Irish Water to refund water charges by the end of the year

News of the refund was confirmed on Thursday...

Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy has confirmed that almost all customers will have their water charges refunded before the end of the year. Murphy said in a statement that once water services legislation providing for refunds is enacted, expected in the autumn, refunds of domestic water charges can and will commence. Almost all of the 990,000 customers of Irish Water are due to receive payments under the process. In order for the money to be repaid, legislation must first be passed by the government. Following this, Irish Water will begin an information campaign to inform customers and the public on how the refunds process will work. According to the statement:

"Domestic water services account holders with Irish Water will be automatically refunded by the utility, by way of a cheque. There is no application process involved. Customers only need to contact Irish Water if their details require updating."

You can read the full statement here. They also provided some FAQs below. Why are customers being refunded? In April, the Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services recommended adherence to the principle of equity of treatment for those who have paid and have not paid their water charges. The Oireachtas has approved the committee’s report. In this context, the Government will include a provision in forthcoming legislation to refund water charges. Who exactly will be refunded? The named holders of Irish Water customer accounts for which charges were paid will be refunded. When will customers get refunds? It is expected that almost all customers will be refunded before the end of the year. Exceptional cases will be processed in Quarter 1 2018. How will customers be refunded? To avoid fraud, ensure refunds go directly to the account holder, and to make the process as efficient as possible, customers will be refunded by cheque. What do customers need to do? Customers do not need to do anything at this stage. Irish Water will run an information campaign that will inform customers on the next steps. There is no application process involved. Customers only need to contact Irish Water if their details require updating. When will customers get further information? Irish Water’s information campaign is expected to begin shortly. Will all paid domestic water charges be refunded? Yes, all domestic water charges paid in relation to primary dwellings and not permanently occupied dwellings will be refunded to customer account holders. Will the Water Conservation Grant be deducted from people’s refunds? No. The Water Conservation Grant was a standalone, separate grant for all households whether Irish Water customers or not. Its aim was to support conservation in the home and was distinct from domestic water charges. Therefore, the grant is not being deducted from refunds.