NWC introduces debt amnesty programme for small business operators

The National Water Commission (NWC) has introduced a special three-month amnesty for small business operators across Jamaica with outstanding water bills.

The initiative, which will run from September 1 to November 30, is designed specifically for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), said the NWC.

Under the programme, a 50% write-off is being offered to two categories of small business customers – accounts that are inactive and disconnected for more than three months, and active accounts with debts of more than $30,000 for over six months.

In addition to the discount, customers who qualify for the relief will also get a 100% waiver of reconnection fees where applicable.

The NWC says accounts that qualify will be granted up to three months to clear the remaining arrears without disconnection.

In special cases, the NWC may also approve negotiated settlement terms.

Residential customers and businesses that previously benefited from other amnesty offers earlier in 2025 are not eligible.

MSMEs can apply for the amnesty by visiting the NWC website at nwcjamaica.com, downloading and using the NWC Mobile App, emailing customercare@nwc.com.jm, calling 888-CALL-NWC, or going to any NWC commercial office.

The utility company says that through this programme, it intends to ease the financial pressure that some businesses may be facing.

For the MSMEs, the amnesty is an opportunity to get reconnected, keep businesses operational, and secure legal and reliable access to water service.

This offer from the NWC comes months after debt relief was offered to residential accounts that were in arrears.

Through that amnesty programme, which ran from January to May 2025, pensioners, PATH beneficiaries, and persons living with disabilities were eligible for a 100% discount on debts older than two years, while other customers who had been disconnected for more than six months were eligible for a 50% discount.

During the period, the NWC received more than 39,000 queries, and over $1.6 billion in outstanding amounts was written off.

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