How to Test Your Water for PFAS (Step-by-Step Guide)
Number copied. Text it from your phone: 443-277-2204.
Not every water test checks for PFAS, including the two we sell for well and city water. You need a test made for PFAS, which a lab runs by EPA Method 533 or 537.1, the two methods EPA approves for PFAS monitoring. The easy way is a mail-in kit: you fill a bottle at home, send it back with the prepaid label, and the results come by email. The PFAS test kit we sell is $349 and measures 18 PFAS.
Quick Answer
Not every water test measures PFAS, and no test strip can, so you fill the bottle from a PFAS test kit and mail it to a lab that runs EPA Method 533 or 537.1.
- Who needs it. Every well and everyone on city water, I say; city water owners can look up their utility's results first. See who should test for PFAS.
- What it costs. From $85 for a basic mail-in kit to $349 for ours; broader EPA methods start at $599. See the cost table.
- How long. About 10 business days in the lab for our kit. A state lab quoted 3 to 4 weeks.
- The sample. Use only the bottle in the kit, and keep waterproof clothing, cosmetics and fast food away from it. See how to collect the sample.
- Your result. EPA's limit for PFOA and PFOS is 4.0 parts per trillion (ppt). Our kit's results come back in parts per billion (ppb): multiply by 1,000, so 0.004 ppb is 4 ppt. See what to do with your result.
The PFAS test kit we sell is $349 and measures 18 PFAS. The $199 well water test kit does not include PFAS.
What's in This Guide
Why doesn't my regular water test show PFAS?
A test only reports what is on its list. A caller on city water asked me whether our advanced city water test covers PFAS. It does not. We have a separate test for PFAS, and if a contaminant is not listed on a test's page, that test does not measure it.
People ask me, "My well test came back clean last year. Should that have caught PFAS?" No. You need a specific test for PFAS. The $199 well water test kit we sell covers 53 contaminants and leaves PFAS out, and the city water test kit does too, so the PFAS test is a second test.
PFAS are measured in a lab with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). EPA approves two methods, 533 and 537.1, for PFAS monitoring in drinking water, and together they measure 29 PFAS. The company that runs the lab behind our kits says test strips cannot test for PFAS.
Who should test for PFAS?
I say every well and everyone on city water should have a PFAS test. What you do first depends on where your water comes from.
| Your water | Do this first | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Private well | Order a PFAS test kit and mail the sample to a lab. | EPA does not regulate private wells or set recommended standards for them, so owners generally have to arrange PFAS testing themselves. |
| City water | Ask your water provider for its PFAS results, or search EPA's database of PFAS water system test results. | EPA says many public water systems already have PFAS results. A kit measures your own tap if the report is missing or you want your own number. |
| A result for official use | Ask your state's laboratory certification program which labs it has certified for PFAS. | EPA sends homeowners to that program. If your state has not certified any labs yet, ask the program to name labs it trusts. |
How common PFAS is where you live is on PFAS contamination by state.
That is my 2-minute video on testing and filtering. The filter lines in it, and where they stop, are covered on choosing a PFAS water filter.
How much does a PFAS test cost?
A PFAS test costs from $85 for a basic mail-in kit to $835 for the broadest EPA method, depending on the method and how many PFAS it measures. These are each company's own prices on October 29, 2026.
| Test | Method and PFAS measured | Price | Time in the lab | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our PFAS test kit | EPA 537.1, 18 PFAS | $349 | About 10 business days | Prepaid return label. I go over your report with you. |
| Tap Score PFAS Water Test (SimpleLab, direct) | EPA 537.1, 18 PFAS | $335 | 10 business days | It measures the same 18 PFAS as our kit. Tap Score adds its own treatment advice. |
| Tap Score GenX and PFAS Water Test | EPA 533, 25 PFAS | $599 | 12 business days | Method 533 focuses on short-chain PFAS, the smaller ones. |
| Tap Score EPA 1633 PFAS Water Test | EPA 1633, 40 PFAS | $835 | 15 business days | Tap Score describes 1633 as a draft method. |
| Cyclopure Water Test Kit Pro | Cyclopure's own method, 55 PFAS | $85 | 10 to 14 business days | The disc captures PFAS as you fill the cup. Cyclopure says its collection process differs from the one EPA defines, so use it for your own information, not as an official result. |
| Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene | EPA 537.1, 18 PFAS | $380 per sample | About 3 to 4 weeks | One state lab's price; an optional field blank adds $300. Your state's lab will differ. |
Our kit costs $14 more than the same panel direct from SimpleLab. I read your report with you and tell you whether the results call for treatment.
Which PFAS test method should I choose?
