Our charges are amongst the lowest in the country.

The amount we charge depends on whether or not you have a water meter.

Got a meter: Find out our metered water charges.
Not got a meter: Find out our unmetered water charges.

Find out about other charges and discounted tariffs.

Your customer reference can be found on any bill or letter we have sent you.

To register or log in to My Account you will need the 8 digits that follow UC or MC on your bill. 

- If your customer reference number starts with MC then you have a water meter.
- If your customer reference starts with UC then you do not have a meter.

If you don't have a bill or letter at hand, please contact us to confirm your customer reference.

There are lots of ways you can pay – just choose the option that's easiest for you.

- Direct Debit
- Pay online by credit or debit card
- PayPoint
- Internet or phone banking
- By post
- At a bank or Post Office
- Call us
- Through your benefits (Water Direct)

Find out more about how to pay.

Spreading the cost of your bill can make it more affordable, there are many ways you can choose to pay:

Register for MyAccount
The easiest way is to set up an online account. When you sign up to our online account management service, you’ll have the option of choosing which instalment plan you would like, for example, you can choose to pay:
- By Direct Debit
- Online by card
- At a post office or PayPoint outlet
- Using Giro slips at a bank or Post Office

With an online account you’ll also be able to:
- Check your account balance and payment history
- View your bills
- Check information about your account

Log in or register for MyAccount.

Other ways to set up instalments
If you don’t want to register for an online account you can call us to request payment by instalments.

Most of our customers choose to pay by Direct Debit, but you can also request to pay at a PayPoint outlet with a payment card, or using Giro payment slips at a bank or Post Office.

How frequent will my instalments be?
The frequency of your instalments will depend on whether you are unmetered or metered and what payment method you have requested.

Unmetered customers
Unmetered instalment plans are either spread over:
- Two instalments (April and October). We’ll send you a copy of the bill in the month prior to the due date
- Eight months (April to November)
- Ten months (April to January)

If you’re experiencing difficulties we offer weekly/fortnightly plans. This will show as a special arrangement (with monthly, fortnightly or weekly slips).

We calculate each instalment by working out how much your unmetered bill is for the year and dividing it by the number of months. We’ll also take into account any credit or debit on your account.

We don’t send confirmation that the payment plan has been paid and completed.

Metered customers
Metered instalment plans are spread over 12 months.

At the end of the 12 months, your payment plan will be revised based on the last four bills on your account.

At least one of these bills will be an actual meter reading, but some may be estimated. You can check this by looking at your bills, which you can access online.

If your last bill was estimated and you’re not happy with the amount we’ve calculated, you can provide an actual meter reading.

Based on this reading we can then work out how much water you’ve used and use this to adjust your payment plan.

Find out more about reading your meter.

Find out more about how to pay.

Payments by credit or debit card are free.

(Please note we are unable to accept payments via American Express or Diners credit cards.)

You can pay online through My Account or by using our pay now option.

Or to make it simple to pay, set up a Direct Debit. 

Please make cheques payable to South Staffs Water and write your customer reference on the back.

Please don't send cash in the post, as we won't be able to credit lost cash to your account.

Send your cheque or postal order with the completed payment slip to:
South Staffs Water
P.O. Box 63
Walsall
WS2 7PJ

Cheques will be processed within two days of us receiving them.

If a cheque is returned unpaid, we will make an administration charge of £5 to cover bank costs.

You can find your nearest PayPoint by entering your postcode at PayPoint.com.

Direct Debit is the simplest and most convenient way for you to pay regular and occasional bills.

A Direct Debit is an instruction from you to your bank or building society. It authorises us to collect payments from your account – but only if we’ve given you advanced notice of the amounts and dates of collection.

Once you have agreed these, the money is deducted automatically. If we want to change an amount or date of collection, we have to tell you about it first.

Find out more about Direct Debit.

You can set up a Direct Debit online. You’ll need to register or log into My Account.

The Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept instructions to pay by Direct Debit

If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit we will notify you ten working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed.

If you request us to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request.

If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit, by us or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society.

If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when we ask you to.

You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify us.

Find out more about Direct Debit.

We understand that finding the money to pay your bill can sometimes be difficult.

If you are struggling to meet your payments we have a range of options available to help support you.

Find out how we can help. 

If you’re going away for a while, you will still need to pay for your water service. If you have a bill to pay soon, please ensure you make the necessary arrangements before you leave.

If your property has a meter, your water bill will reflect the amount of water that has been used, but if not and you regularly spend time away, you could consider switching to a meter.

Sign up for Direct Debit for a hassle free way to pay while your away.

Sign up to My Account to access your account and bills from wherever you are.

If your home has a water meter fitted, it will tell us the amount of water that you have used and you will be charged for it.

Water meters are approved for accuracy and tested by the manufacturers before leaving the factory. They need to meet the requirements of Measuring Equipment Regulations 1988.

If you believe your meter to be inaccurate you can ask us to test it. The test is carried out to published regulations and standards, by an independent body.

You will be given the results of the test. If the test shows the meter is accurate you will have to pay a meter test fee. Non-household customers will also need to pay for a replacement meter which will depend on it's size.

If it is not accurate, we will estimate your bills based on previous usage or future usage if there are no readings. You will not have to pay for the test or replacement in this case.

Meter readings and estimated bills

We send our metered household customers a bill at least twice a year. At least one bill each year will be based on an actual meter reading.
If we don't have an actual reading, bills will be based on an estimate. The estimated bills are calculated by averaging the daily consumption between two actual meter readings.

Find out more about reading your meter and to submit a reading online

Find out how to find your meter.

If you’re an unmetered customer then you’ll be paying your bills based on your property’s rateable value (RV).

The rateable value of your property is detailed on your bill. To calculate your charges we multiply the rateable value of your property, for example £275, by the charge which has been set for each £1 of rateable value.

If you’d like to be billed on how much water you actually use, you can apply for a meter. These can usually be fitted for free at household properties.

How is my rateable value set?
Up until 1990, the rateable value for a property was set by the valuation office of your local council. The council set a separate rateable value for each property based on how much rent might be charged if it was rented out. It took into account the value and age of your property, the amount of land it occupies and the distance from local amenities.

After this date all newly built properties were fitted with a water meter, so rateable values were no longer allocated. It’s not possible to change the rateable value of your property.

Interested in a water meter?
Find out more information on switching to a water meter.

If we have carried out a water meter survey and it shows that a meter can’t be fitted at a reasonable cost, we will offer you the alternative of paying an assessed charge for your water and sewerage services.

Assessed charges are based on your property type and not its rateable value (RV).

If your rateable value (RV) is lower than the assessed charge, then we would continue to charge on the basis of RV.

Find out more about assessed charges.

Please note: We can’t offer you assessed charges if:
- A meter can be fitted at reasonable cost.
- You refuse to pay any additional costs for the installation of a meter in an alternative location.
- You refuse to carry out any work needed for the meter to be installed.

Value added tax (VAT) is payable by some non-household customers and usually applies to businesses involved in manufacturing, engineering and construction processes.

VAT on water charges is payable by businesses that fall into divisions 1-5 of the 1980 edition of the Standard Industry Classifications (SIC).

A cubic metre is:
- 1000 litres.
- about 220 UK gallons
- enough water to fill a bath 13 times
-enough to make 4,000 cups of tea