How do I find out about my account balance?
You can contact SA Water to find out the current balance on your account and details of any payments you have made by calling 1300 650 950.
If you believe a payment you have made has not been credited to your account, you need to provide SA Water with the receipt number of your payment, the place of the payment and the date you made the payment.
If you don’t know these details and you have paid your account by cheque, you will need to provide the name and branch of the bank, cheque number and the date the cheque was cleared.
If your payment was made by cheque through Australia Post and has not been credited against your account you will need to contact the branch where payment was made.
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Can I have my account translated?
Yes, call 131 450, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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What do I do if I'm having trouble paying my account?
We understand sometimes it's hard to meet ongoing expenses and pay all your bills. If you are having difficulty paying your SA Water bill, it's important to call us as soon as possible to discuss how we can help. Your queries will be dealt with in a sensitive and respectful manner and we can provide you with the support and information you need.
We will work to offer you a range of options and help you access the option most suited to your requirements. View a brief summary of our payment assistance.
The sooner you call, the sooner we can help. If you have any queries about payment options, please call us on 1300 650 950.
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How can I pay my account?
You can pay your account in a number of ways including direct debit, in person or by phone.
Read more and organise payment through one of our options.
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Telephone payment terms and conditions
You can pay your account by MasterCard or Visa by calling our telephone payment line on 1300 650 870, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Simply follow the instructions. Follow the link to view our Payment Terms and Conditions for internet and telephone payments.
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How do I report a service difficulty?
A service difficulty can relate to any of the following:
- Water supply
- Water quality
- Leaking or faulty water meter
- Sewer blockage or overflow
To report a service difficulty anywhere in South Australia please call 1300 883 121.
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Why has my water bill/water usage increased?
Higher than normal water usage can be due to many factors such as warmer weather conditions, wastage (dripping taps, leaking pipes and faulty toilet cisterns), an increase in the size of the family or increased lawn and garden plantings, as well as the introduction of pools or spas, evaporative coolers, dishwashers or washing machines.
In most cases these factors are the reasons for high usage rather than incorrect meter readings or inaccurate meters.
Remember to check watering times in your area and see if you're eligible for any rebates for water wise equipment or services.
If you are not satisfied that you have used the amount of water recorded by your meter, you may apply for the meter to be tested. However, a fee will be charged for the test if the meter is found not to be running more than 5% fast.
We have a system that routinely monitors your water accounts and if we detect a sudden unusual increase in your water consumption we will notify you as soon as possible.
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What does quarterly billing mean for me?
From 1 July 2009 our customers received quarterly water use billing. View more details and case studies.
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Why did we change to quarterly bills for water use?
Previously, customers received four bills per year but only two contained water use charges. The remaining two bills had only fixed supply charges and sewerage rates. In mid 2009 the State Government legislated more transparent billing system where South Australians can better monitor and manage their consumption. The new legislation came into effect from 1 July 2009.
Customers now receive quarterly bills for water use and supply and sewerage charges. This smoothes out water charges across the year, subject to variations in how much water households use in different seasons. This move also brings SA Water in line with the way other utilities bill their customers.
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Didn't we already have quarterly billing?
Not for water use. Previously SA Water issued four quarterly bills but these included fixed charges for water, called the supply charge, and sewerage rates. Only two of the bills included charges for water use.
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Who was affected by the introduction quarterly billing?
All SA Water customers now receive quarterly bills for water use. From 1 July 2009, the majority of our residential customers also receive new look accounts displaying water use more clearly as well as comparisons to other typical households. These bills include useful information about water and wastewater services. The new look accounts also clearly separate charges for water use from supply charges and sewerage charges.
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What will I pay?
View detailed information on pricing.
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Does quarterly water use billing generate extra revenue for the State Government/SA Water?
Some customers may see a small change in water use charges because of their seasonal use patterns. However, this was taken into consideration when prices were set to fund water infrastructure projects. SA Water will not receive a windfall gain because of the change.
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How does the transition to quarterly water use billing affect me?
Within the first 12 months (from 1 July 2009) of the transition to quarterly billing, customers will receive accounts for 15 months of water they have already used, as the quarterly use is aligned with quarterly billing.
Customers who find this first year only transition creates cash flow problems will be able to contact SA Water to arrange transitional payment arrangements. Customers will only ever pay for the water they have used. The transition phase is best explained using the following example:
- The Smith family receive their water consumption bills from SA Water (under the existing 2008-09 billing structure) in February and August each year. The Smith family will receive their next (six month) water consumption account in August 2009. Following this, as the transition moves from the existing system to quarterly water use billing, the next water consumption accounts that the Smith family receives will be quarterly in November 2009, February 2010 and May 2010 - therefore they will be billed for 15 months of water consumption within the 2009-10 financial year.
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Does this change the way my sewer charges are billed?
Sewer services will continue to be billed on a quarterly basis so there will be no change.
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What does the legislation do?
The legislation makes changes to the Waterworks Act 1932 to enable quarterly water use billing by replacing the former 'consumption year' by a more flexible 'consumption period' that commences in a financial year. This will enable water use charges to be applied on a quarterly basis. It also makes explicit that prices set for a financial year apply to water used in that financial year.
The legislation also provides for water used during a billing period that straddles 1 July in any year (ie, from May to July) to be charged on a pro-rata basis. This means that water used in a particular financial year is charged at that year's prices. For this purpose the legislation specifies that water will be deemed to have been supplied at a uniform daily rate.
The legislation will require future water prices to be gazetted before 1 June each year. If prices are not gazetted by 1 June, water prices will remain at the prior year's rates.
However, property-related rates for certain commercial customers will continue to be set up to 31 July. These rates cannot be set accurately until all property valuation information has been obtained, loaded and checked.
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Who sets the prices?
Obtain more information about pricing.
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Why is my property value on my water account?
Your property value (set by the Valuer General) is used to determine the charge for removal and treatment of wastewater from your property. You may object to the valuation on your SA Water by writing served personallay or by post to the Valuer-General within 60 days after the date of service of your bill. But note:
(a) if you have previously received a notice or notices under the Water Works Act 1932 referring to the valuation and informing you of a 60 day objection period, the objection period is 60 days after service of the first such notice (this 60 day objection period may be extended by the Valuer-General where it can be shown there is reasonable cause);
(b) you may not object to the valuation if the Valuer General has already considered an objection by you to that valuation.
You may object to the valuation referred to in your SA Water account by writing served personally or by post on the Valuer General within 60 days after the date of service of the July to September notice. Forward objections to lsg.objsections@saugov.sa.gov.au or post to:
State Valuation Office
101 Grenfell Street
ADELAIDE SA 5001
For more information on your account or how to pay please call us on 1300 650 950. |
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