If you need water bill assistance in Arkansas, your realistic options right now are a $200 grant from the Dollar Energy Fund’s Arkansas Utility Assistance Program, a payment plan your utility is required to offer under state rules, and emergency aid from the Salvation Army, your local Community Action Agency, or Arkansas 211. The federal Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP), which once offered up to $2,000, is permanently closed.1Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality. Office of Energy
LIHWAP Is Closed
LIHWAP was a federally funded grant that helped low-income households pay current and past-due water and wastewater bills, administered in Arkansas by the Arkansas Energy Office and 15 Community Action Agencies.2Administration for Children and Families. Low Income Household Water Assistance Program Arkansas LIHWAP Profile Summary Congress only provided temporary funding, and once that money was spent the program ended nationwide at the end of 2023.3Administration for Children and Families. Low Income Household Water Assistance Program No federal replacement has been enacted. If a new program launches, the Arkansas Energy Office and local Community Action Agencies would be among the first to announce it.
The $200 Arkansas Utility Assistance Program
The Dollar Energy Fund runs the Arkansas Utility Assistance Program, which provides a one-time grant of up to $200 per utility for households that are behind on bills. Water is covered. The current program year runs from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026, and applicants can receive one grant per utility during that year. Contact the Dollar Energy Fund directly or visit their website to confirm eligibility and apply.
Two hundred dollars is a fraction of what LIHWAP once offered, so if your past-due balance is large, plan to pair this grant with a payment plan or additional assistance to actually get current.
Payment Plans Your Water Utility Must Offer
Arkansas Public Service Commission rules require regulated water utilities to offer specific payment options when you’re having trouble keeping up. These are not favors. They are arrangements the utility is obligated to provide, and knowing their names when you call makes a difference.
Delayed Payment Agreement
A delayed payment agreement (DPA) is a written contract with the utility. You pay one-quarter of the outstanding bill as a down payment, then spread the remaining balance over the next three months alongside your regular monthly charges. You must request a DPA before the utility’s close of business on the last day to pay printed on your most recent shutoff notice. Break the terms and the utility can suspend service without additional notice, and you won’t be eligible for another DPA for twelve months.4Arkansas Public Service Commission. Your Utility Bills
Payment Extension
If you don’t need a formal DPA, the utility may grant a payment extension of up to thirty calendar days past the bill’s due date. Miss the extended deadline and the utility can suspend service without further notice.4Arkansas Public Service Commission. Your Utility Bills
Extended Due Date for Fixed-Income Households
If your primary income comes from Social Security, SSI, VA disability or retirement benefits, or certain other assistance programs, you can ask the utility to shift your bill’s due date to match when your income actually arrives. The utility may ask for proof of the income source. Miss the extended due date twice in a row or three times in any twelve-month period and the utility can remove you from the plan.4Arkansas Public Service Commission. Your Utility Bills
Levelized Billing
Some Arkansas water utilities offer levelized billing, which averages your annual water costs into roughly equal monthly payments. It doesn’t change what you owe overall, but it smooths out seasonal spikes. Call your utility’s business office to ask whether it’s available on your account.4Arkansas Public Service Commission. Your Utility Bills
Emergency Help From Community Organizations
Several nonprofit and community groups across Arkansas offer emergency financial assistance that can cover water bills. Amounts and availability vary by location and funding cycle, so if one organization is out of funds, try another, and try again at the start of a new fiscal quarter.
- The Salvation Army (Arkansas and Oklahoma Division). Local offices provide emergency utility assistance including water. No fixed statewide dollar amount is published; each office assesses needs individually. Call your nearest location.
- Community Action Agencies. Arkansas has 15 CAAs covering all 75 counties. Even without LIHWAP, they often administer other local assistance programs. Search for your local agency at communityactionpartnership.com/find-a-cap.3Administration for Children and Families. Low Income Household Water Assistance Program
- Arkansas 211. Dial 2-1-1 for a statewide referral service with a database of more than 19,000 resources. Operators can identify water bill assistance in your specific county, including smaller local funds that aren’t searchable online.
If You’re a Renter and Water Is Included in Your Rent
If water is bundled into your rent, you don’t have a utility account in your name, which means most utility assistance programs can’t help you directly. Your path runs through rental assistance instead. Contact your local Community Action Agency about emergency rental help, and call 211 to ask about programs for renters whose landlords include water in the lease. If your landlord is threatening eviction partly over unpaid water costs embedded in the rent, ask for a letter breaking out the water portion. That documentation can sometimes let a CAA or nonprofit make a case for assistance even when the bill isn’t in your name.
LIHEAP Does Not Cover Water
Arkansas’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is still active and helps with electric and gas bills, but it does not pay for water or wastewater.5Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment. Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program If you’re behind on both energy and water, apply for LIHEAP through your local community-based organization for the energy portion and use the water-specific options above for the rest.
If You Already Have a Shutoff Notice
Before suspending service, your utility must give at least five calendar days’ written notice. If the notice is mailed, three days are added for mailing time, giving you a minimum of eight days from when it is sent. A utility can only disconnect for reasons listed in the rules, which include unpaid bills past the last day to pay, a broken DPA, an unpaid required deposit, tampering, or a health or safety hazard.6Arkansas Secretary of State. Arkansas Public Service Commission General Service Rules If you believe a disconnection is for a reason not on that list or without proper notice, contact the Arkansas Public Service Commission’s consumer services division.
If a notice is already in your hands, work this order:
- Call your utility today and request a delayed payment agreement before the last day to pay. Once that date passes, the utility can cut service without further warning.
- Call 2-1-1 and ask specifically about water bill assistance in your county.
- Contact your local Community Action Agency about emergency funds or local programs.
- Apply for the Arkansas Utility Assistance Program. The $200 won’t erase a large balance, but it can keep a DPA on track or cover a reconnection deposit.
- Contact the Salvation Army. If your local office has funds, they can sometimes pay the utility directly.
Every option above works better while service is still connected, and some only work at all before shutoff. Reconnection fees can run well over $100, and utilities aren’t required to restore service until the full past-due balance plus the reconnection fee is paid. Make the calls while you still have running water.