Understanding your bill

How to read your water bill

If your bills have been delayed due to issues with our billing system, they may look a little different than usual. You may have payment extensions and bills arriving closer together as we get back on track with our quarterly schedule.

For detail about your charges, amounts to pay and due dates, see the information below.

You can watch this short video that briefly highlights the key parts of your bill.

Welcome to your Greater Western Water bill. There are a few essential things you should know. This is your unique account number and invoice details. The amount to pay is next, and when it's due. Here you'll find your average water use and cost per day, as well as your total water usage for current and previous billing periods. Then just below that, you'll find your payment options. Turning over your bill, you'll find a breakdown of variable charges based on your water use, water and sewerage network charges, as well as charges we collect on behalf of other authorities, and if you see an E, it means we've estimated your reading, as we couldn't read your meter. Your charges explained provides a breakdown of your usage and charges. Each section is numbered, so you can easily find the information you need. Remember, we're always here to help, with payment plans, concessions, and support, if you're having difficulty paying. Translation and national relay services are also available, and you can report faults or emergencies anytime, day or night. Finally, My GWW is your secure online account for easy payments and self-service. For more information about your bill, visit gww.com.au/yourbill

To understand these charges and what your bill pays for, visit our Prices and charges explained page.

Residential water bill

Here's an example of a residential water bill:

First page of your bill

The first page of the bill has important information like personal details, bill amount and due date.

A scan of the Greater Western Water bill. Numbers identify the different elements of the bill.

Your 10 digit account number, address, the invoice number and date of issue.

Amount to pay: The total amount owing, including unpaid amounts from previous bills and current charges. You can check any previous due dates on those bills.
Previous bill: The amount of your previous bill. If unpaid, this will be added to your balance and be included in your total amount to pay.
Payments received: The payments you’ve made since your previous bill.
Balance: How much is owing from all previous bills. If your account is in credit, a ‘CR’ will appear next to the amount, and this will be deducted from your total charges.
Current charges: The amount due for this current bill. This is payable by the ‘pay by’ date.
Total charges: The same as amount to pay, representing the total amount owing.

Pay by: The due date for the current charges on this bill. Any unpaid previous bills remain due by their original due dates.

This table shows how much water has been used during this billing period and compares usage to previous billing periods. It’s a great way to track how much water is being used.

A list of the different ways to pay the bill. Remember, if you can’t pay your bill all at once, you can choose to pay smaller amounts any time before your bill’s due date without needing a formal payment plan. This can help you manage your payments more easily.

Detailed water usage and charges for this bill and previous bills, plus the water meter number and network charges.

Service charges are billed in advance, while all other charges are for the most recent billing period.

See prices and charges.

The 'E' means we've estimated your bill because we couldn't access your water meter. To read your water meter, we need to be able to find it safely and easily. Learn how you can help make your water meter accessible on our reading your water meter page.

These explanations give you more information about each of the charges in the table. The explanations and table sections are numbered so you can find the information you need.

Here’s how you can get in touch if you have any questions or need support paying your bill. You will also find information here about getting help in different languages and the National Relay Service.