Behind on Your New Jersey American Water Bill?
New Jersey American Water is the state's largest water provider, serving roughly 2.9 million people in more than 190 communities, including parts of Camden and Gloucester counties and shore towns like Ocean City. If you're behind and a shutoff notice has arrived, filing bankruptcy stops it and clears the balance.
Qualifying filers may be eligible for our $999 flat fee Chapter 7.
The protections pause. The bill doesn't.
New Jersey's Winter Termination Program has covered water and sewer since 2021, and a summer program now protects eligible customers through August 31. Those windows help, but you have to claim them, the balance keeps growing the whole time, and the federal water assistance program, LIHWAP, is gone. When the arrears are past catching up, bankruptcy stops the shutoff under Section 366 of the Bankruptcy Code and can wipe the balance out for good.
Where the water debt piles up
- Water and wastewater charges growing through every season
- A protection window that ended with the balance still there
- A payment plan that lapsed once already
- Assistance grants that came up short of the balance
- A shutoff notice and only days left on it
What bankruptcy can do
- Stop a New Jersey American Water shutoff the day the case is filed
- Erase the past-due water balance in Chapter 7
- Carry the arrears in one Chapter 13 plan payment
- Handle a balance too big for an H2O Help to Others grant
- Clear water and sewer arrears the winter program has only paused since 2021
Common questions about New Jersey American Water Bill Debt
Can my water be shut off if I'm behind?
Eventually, yes. New Jersey requires at least 10 days' written notice, shutoffs only happen Monday through Thursday during business hours, and the winter and summer programs protect eligible customers who notify the utility. But those protections pause collection; they don't erase the debt. Bankruptcy does, and it stops a shutoff in any season.
What help does New Jersey American Water offer?
The company's H2O Help to Others program, run with the nonprofit SHARES, gives grants toward water bills, and there's a tiered discount program for lower-income households, plus payment plans. Worth using, and applying for assistance can also help get service restored. For a balance that's already unmanageable, bankruptcy is the tool that clears it.
Does New Jersey American Water serve my town?
It serves more than 190 communities across the state, with a southern division covering parts of Atlantic, Camden, and Gloucester counties, including parts of Cherry Hill, and shore communities like Ocean City. Plenty of nearby towns are served by municipal water authorities instead, and the rules differ a little there, so ask us which situation you're in.
Will the water stay on after I file?
It stays on. Section 366 bars New Jersey American Water from cutting service over the filing or the old balance, water and sewer alike. Expect a request for a reasonable deposit on future service, which the court can reduce if it's out of line, and keep the post-filing bills paid. The arrears that piled up go through your bankruptcy, not a shutoff notice.