CWMS Water Concession Regional South Australia

Why Regional Water Works Differently

If your water comes from a private carter or a council or other provider rather than SA Water, the usual credit on an SA Water bill will not appear. You may need to provide your water bills to ConcessionsSA for a top-up. CWMS sewerage charges are separate: an eligible sewerage concession for CWMS is paid to your bank account.

The standard water concession — $304.12 to $484.80 for homeowner-occupiers in 2026/27 — applies automatically when ConcessionsSA can data-match your account with SA Water. When there's no SA Water account to match against, the concession falls through the cracks unless you actively submit your bills.

How the CWMS Top-Up Works

For 2026/27, the top-up threshold is $1,013.75 for homeowner-occupiers with council or privately supplied water and for tenants who pay all water supply and usage charges. Tenants who pay usage charges only have a $657.35 threshold. CWMS sewerage charges do not count toward the water threshold.

The claim is based on the previous financial year's bills. So for the 2026/27 assessment, you submit your 2025/26 water bills showing total charges above the threshold. ConcessionsSA calculates 30% of your eligible charges and pays the concession, subject to the same $304.12 minimum and $484.80 maximum that metro SA Water customers receive.

Which Areas Use CWMS

Community Wastewater Management Systems are operated by regional councils across South Australia. They serve towns and settlements outside the SA Water reticulated sewerage network. Common CWMS areas include parts of:

• Murray Bridge (Rural City of Murray Bridge)
• Barossa Valley councils
• Alexandrina (including parts of Goolwa and Strathalbyn)
• Mount Barker district
• Fleurieu Peninsula towns
• Mid Murray and Riverland areas

If your council rates notice includes a CWMS service charge (listed under Section 155 service charges), that is a sewerage charge, not a water charge. Eligible homeowner-occupiers can receive a separate sewerage concession for CWMS, paid by EFT to their bank account. Your water supply might still come from SA Water; in that case, the water concession is credited to your SA Water account.

How to Claim

You need to be registered with ConcessionsSA through the standard household concessions application. If you've already applied for the Cost of Living Concession, you're in the system.

To claim the water top-up:

1. Gather your water bills for the full previous financial year (July to June); keep CWMS bills separately for the sewerage concession
2. Add only eligible water supply and usage charges; do not include CWMS sewerage charges in the water total
3. If eligible water charges exceed $1,013.75, contact ConcessionsSA on 1800 307 758 or submit copies of the bills through the portal
4. ConcessionsSA calculates the water top-up and pays it directly to your bank account

Keep copies of every bill. ConcessionsSA can't data-match with your provider the way it does with SA Water, so the burden of proof falls on you.

The Common Mistake

The most frequent issue with CWMS water concessions is simply not claiming at all. The breakage rate is high — many eligible pensioners in regional areas never submit their bills because they assume the concession only applies to SA Water customers, or they don't know a manual claim exists. Top-up claims are retrospective for the previous financial year: ConcessionsSA is taking claims for 2025/26 water bills during the 2026/27 cycle, and claims for 2026/27 bills open on 1 July 2027.

For a complete guide to every concession available to SA pensioners, including how water concessions interact with the COLC, rates postponement and council hardship relief, see our Council Rates Help for Pensioners in South Australia guide.

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