year, which consists of £114.98 for water, and £151.59 for waste water treatment.
Am I eligible for the Welsh Water social tariff?
Not everyone can qualify for the HelpU social tariff from Welsh Water. In order to be able to benefit from this exclusive rate, the following criteria must be met:
- The water supply to the household must only be for domestic use
- Someone within the household must receive at least one means-tested benefit
- The household combined income must be below £9,700 if there is only one occupant, £14,600 if there are two occupants, and £16,100 if there are three or more occupants.
When applying for the HelpU tariff it’s important to let Welsh Water know the total number of occupants in your household – including children. It’s also important to include details of all income received form occupants who are over the age of 16.
The means-tested benefits that are acceptable to qualify for the Welsh Water social tariff are as follows:
- Universal Credit
- Income-related Employment & Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit
- Housing Benefit
- Council tax reduction (based on income, not just the single person’s discount)
How to apply for the Welsh Water Social Tariff
It’s easy to apply for the HelpU social tariff. Even if you’re already on it, you need to re-apply the end of each 12-month period. You can apply online using this link.