The pause on Philly’s residential water shutoffs for non-payment will expire soon, and shutoffs are resuming on July 20 after a two-year pause.
While there are new policies in place to ensure those who cannot pay water bills maintain service, you may have received a shutoff notice if you have unpaid bills totaling more than $1,000 and haven’t signed up for water bill assistance or enrolled in a payment plan. Notices started arriving in mailboxes in early June.
Pay now
Ignoring your bills will sink you further into debt—your account balance will continue to grow and can be transferred to a collection agency. But you can avoid this if you pay your balance in full right now.
The City makes water bill payments very easy: you have the option to either pay online at www.phila.gov/waterbill, over the telephone by calling (877) 309-3709, or by sending a check payable to “City of Philadelphia” to:
Water Revenue Bureau
P.O. Box 41496
Philadelphia, PA 19101-1496
Get help
In addition to payment plans, the City offers a range of water bill affordability programs to help qualifying Philadelphians pay off their debts.
You may qualify for our Tiered Assistance Program (TAP), which provides lower bills that stay the same each month and can qualify you for debt forgiveness. TAP is available based on income or Special Hardship situations, and the same application can be used for our Senior Citizen Discount.
While funds last, customers can also apply for grants from the new Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP), run by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This temporary program, launched to aid in COVID-19 pandemic recovery, provides up to $5,000 toward past-due water bills. Visit https://www.dhs.pa.gov/waterhelp to learn more and apply.
Get into a payment plan
While it is best to pay off your bill in full, we also understand that some customers cannot afford to do so. If this is your case, don’t wait to call (215) 685-6300 and ask about our water payment agreements.
The best part? The City gives a 14-day window of protection from water shutoff to any customer who requests an application. Your service will not be shut off while your application is being processed.
Residential customers only need a 25 percent down payment to get into a standard payment plan with the Water Revenue Bureau (WRB). The remainder of your debt is split into monthly installments and must be paid off in 6 to 12 months, depending on the agreement terms.
Nevertheless, if you fail to meet the terms, we can get you into a second plan with a 50 percent down payment, and the remainder of your debt will be split into six installments. Payment plans can start as low as $20 per month, in addition to the current month’s bill.
Original source can be found here.
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