The Irish Credit Bureau, which is the country's largest holder of credit records, has said non-payment of water bills will not affect a person's creditworthiness.
A spokesman for the bureau said only the failure to repay a loan would impact on an individual's credit rating.
The Irish Credit Bureau said it has seen misleading commentary in recent weeks about the effect that non-payment of water charges would have on a person's creditworthiness.
A spokesman also said the bureau, which provides details to lenders on an individual's creditworthiness, had received some queries seeking clarification on the issue.
The bureau said it only deals with financial institutions that are regulated by the Central Bank, and that no utilities are members of the ICB.
It said there are no plans for Irish Water to become a member, and a person's failure to pay their water bills would have no impact on their ability to get a loan in the future, based on their individual credit rating.
A Government spokesman would not be drawn on whether there were any plans for Irish Water to become a member of the Irish Credit Bureau.
He said that all details of the charging regime, and measures to deal with people who refuse to pay, would be revealed later this week.
