How to Read Your Electricity Bill
A Pakistani electricity bill has many lines, but they fall into a few simple groups. This guide explains each part, so you can read your bill and know exactly what you are paying for.
Open your billWhat Is on Your Electricity Bill
Under NEPRA's consumer service rules, every electricity bill in Pakistan must show the same set of details. So once you know them, you can read any company's bill. Here is each part, and how the slab system and protected status change what you pay.
Your Account Details
The top of the bill names your connection and who it belongs to.
Reference number
The long number, usually 14 digits, printed at the top of the bill. It names your connection, stays the same every month, and is the number you use to check or pay your bill.
Consumer ID (customer ID)
The shorter account number, often about 10 digits, printed near the reference number. Some apps and banks ask for it instead of the reference number. Both are on your bill.
Name and address
The name of the account holder and the address of the connection. This is the name a bank or office will see when you use the bill as proof.
Meter number
Printed on the bill and on the meter itself. It identifies your meter, but it does not open or pay bills, so do not use it in place of the reference number.
Tariff
Your tariff category, such as a home (residential) or a commercial category. NEPRA sets the categories and the rates, not the company, so the category shown decides which rates apply to you.
Load
Your sanctioned load, the maximum power your connection is approved for, shown in kilowatts. Most homes have a small sanctioned load.
Date of connection and billing month
The date of connection is when your meter was first set up. The billing month is the month this bill covers.
Your Meter Reading and Units
This part shows how much electricity you used and how the company measured it.
Reading date
The day the meter reading was taken. Your billing month is counted from one reading date to the next.
Previous and present reading
The two numbers read off your meter. The present reading minus the previous reading gives the units you used this month.
Units consumed
The electricity you used during the month, measured in units (one unit is one kilowatt-hour). This is the main thing that decides your bill, so a higher number here usually means a higher bill.
The meter reading snapshot
Under NEPRA's consumer service rules, the company must take a photo of your meter reading, print it on the bill, and stamp it with the time and the place (geo-tagging). The company keeps these snapshots for twelve months, so the photo is useful evidence if you ever question a reading.
Imported and exported units
If you have solar net metering, the bill shows the units you imported from the grid and the units you exported to it. The difference affects what you pay.
Billing history
Most bills show a small graph or table of your last twelve months of use. It lets you compare this month with earlier months and spot a sudden jump quickly.
The Cost of Electricity
These lines turn your units into rupees. NEPRA sets the rates, not the company.
Cost of electricity (energy charges)
The main charge, which is the price of the units you used. It is the biggest part of most bills.
Slab rates
Your units are priced in slabs, which are steps of usage. The first units are in the cheapest step, and units above each level cost more, so using more units can raise both your total and the rate on your units. NEPRA sets the slabs and the rates. The next section explains slabs and protected status in more detail, with examples.
Fixed charges and meter rent
Small monthly charges for the connection and the meter. You pay them even in a month when you use very little electricity.
Variable charges and billing demand
Variable charges move with how much you use. Billing demand applies mainly to larger or commercial connections and is based on the highest power drawn, not only the units. Most homes will not see a billing demand line.
How Slabs and Protected Status Affect Your Bill
Two things decide how much each unit costs you: which slab your units fall in, and whether you count as a protected consumer. Both are set by NEPRA and the government, and both can change your bill even when your use barely changes.
How slab rates work
Your monthly units are split into steps, and each step has its own rate. The first units fall in the cheapest step, and as your total crosses into a higher step, the extra units cost more per unit.
Example
Say the first 100 units are charged at one rate, and units above 100 at a higher rate. (These are example numbers, not the real rates.) If you use 90 units, all of them are in the cheaper step. If you use 130 units, the first 100 stay at the lower rate and only the next 30 are charged at the higher rate.
So in most cases only the units inside each step pay that step's rate. NEPRA sets the steps and the rates and changes them from time to time, and your bill shows how many units fell in each step.
Why a small rise can cost more
Because each higher step costs more per unit, using a little more near the top of a step can raise your bill more than the few extra units alone would suggest.
Example
Carrying on the example above, a month of 99 units keeps everything in the cheaper step. A month of 105 units pushes 5 units into the higher step. The rise in units is small, but those 5 units now cost the higher rate, so the bill climbs a little faster.
