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Payment Assistance Options

Payment Assistance Options

Fairfax Water voluntarily suspended water service shutoffs due to nonpayment in March 2020.  With the expiration of the public health State of Emergency Order on June 30, 2021, Fairfax Water will resume normal bill collection processes.  This includes disconnection of service for nonpayment.  

There are payment assistance options for those in need.  

If you are unsure if you are behind on your bill, you can access up to date information about your account balance from our automated system by calling 703.698.5800 (TTY 711) and choosing option #4, Account Information.  You will need your thirteen-digit account number; alternatively, you may ask to speak to one of our Customer Service Representatives. Customers can also access their billing information on our Customer Portal. 

Below are the payment assistance options available to our customers.  If you need assistance, it is essential that you contact us to discuss your situation and to find a solution that addresses your past due balance. 

If you need assistance in another language, please call our Customer Service Department at 703.698.5800 (TTY 711).

Assistance Option 1:  Request payment assistance through the COVID-19 Municipal Utility Relief Program

To provide financial relief for customers in need, Fairfax Water is working with Fairfax County, the City of Falls Church, and the City of Fairfax to administer funds received from the Commonwealth of Virginia's COVID-19 Municipal Utility Relief Program.  Customers will need to apply for this relief program.  To qualify, customers must meet certain eligibility requirements, attest that they are experiencing financial hardship due to the coronavirus public health emergency, and submit an application to Fairfax Water no later than November 1, 2021. 

Customers may now apply more than once. If you have already received funds from this program and have a balance due, you can apply again.

These funds will only be available until all funds have been exhausted, so please apply as soon as possible.

The COVID-19 Municipal Utility Relief funds provided by the Commonwealth are not expected to be sufficient for all customers whose accounts are in arrears. These funds will be administered in accordance with the requirements of the Commonwealth. 

Applicants must complete the form below, sign it, and send it to Fairfax Water.

COVID-19 Municipal Utility Relief Program Application Form
English - Click Here
Spanish - Click Here
Korean - Click Here
Arabic - Click Here
Chinese - Click Here
Farsi - Click Here
Vietnamese - Click Here
Urdu - Click Here

 

Complete this form, sign it, and send it to Fairfax Water by one of the following means:

Email: COVIDrelief@fairfaxwater.org
Fax: 703.289.6292
Mail:

Must be postmarked by November 1, 2021

Fairfax Water
ATTN: COVID Relief
8570 Executive Park Avenue
Fairfax, VA 22031

Assistance Option 2:  Set up an extended payment plan through the COVID-19 Relief Repayment Plan (referred to below as "Repayment Plan")

Customers can set up a Repayment Plan with Fairfax Water to bring your overdue balance up to date.  We will work with each customer to establish a Repayment Plan that provides them the opportunity to pay the overdue balance over the next six months or longer, if necessary.  This Repayment Plan will cover the overdue bill for the customer's drinking water service, provided by Fairfax Water, and wastewater service, provided by the governments of Fairfax County, City of Fairfax, or City of Falls Church, depending on location.  Customers may pay off the Repayment Plan in full at any time, should their economic situation improve.  As long as payments are made on time, their service will not be disconnected.  All current and future billings will need to be paid on a timely basis as part of this plan.

To be approved for the Repayment plan, we may require customers to attest that they are experiencing financial hardship due to the coronavirus public health emergency.  Please call our Customer Service department at 703.698.5800 for more information. 

Customers wishing to file a complaint regarding Repayment Plan related disputes may do so at this email address: customers@fairfaxwater.org.

Assistance Option 3: Request payment assistance through local agencies

There are several local community organizations that may assist with utility bill payments (see list below).  Contact these organizations directly for payment assistance:   

 

Fairfax Water voluntarily suspended all water disconnections due to nonpayment of drinking water and wastewater bills in March of 2020.  While this is something that we did to assist customers facing economic hardship due to the coronavirus, it is not sustainable indefinitely. The Fairfax Water drinking water system and the wastewater system operated by Fairfax County and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church are not-for-profit. They rely on recovering all costs from the systems' users. Fairfax Water bills cover both drinking water and wastewater service. 

Fairfax Water provides drinking water service but only administers the billing for wastewater service on behalf of Fairfax County, City of Fairfax, and City of Falls Church. 

 

Please note:

Fairfax Water is a not for profit organization that receives no funding from Federal, State, County, or City agencies.  We are separate from the government and receive no taxpayer funds.  The organization works like a Cooperative, with the funding for operations and maintenance of the system coming exclusively from its customers. 

Fairfax Water is legally precluded from providing free services. All costs and services are funded by customers, and as such, any cost or service not paid by one customer must be collected from the other customers.

Fairfax Water is operated in a highly cost-effective manner. The system is operated with fewer employees and at a lower cost than is typical in the water industry. Our rates, fees, and charges are among the lowest in the DC Metro region.