The Commission for Energy Regulation has confirmed that Irish Water customers have until 29 November to register for their water allowances without penalty.
Irish Water had said every household should have registered by 31 October to avail of their allowances.
However, there is a 60-day look-back period when you register for your allowances. This means your allowances start 60 days before you register.
As water charges started on 1 October, if you register within 60 days of this date you will receive your allowances for the full billing period - and that will be reflected in the first bill in the new year.
However, the commission said that if people register by post close to the date the allowances may not be processed in time.
The commission is currently considering an application from Irish Water to vary its current 31 October deadline, which is a separate issue.
Paul McGowan of the CER told a Joint Oireachtas Committee this afternoon that it would make the decision on that, this week.
This could mean that water bills would not be sent to homes until the end of January.
Mr McGowan also told the committee that Irish Water is dealing with 70,000 phone calls per week.
Irish Water is aiming to have one million water meters installed by the end of 2016 at a rate of 33,000 per month.
Apartments and houses that might share a single supply will be dealt with after that, Mr McGowan said.
Until then, these dwellings will stay on assessed charges. The CER regulates Irish Water and sets water charges.
Tonight, Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly told RTÉ's Prime Time that he will be meeting John Tierney at 11am tomorrow, and intends advising him that he should “be out facing the public”.
He said the board of Ervia and the board of Irish Water will merge later this year, and the Government would look at getting the "best people, the best minds, to be on the new board".
Dáil discusses Irish Water in private member's motion
Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly has said one of the first actions of the unified Ervia/Irish Water Board should be to review the pay model used in Irish Water.
The boards of the two firms are due to be unified at the end of November.
Addressing the Dáil, he also expressed "a personal view" that a reported €188 call out fee was too high, but he said this would be decided by the CER.
Fianna Fail's environment spokesperson Barry Cowen brought the private member's motion on the issue of water charges in the Dáil.
Mr Cowen said the establishment of Irish Water had been an "unmitigated disaster" and called it a "gold-plated super-quango".
People are angry and many of them are going to pursue a path of disobedience, he said.
Mr Cowen said that Irish Water is not fit for purpose and the legislation establishing it was not properly analysed.
If it was, he said, many of the current problems that could "derail" Irish Water would not have happened.
"Now is the time to initiate an appropriate review of Irish Water and its ability to be a service provider.
"All impending charges need, in the meantime to be suspended," he said.
He said that there could be no ambiguity that there is a bonus culture within Irish Water, despite, he said, what Pat Rabbitte has said previously.
This afternoon in the Dáil, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach to consider suspending the application of water charges pending a review and proper plan of the charges.
Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams told the Taoiseach that the water charges are part of a privatisation agenda, which is shared by Fianna Fáil.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that Irish Water cannot be privatised, as it is in the legislation, and he said Mr Adams was trying to scare people.
Mr Kenny said people's concerns about payments and not being able to afford the charges are legitimate, but there are measures to help them.
Fianna Fáil has tabled a Private Members' Motion for this evening calling for a full review of water charges.
Water charges raised at Cabinet meeting
Concerns about aspects of the rollout of water charges were raised at the Cabinet earlier.
Ministers also discussed the need for greater communications with the public on the role of Irish Water.
A Government spokesperson said Irish Water must improve its communications with customers.
The spokesperson said the Government is trying to figure out a way to give those who fall outside the current allowance system some financial relief.
A proposal to charge a callout fee of more than €280 is also likely to be re-examined.
There is concern in some quarters that performance pay bonuses are being paid to those not reaching targets, the spokesperson said.
The Cabinet sub-committee known as the Economic Management Council also discussed water charges this morning.
The EMC includes the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.
However, today's EMC meeting was also attended by Minister Kelly and Minister for Communications Alex White.
Fine Gael's Alan Farrell has called on the Irish Water board to resign now rather than at the end of November.
He also said Irish Water Managing Director John Tierney needs to go out in the media and explain what it is doing.
The Taoiseach told TDs this afternoon that he had "every confidence" in Mr Tierney.
Noonan unaware of plans to change management
Earlier, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan said he did not know of any plans to change senior management at Irish Water.
Several ministers had already expressed concern at how the utility is managing issues.
However, several members of the Opposition said senior management should not be scapegoated.
Independent TD Clare Daly has said changes at management level at Irish Water will not make any difference to the problems being faced by the company.
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Sean O'Rourke, Ms Daly said that while she did not believe Mr Tierney was the correct person for the job, she did not believe he was responsible for what had gone on.
She said: "He didn't make up the structure or the set up that's there and ultimately the responsibility for this has to come back on the Government. It was a child of their creation.
"He was simply put in there to manage it, and I think changing the faces at the top isn't going to get away from the big problem ... which is that people don't have the money to pay this extra charge and they're sick of it."
One of the organisers of the upcoming anti-water charges march has said Irish Water should be abolished.
John Douglas of the Mandate trade union said the Government should go back to a system of paying for public services through a progressive taxation system.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Mr Douglas said the politicians had decided to create a monster in Irish water and it was up to them to sort it out.
He said: "There was no need to create it. There was no need to spend all that money on consultants, on tv ads and radio ads.
"There was no need to start charging people for water when they said they weren't going to charge people for water until 2016 when all the water meters were installed."