EPA Method 537.1 measures 18 PFAS, including all six in EPA's 2024 drinking water rule. Method 533 measures 25, and 533 and 537.1 together cover 29.
| Your situation | Method to ask for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Finding out where you stand | EPA 537.1, 18 PFAS | It measures PFOA and PFOS, the two with EPA's 4.0 ppt limit, plus PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS. |
| Near an airport, military base, or a chemical or manufacturing plant | EPA 533 or 1633, 25 or 40 PFAS | The lab company behind our kits suggests the more thorough methods in a higher-risk area. |
| A result for official use | EPA 533 or 537.1, from a lab your state certifies | Those are the two methods EPA approved for PFAS monitoring. EPA says "modified" methods have not been validated across labs. |
Get the PFAS test kit
It measures 18 PFAS by EPA Method 537.1 and includes what you need to collect the sample, plus a prepaid return label. I go over your report with you.
The $199 well water test kit does not include PFAS.How do I collect the sample?
Use only the bottle that comes in the kit, and keep PFAS sources away from it. PFAS turn up in everyday products, and a stray trace can contaminate the sample. These are the lab company's own sampling guidelines.
| Before you fill the bottle | What to do |
|---|---|
| Clothing | Skip Gore-Tex, Tyvek and other waterproof or stain-resistant clothing, and clothes just dry cleaned or washed with fabric softener. |
| Personal care | Skip cosmetics, moisturizer, perfume, anti-perspirant, deodorant, insect repellent and sunscreen, unless the label says PFAS-free. |
| Items near the bottle | Keep away felt-tip pens and permanent markers, sticky notes and glue, aluminum foil and, as much as you can, plastics. |
| Food | No fast food, pre-wrapped food, snacks or carry-out right before or during sampling. Wash your hands first. |
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Read the kit's instructions first
Follow them exactly. Labs set their own steps, including which tap to use and how long to run it, so do not borrow steps from a guide, this one included.
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Fill the bottle from the kit
Wash your hands, then fill only the bottle the lab provided. A bottle from your kitchen or garage can add PFAS.
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Register the kit
The kit's instructions tell you how. Register it before you send the sample.
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Mail it with the prepaid label
Send it as soon as you can. If you have to wait, keep it in the refrigerator for no more than 24 hours.
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Wait for the email
The lab takes about 10 business days after it receives the sample, and the results come by email.
What do I do with my result?
Check the units first, then compare PFOA and PFOS with EPA's 4.0 ppt limit. The results for our kit come back in parts per billion (ppb), and 1 ppb is 1,000 ppt, so 0.004 ppb is 4 ppt.
"Not detected" means the lab found none above its reporting limit, about 2 ppt for this kit. That is not the same as zero. EPA's health goal for PFOA and PFOS is zero, and the enforceable limit for public water is 4.0 ppt. Where the EPA PFAS limit stands today, and how to read the rest of your report, is in our guide to PFAS in drinking water.
If a private well comes back over the limit, EPA's advice is to consider another water source for drinking, cooking and baby formula, and a home filter certified to lower PFAS. Which treatment fits depends on which PFAS you have and how much, and that is the call I make with people once they have a lab report. Choosing a PFAS water filter compares carbon, resin and reverse osmosis. After you treat the water, I tell people to have a lab test done every year to make sure it is working.
Send me your PFAS report
Text me the report or the numbers. I'll tell you what they mean and whether you need treatment at all.
8 AM to 5 PM Eastern, seven days a week. A real person, not a call center.Frequently asked questions
Can I test for PFAS with a test strip?
No. PFAS are measured in a lab, and the lab company behind our kits says test strips cannot test for PFAS. A kit lets you collect the sample at home, but the measuring happens at the lab.
Are home water testing kits accurate?
For PFAS, the kit only collects the sample. The lab does the measuring, so accuracy comes from two things: the lab's method and how cleanly you collect. EPA's methods 533 and 537.1 went through multi-lab validation, and the kit's bottle and the sampling rules keep the sample clean.
Is your PFAS test certified?
Our kit's lab runs EPA Method 537.1, one of the two methods EPA approves for PFAS monitoring in drinking water. EPA says states certify labs. If you need the result for official use, ask your state's laboratory certification program which labs it has certified for PFAS, and check that list before you order.
Does your PFAS test include GenX?
Yes. GenX, also called HFPO-DA, is one of the 18 PFAS in our kit, along with PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA and PFBS.
Can I take a sample to a local lab instead?
Yes. Contact your state environmental or health agency for a list of state-certified labs that use EPA methods. Ask the lab for its own bottle and sampling steps, since only a bottle from the lab should be used for PFAS.
Can I send my own test results to you?
Yes, whichever lab ran them. Text me the report or the numbers at 443-277-2204 and I will tell you what they mean.
Aidan Walsh
Co-owner & Residential Water Treatment Specialist, Mid Atlantic WaterAidan Walsh has spent 32 years in residential water treatment, the first stretch of it installing and servicing well systems before Mid Atlantic Water became an online supplier. Mid Atlantic Water is a family company; every recommendation on this site is based on what actually failed in the field and what fixed it. If you have a question this page did not answer, call 800-460-5810 or text him at 443-277-2204.
Aidan answers calls and texts 8 AM to 5 PM Eastern, every day.Number copied. Text it from your phone: 443-277-2204.