What to do about a San Francisco water and sewer bill you can't keep up with
The most reliable help with a San Francisco water and sewer bill comes from the utility that sends the bill, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Water bill help is harder to come by than help with rent or electricity, so the programs that pay out month after month matter more here than the occasional one-time charity grant. The largest of those is a standing discount, and getting on it is usually the first thing worth doing.
This page covers water and sewer service billed by the SFPUC across the city and county of San Francisco. If you also have an SFPUC power bill, that carries its own discounts through the same agency, but everything below is specific to water and wastewater.
- NOTE: Programs, discount levels, and income limits change over time, and funding for one-time help can run out partway through a year. Always confirm the current details directly with the SFPUC or the program before counting on them.*
Programs from San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
The SFPUC runs a Customer Assistance Program that takes a set percentage off your water and sewer bill every month when your household income is low enough. There are two levels.
Households under one income line get 25 percent off. Households whose income falls under a still-lower line get 40 percent off. Both are tied to San Francisco's area median income, and because the exact dollar figures are adjusted over time, the current numbers and a tool to find your own income level are on the SFPUC's Customer Assistance Program page at https://www.sfpuc.gov/accounts-services/bill-relief/customer-assistance-program-waterwastewater and the city's area median income lookup at https://sf.gov/find-your-area-median-income-ami-level.
The discount isn't the only reason to enroll. Customers in the program are also protected from having their water shut off and from liens being placed on their property over unpaid bills. For someone afraid of losing service, that protection can matter as much as the savings.
A few rules decide who qualifies. The account has to be in your name, it has to be a single-family home with its own meter, and you have to live there full time and not be claimed as a dependent on someone else's taxes. Renters can enroll, but only when the water account is in their own name. If your landlord holds the account and water is folded into your rent, the discount goes to the account holder rather than to you, so it won't reach your payment.
Applying takes a few weeks and can be done several ways. The online application checks your income through TransUnion, which does not affect your credit. If you already receive CalWORKs, CalFresh, or Medi-Cal, you can let the Human Services Agency confirm your income instead, which spares you from gathering paperwork. You can also call Customer Services at (415) 551-3000, mail in a paper form, or apply in person at 525 Golden Gate Avenue on the first floor. Once you're approved, the discount lasts three years, and then you reapply.
Bringing the bill down for the long run is its own kind of help. The SFPUC offers free water-saving devices and a free home water-use evaluation, plus rebates toward a high-efficiency toilet. Fixing a constantly running toilet or replacing old fixtures lowers every bill that follows, which is the kind of change that lasts long after a one-time grant is spent.
Where you may get help you are behind on your water or sewer bill now
If you've already fallen behind, call that same number and ask about a payment plan. The SFPUC will spread a past-due balance out over time so you pay it down in pieces instead of all at once. The agency keeps a page of options for customers with overdue bills at https://www.sfpuc.gov/accounts-services/bill-relief/resources-customers-overdue-bills that lays out what's available when you owe more than you can cover in one payment.
Sometimes a bill is high not because of normal use but because of a hidden leak, like a running toilet or a pipe leaking under the house. When that's the cause, the SFPUC's leak allowance program can credit back part of the inflated amount after you repair the problem. Or see the NHPB page about free home repair options. It's worth asking about any time a bill arrives far higher than usual with no obvious reason.
When the discount and a payment plan still leave a past-due balance you can't clear, the Season of Sharing Fund is the outside source most likely to help. It gives one-time emergency grants to Bay Area residents, San Francisco included, and pays the utility directly instead of handing you the money.
The fund will help with a water bill on one condition that ties back to everything above: you have to show that you're already enrolled in the utility's discount program, or that the utility turned you down for help. The account also has to be in your name. You can apply once every five years, you won't be asked about immigration status, and because the money is limited, qualifying doesn't guarantee you'll be chosen. Applications run through community partner agencies, and you can start at Season of Sharing's get-help page at https://seasonofsharing.org/get-help/.
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