what is it and who can benefit from it?

Find out what the social water tariff is, who is entitled to it and the list of municipalities that apply it.

If your municipality provides the social water tariff, so you can get discounts on your water bill. We clarify the most frequent questions so that, having the right to the discount, you do not run out of it due to lack of information.

What is the social water tariff?

The social water tariff it is a special rate, cheaper, which reduces the price of water supply and sanitation services for some families. This tariff is proposed by Regulatory Entity for Water and Waste Services (ERSAR) and applied, on a voluntary basis, by the municipalities.

The social water tariff can be applied through a discount or exemption. The discount applies to the price to be paid per cubic meter of water supplied, as well as wastewater collected. It does not cover other elements or components of the invoice. The exemption applies to applicable fixed-value tariffs.

Setting the value of the discount and/or exemption and any maximum consumption limits to which they apply are the responsibility of each municipality.

Who is entitled to the social water tariff?

As the name implies, the social water tariff was designed to help alleviate the financial burden of families in a situation of economic fragility.

According to the law, this situation covers beneficiaries, namely, of

The situation of economic need also applies to people who do not receive any social benefit, but whose household has a annual income equal to or less than 5,808 euros. 50% is added to this value for each member of the household (up to 10) who has no income.

Municipalities may also establish other reference criteria, as long as they are not restrictive in relation to those indicated by law.

Social water tariff for companies

Not only private customers have access to the social water tariff. Private social solidarity institutions (IPSS), non-profit non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other entities of recognized public utility and social activity considered justified may also be entitled to a discount on the water bill.

The difference, in the case of these entities, is that instead of being exempt from paying the fixed rates, they are charged the normal rates for domestic consumers, which are lower.

Does the social tariff for water exist in all municipalities?

Despite being recommended by the Regulatory Entity for Water and Waste Services (ERSAR), adherence to the social water tariff is voluntary for municipalities, and therefore not all municipalities offer this discount.

However, municipalities can provide other types of benefits, for example for large families. So, if your municipality does not apply the social water tariff, find out if it has other benefits in place.

The price of the water supply service itself also comes into the equation, which is not the same in all municipalities. This makes it possible to pay less for water in a municipality that does not have a social tariff than in one that does.

Which counties are in effect?

Discover the municipalities that apply the social water tariff. To see if the municipality is on the list, just look in the block corresponding to the first letter.

How to ask for access to the social water tariff?

If you are eligible to benefit from the social discounts on the water tariff, in principle they are applied automatically, as the municipality will have access to your information.

However, you can also request the granting of the benefit from the company responsible for the water supply in your municipality. You must prove that you meet the necessary conditions, presenting the documentation attesting to the situation of economic need.

How long is it possible to benefit?

In principle, it benefits from the social water tariff as long as the conditions that led to the allocation are maintained.

Every year, on the 30th of September, the municipalities check whether the attribution assumptions are maintained. To this end, they request the General Directorate of Local Authorities (DGAL) to update the information on the customers in question.

DGAL, in turn, updates the information with AT and Social Security services and then informs the city council.

If the situation of economic deprivation continues, everything will remain the same. If the termination of the tariff is necessary, the municipality informs the entity responsible for billing. This change takes effect from the billing of the following month.