This is why watching your monthly units, especially near the end of the month, can keep more of them in the cheaper steps.
Protected and unprotected consumers
Home users also fall into one of two groups, protected or unprotected. A protected consumer keeps their monthly use under a set level and gets a lower, subsidised rate. A consumer who uses more is unprotected and pays a higher rate, so the same units can cost more for an unprotected user.
Example
The level has commonly been around 200 units a month, though the government and NEPRA set it and can change it. A home that stays under the level keeps the protected rate, while a home that goes over it moves to the unprotected rate, and it can take a few months of lower use to become protected again.
Your bill shows which group you are in, so check that line. If you are close to the level, keeping your monthly units a little lower can hold your protected status.
Taxes, Surcharges and Adjustments
After the cost of electricity, the bill adds taxes and adjustments. The government and NEPRA set these, not the company. NEPRA's consumer service rules group them on the bill as the Other Charges line, and they can include the following.
GST (sales tax)
A federal sales tax added to the bill. Consumers who use very little electricity are usually in a protected category and pay no GST.
Electricity duty
A smaller tax collected for the provincial government. The amount is shown on your bill.
FPA (Fuel Price Adjustment)
Covers the gap between the fuel cost assumed in your tariff and the actual fuel cost for that month. NEPRA sets it every month, so it changes month to month, and in some months it can be a small credit that lowers your bill.
QTA (Quarterly Tariff Adjustment)
A similar adjustment, but added once every three months instead of every month. It covers changes in costs such as fuel and the exchange rate.
Surcharges (financing cost and others)
Some bills carry a financing cost surcharge, an annual distribution margin component, or other surcharges that help cover costs in the power sector. NEPRA's consumer service rules list these under the Other Charges line.
Income tax (withholding tax)
Applies mainly to larger bills, and many homes with smaller bills do not pay it. If it applies to you and you file a tax return, you can adjust this amount in your return.
PTV fee and N.J. surcharge
The PTV fee was a small fixed charge collected for Pakistan Television, which the government removed from electricity bills, so you may not see it now. The N.J. surcharge is the Neelum-Jhelum surcharge, added to bills across Pakistan to help fund the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project.
Dates and What You Pay
These lines tell you how much to pay and by when.
Issue date
The date the bill was prepared. Your due date is counted from this date.
Due date
The last day to pay without a penalty. Under NEPRA's consumer service rules the due date is within fifteen days of the issue date, and you should get at least seven clear days from the day the bill reaches you. If the due date falls on a holiday, it moves to the next working day.
Amount payable within due date
The amount to pay on or before the due date. This is the figure most people pay.
Amount payable after due date
A slightly higher amount, because a late payment surcharge (LPS) is added once the due date passes. Paying on time avoids this extra amount.
Arrears and deferred amount
Arrears are any amount left unpaid from earlier bills, added to this month's total. A deferred amount is a part of the bill the company has allowed you to pay later, shown on its own line.
Installments
If you arranged to pay a large bill in parts, the installment for this month shows here. Under NEPRA's consumer service rules there is no extra charge if you pay the first installment by the due date, and a markup applies to the later ones.
Where to Find Help on Your Bill
Your bill is not only numbers. Under NEPRA's consumer service rules it must also print where to get help, and it must show this in Urdu as well as English.
Your division and subdivision
The bill names your division, subdivision, and feeder, so you can tell which office handles your connection.
Complaint and officer numbers
The bill prints a complaint contact number and the numbers of your local XEN and SDO, the officers who can correct billing and supply problems.
NEPRA and the Electric Inspector
The bill also shows the address of NEPRA's office and the Provincial Office of Inspection, also called the Electric Inspector. You can take a complaint there if the company has not resolved it.
Printed in Urdu too
Under NEPRA's consumer service rules, all of this information must also be printed in Urdu on the bill, so it is easy for everyone to read.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the reference number on my electricity bill?
Can I check my bill with the meter number?
What does units consumed mean on my bill?
What is the snapshot or meter photo on my bill?
What are the Other Charges on my electricity bill?
What is the difference between the amount within the due date and after it?
When is my electricity bill due?
Why is my bill also printed in Urdu?
Now open your own bill
Pick your electricity company to open your official bill, then read it line by line with this guide beside you.
