Payment Plan for a Past Due Water Bill From Reading Area Water Authority
The Reading Area Water Authority can put a customer who needs more time to pay a water bill balance on a payment plan. You call the Customer Service Department and review your balance with a customer service representative, and a payment plan can be granted to customers with reasonable terms.
To find out whether you qualify to be placed on a payment plan, call the RAWA office at 610-406-6300. The page does not list income limits, documents to bring, or whether a plan has any cost.
Timing matters. All payments are due on the last day of each month. A 10% penalty is added after a bill has reached 60 days and is still unpaid, and there is no grace period after 60 days. As a one time courtesy the office could waive a penalty for a customer in good standing, but customers cannot be past due on their previous month's bills or in collections.
When an account has reached the 4th billing cycle and is still outstanding, the most delinquent bill is turned over for collections, and three months of billings remain at RAWA. If the most delinquent amount is paid at collections, you must then pay the three more recent balances that were not turned over. For further explanation, call the RAWA office at 610-406-6300.
Once an account has been sent to collections, the customer must contact the collection agency directly at 610-455-4115. That is a separate track from a RAWA plan: short term payment plans could be offered there, you would need to discuss your account with a representative to see if you would qualify, and down payments and other requirements would need to be followed.
One kind of bill cannot be spread out. No payment arrangements are made for that bill. The owner has 60 days from the first letter to pay it in full, and after 61 days the remaining balance is sent to the collection agency and a 15% fee is added, along with the risk of the water being turned off.
If you own and live in your home and are going through a difficult time, Human Relations in City Hall has programs to help owner occupied properties pay their bills. You can reach that office at 610-655-6141 or fill out a hardship program application and return it to 815 Washington Street, Reading PA 19601.
The Reading Area Water Authority office is at 1801 Kutztown Road, Reading, PA 19604. The general number is 610-406-6300 and the general email address is info@readingareawater.com. The page does not give office hours.
Source: readingareawater.com/faq, read November 3, 2026.
The details
In Reading Area Water Authority’s words
Customers that are in need of additional time to pay a balance can call the Customer Service Department and review their balance with a CSR. A payment plan can be granted to customers with reasonable terms.
Organization
Reading Area Water Authority
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This listing summarizes publicly available information from readingareawater.com/faq. Last recorded review: November 3, 2026. Contact the provider to confirm eligibility, hours and availability before you go. If something here is wrong, tell us.