1) You (or another resident) should be in receipt of one of the following:

• Council Tax Benefit
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance
• Working Tax Credit
• Child Tax Credit (except for families in receipt of the family element only)
• Pension Credit
• Income Related Employment and Support Allowance
• Universal Credit

2) There should three or more children under the age of 19 living at the property for whom child benefit is being claimed, or someone in the household should have been diagnosed with one of the following medical conditions:

• Crohn’s Disease
• Abdominal stomas
• Incontinence
• Desquamation (flaky skin disease)
• Kidney failure requiring dialysis at home (except where a contribution is made by the health authority towards the cost of water used)
• Ulcerative colitis
• Weeping skin disease (eczema, psoriasis, varicose ulceration)
• Any other condition that necessitates significant extra use of water

Photocopy of the latest notice of entitlement or award notice. This should be less than one year old for benefits, less than six months old for tax credits. If you have lost your notice of entitlement or award notice certificate, please get a replacement certificate by contacting the organisation that administers the benefit or tax credit to you.

Evidence of the entitlement for child benefit that includes the dates of birth of each child. This can be either a completed copy of form CH84TS available from the Child Benefit Centre, or a photocopy of both the front and inside cover of your child benefit book. If you cannot find your latest notice of entitlement for child benefit, please contact the Child Benefit Centre for a copy.

Medical evidence such as a doctor’s certificate, a letter/statement signed by a registered medical practitioner, or a copy of a repeat prescription.

A written certificate/statement signed by a registered medical practitioner, which states:

• The name of the person with the medical condition
• The diagnosis of the medical condition, which results in significant use of water
• Date the certificate was given
• Name and address of the registered practitioner

Please note that it may be necessary for us to contact an appropriate authority such as the Benefits Agency, Inland Revenue or a medical practitioner in connection with the information that you have given in this form. We will treat all information as confidential and we will not use it for any other purpose.

To process your WaterSure application, IWNL will also share your details with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to confirm your benefit status.

You will receive WaterSure credits, where applicable, while we verify your eligibility. If the DWP cannot confirm this, we will contact you for more information. If you are not able to provide the required evidence, any WaterSure credits applied to your account will be reversed.

You will then be required to re-register if you think that you still qualify for the tariff. We will send you a reminder to let you know when you need to re-register, but if you do not, your account will automatically transfer to the basic tariff.

If you tell us during the year that you are no longer eligible for the WaterSure scheme, we will switch your account to the basic tariff from the date of the next scheduled meter reading.

You must inform us immediately if you cease to qualify for the Watersure Tariff. At the end of the charging year the charges will be adjusted if necessary, so that your charges do not exceed the amount you would have paid under the Standard Measured tariff or such other tariff for which you would have qualified if you had not applied for the Watersure tariff.

We may check entitlement to the tariff through visits, periodic requests for proofs of benefits entitlement and medical condition and periodic checks with JobcentrePlus, the DWP, Inland Revenue, the Pension Service or by contacting your medical practitioner.

You may be able to arrange for your payments to be taken directly from your benefits under WaterDirect. This only applies if you are in arrears with your water bill.

If you receive income support, job seekers allowance, pension credits, or Income Related Employment and Support Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions, you may be eligible.

Please contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for more details and make sure you let us know.

This is a way to pause payments if you need help getting back on your feet.

If you have had a change in certain personal circumstances that has had an unexpected negative impact on your income; such as illness, redundancy or bereavement, you may be eligible.

If you would like to benefit from Breathing Space, please Contact Us.

WaterSure is a scheme that puts a cap on charges for customers who need to use a lot of water.

You may qualify for the Watersure scheme if someone in your household receives a benefit or tax credit, and one of the following applies:

• The person who claims benefits or tax credits is responsible for three of more children under 19 living in the household; or
• You or someone in your household uses more water than average because of a medical condition.

If you think you qualify and would like to apply, please download an application form here.

This tariff has a higher annual standing charge while the charge per cubic metre is lower than the standard rate.

If you live in the Anglian Water region and are in receipt of certain state benefits, you could be eligible for lower water charges on the Aquacare Plus scheme.

Find out about the eligibility criteria by viewing our Aquacare Plus fact sheet.

If you think you qualify and would like to apply, please contact us.

Aquacare Application Form

If you are of State Pension age, are disabled or have a long-term illness, and you feel you need a little extra help, we can add you to our Priority Services Register. We provide a range of services to support customers identified as vulnerable, including customers who:

• Are blind or partially sighted
• Are deaf or hard of hearing
• Have disabilities
• Have a child under the age of five living with you
• Are in financial difficulties

To find out more, visit our Priority Services Register page, have a look at our Priority Services Register factsheet or phone us on 02920 028711.

Our Code of Practice on Debt for domestic customers provides lots of information on how we can help and advice on the steps you can take.

You can view our Code of Practice on Debt here.

If your bill is based on an estimated meter reading, if you provide us with an accurate reading, we can update your bill right away and you’ll see your new balance. 

Billing on demand

Receive your bills electronically and pay via your online account.

• Receive a £1.50 discount on your bills every year
• Track your monthly water outgoings online
• Track past payments made online
• View bills online and receive an email notification when they are ready to view

To switch to E-Billing, call our customer services team on 02920 028711, or if you already have an online account, you can login in an set this up.

Register/Login

The easiest and cheapest way to pay! We will collect a payment from your account on the date you specify, or the next working day (if this day falls on a weekend or bank holiday). You can setup your Direct Debit to be taken weekly, fortnightly or monthly. This can really help you budget and spread your payments over manageable periods.

• Save £3.50 on your annual bill
• Pay your bills on time without the hassle of having to remember
• Spread the cost over the year
• Get peace of mind with the Direct Debit Guarantee

Switch to Direct Debit

This a free and easy way to pay your bill. You will need to call us to request a Payzone card and agree your schedule of payments. Then simply take your card to your local Payzone retailer, along with the amount you need to pay.  To find your local outlet, please visit the Payzone website or give us a call on 02920 028711.

If you receive income support, job seekers allowance, pension credits, or Income Related Employment and Support Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions, you may be able to arrange for you to make payments directly from your benefit under WaterDirect. This only applies if you are in arrears with your water bill. Please contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for more details and make sure you let us know.

Please use the following details to pay your bill via your own online banking services:

Our bank: Barclays
Our account number: 73619559
Sort code: 20-00-00

Please remember to quote your customer reference on all transactions. You can find this on the first page of your bill.

You can call us on 02920 028 711 and use your credit/debit card to pay over the telephone. You can arrange to pay by telephone in monthly instalments using your credit/debit card.

You can pay your bill in full or by agreed instalments by sending us a cheque(s) payable to Independent Water Networks. You can find our address details on page 18 of this document.

You can use the slip at the bottom of your bill to make cash or cheque payments at any bank or building society. Alternatively, you can call us and request a payment booklet. However, please note you may be charged a handling fee.

You can pay your bill at a Post Office using the payment slip at the bottom of the bill (although the Post Office may charge).

You can use the slip at the bottom of your bill to make cash or cheque payments at any Barclays branch FREE OF CHARGE. Alternatively, you can call us to agree and request a payment booklet for making regular payments (e.g. monthly, fortnightly, or weekly).

We understand at times it can be difficult to manage your finances, so if you’re having problems paying your bills, please call us on 02920 028711 to discuss alternative payment options. We can always help, but we won’t know unless you tell us!

For more information on help with paying your bills please click here.