Your bill / Fixed fees
The charges you pay before any water runs
fixed part of a 90-day bill, 5/8-inch meter, our arithmetic
The WSSC Water account maintenance fee is $34.58 a quarter on a 5/8-inch to 1-inch meter in FY27, and two other charges lift the fixed part to about $73.38.
By the Your Water Numbers desk, not WSSC Water · Updated · How we check
Look up your number: the fixed lines on your bill
| Charge | FY27 quarter | FY26 quarter | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account Maintenance, 5/8"–1" | $34.58 | $32.94 | About $0.38 a day |
| Infrastructure Investment, 5/8" | $23.80 | $22.67 | Larger meters pay more |
| Bay Restoration | About $15 | About $15 | State fee, collected on the bill |
| All three | $73.38 | $70.61 | $58.38 and $55.61 before the Bay fee |
| Account Maintenance, 6" | $551.28 | Not read | Shows how far size moves it |
Source: Published fee schedule; totals are our arithmetic · FY27, read Nov. 2, 2026
Are these charges tied to how much water you use?
No. They are per quarter, not per gallon, so saving water does not touch them. Only the gallons line moves.
Fixed money looms larger the less you use. It is 53.2% of the bill at 40 gallons a day, 36.0% at 81, 11.1% at 300 and 6.1% at 500 (our arithmetic).
Source: Our arithmetic, fixed against usage · 90-day bill, FY27
Reading this: Your own share depends on your row in the gallons-a-day table. Divide $73.38 by that total.
What does each fee pay for?
The Infrastructure Investment Fee has the clearest published purpose: it funds a portion of debt service on water and sewer pipe reconstruction. You can see the scale of that work on how old the mains are.
That fee does not make your side of the pipe the utility’s job. Your own line from the property line into the house stays yours.
The Bay fee is a state charge with two ways of saying it
WSSC Water says about $15 per 90-day bill, $0.1643 a day or $4.92 per 30-day bill. Maryland’s environment department says a flat $5.00 a month for homes, since July 1, 2012.
These agree. Both come to about $60 a year (our arithmetic). A hardship exemption exists, and the WSSC Water page above is where it is described.
How much did fixed charges rise in FY27?
The two utility fees rose $2.77 a quarter together, about 5.0% (our arithmetic).
Source: Quarterly fee schedule · quarterly, small meter
At 145 gallons a day, that is $2.77 of the $14.44 total rise. Usage accounts for the other $11.67 (our arithmetic).
What if your fee line shows a different figure?
Check three things: your billing period, your meter size and the fiscal year of the bill.
- A monthly bill should show roughly a third of the quarterly figure.
- A larger meter pays more. The 6-inch Account Maintenance Fee is $551.28 a quarter.
- An older bill may show the FY26 figures of $32.94 and $22.67.
If the line still looks wrong, ask WSSC Water using the customer service details on your bill.
Can any of this be reduced?
Yes, for households that qualify. The Customer Assistance Program offers a credit of up to $247 a year on fees, including the Bay fee. Check the current page for the figure.
Four quarters of fixed charges come to $293.52 (our arithmetic), so the credit covers most of them at its maximum.
What to do with this number
- Check the fee lines on your latest bill against the table
- Subtract $73.38 from your total to see what your water use actually cost
- If money is tight, read the help paying terms
- Use the rate tiers to see what is left to save
Questions on this page
Do I pay these fees if the house uses no water for a quarter?
They are listed per quarter, not per gallon, so expect them. The published daily figures also point that way, at about $0.38 a day for the Account Maintenance Fee.
Does the Bay fee go to the water utility?
It is a state fee that WSSC Water collects on the bill. It appears as its own charge.
What is my Infrastructure Investment Fee on a bigger meter?
We only list the 5/8-inch figure, $23.80. Larger meters pay more, so read your own line or the fee page.
Where each number comes from
| Figure | What it is | Source | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| $34.58, $23.80, $551.28, $0.38, $32.94, $22.67 | FY27 and FY26 fees, daily figure | WSSC Water fee schedule | FY27 |
| About $15, $0.1643, $4.92 | Bay fee on a bill | WSSC Water Bay fee exemption page | via search index, Nov. 2026 |
| $5.00 a month | Bay fee for homes | Bay Restoration Fund FAQ, Maryland MDE | since July 1, 2012 |
| $247 | CAP credit, yearly maximum | WSSC Water CAP page | this fiscal year |
| $73.38, shares, $293.52 | Totals worked from the fees | Our arithmetic from WSSC rates | November 2026 |