How to Pay Your Electricity Bill in Installments

The short answer

Yes, you can ask to pay an electricity bill in installments, but it is at the company's discretion, not a right. Apply at your sub-division office or customer service centre before the due date. If the first installment is paid by the due date there is no late payment surcharge, and the remaining installments carry markup at 14% a year, pro rata.

What NEPRA's rules say

First installment

No markup or LPS if paid by the due date[1]

Later installments

Markup at 14% a year, pro rata[1]

Who decides

The company, per its business needs[1]

Bill format

A computerised bill for each installment[1]

Those are clauses 6.8.2 to 6.8.4 of the Consumer Service Manual. The manual lets companies offer installments and due-date extensions 'as per their business requirements', so approval, the number of installments and any down payment are decided locally, usually by the SDO or Revenue Officer.

How to apply

1. 1

   Go before the due date

   Once the due date passes, the late payment surcharge is added. Visit the sub-division office, the customer service centre or the one-window desk with the bill and your CNIC.

2. 2

   Write a short application

   Address it to the SDO / AM (Operation). Give your reference number, the bill amount, the number of installments you are asking for and the reason (for example a high summer bill or a correction pending).

3. 3

   Pay the first installment on the bill issued

   Once approved, the company issues computerised installment bills. Pay the first one by its due date to avoid surcharge.

4. 4

   Keep paying current bills too

   Installments are on top of your normal monthly bill. Missing either can lead to disconnection.

Separately from individual requests, the government sometimes announces installment relief for everyone, for example spreading summer bills over several months. Those schemes are announced in the news and applied automatically or through the bill; they are not covered by the rules above.

These rules come from NEPRA's Consumer Service Manual for the ex-WAPDA companies (LESCO, IESCO, FESCO, GEPCO, MEPCO, PESCO, HESCO, SEPCO, QESCO, TESCO, HAZECO). K-Electric works under its own NEPRA-approved manual, which follows the same principles but can differ in fees and details.

Questions