Help for Paying Past-Due Water and Power Bills

Updated: Oct. 31, 2022

Due to job losses, business closures and other hardships, millions of Californians have fallen behind on their electric, water and wastewater bills during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, money is available if you need help paying your past-due bills.

Below is an informational list of financial resources. IMPORTANT: CMUA does not administer these programs and cannot help individual customers with their billing concerns. If you are a customer with questions about billing assistance, please contact your utility directly. Your utility’s contact information is typically located on your utility bill.

California Arrearage Payment Program (CAPP)
CAPP will offer financial assistance for California energy utility customers. Administered by the California Department of Community Services and Development (CSD), the CAPP program provides funding to address Californians’ energy debts incurred during the COVID pandemic. Utility customers do not need to apply to receive assistance under the CAPP program. If a customer’s account is eligible — 60 days or more behind on payments — a credit will be automatically applied by your utility to some or all of the customer’s bill, depending on availability of funds and the combined needs of all utility customers. For more information, visit the CAPP program webpage.

California Water and Wastewater Arrearage Payment Program (CWWAPP)
CWWAPP will offer financial assistance for California water and wastewater customers for debts incurred from March 4, 2020 to June 15, 2021. Administered by the State Water Board, the CWWAPP program provides financial relief to residential and commercial customers. Water and wastewater utility customers do not need to apply to receive assistance under the CWWAPP program. If a customer’s account is eligible, a credit will be automatically applied to some or all of the customer’s bill, depending on availability of funds and the combined needs of all utility customers. For more information, visit the CWWAPP program webpage.

Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP)
Newly established by Congress, LIHWAP offers assistance for low-income Californians to help manage their residential water utility costs. California has been allocated $116 million in one-time federal funding to provide LIHWAP assistance. The California Department of Community Services and Development (CSD) has been designated the administering agency for LIHWAP in California. An application process is required. For more information, visit the LIHWAP program webpage.

Low-Income Household Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
A longstanding program, California’s LIHEAP program was recently infused with nearly $500 million in new federal funding. LIHEAP is aimed at assisting low-income households that pay a high portion of their income to meet their energy needs. An application process is required. For more information, visit the LIHEAP webpage.