Billing help centre

17 procedures for the things that go wrong on a Pakistani electricity account. Each one sets out why it happens, the order to do things in, what to carry to the office, how long it should take, and where to escalate when it does not.

Two rules apply to every one of them. Put it in writing and get the copy stamped, because an unstamped complaint cannot be escalated. And pay the part of the bill you do not dispute, because disconnection over an undisputed amount ends the argument in the company’s favour regardless of who was right.

Start from the symptom

The bill will not open at all → Reference number returns nothing
The amount looks wrong → Sudden high bill
The reading looks wrong → Wrong meter reading
Money has gone missing → Payment not credited
The supply is off → Disconnection and reconnection
A large past charge appeared → Detection bill

Act before the due date

Your reference number returns no bill — I typed my reference number and it says no record, invalid, or nothing at all.
Your paper bill never arrives — The bill has not come again this month and the due date is close.
Your bill has jumped and nothing obvious changed — This month's bill is far higher than last month and I have not changed anything.
Your meter has stopped, is running fast, or is damaged — The meter display is dead, or the reading has not moved, or it seems to be racing.
You have been issued a detection bill — A large charge for past months has appeared on my bill after an inspection.
You paid, but the payment has not been credited — The money left my account days ago but the bill still shows unpaid.
Your supply has been disconnected for non-payment — The supply has been cut and I need it back today.

Fix before the next bill

The reading on your bill does not match your meter — The present reading printed on my bill is higher than what the meter actually shows.
Your bills keep being estimated instead of read — My bill says AVG or assessed again — nobody has read the meter for months.
Arrears have appeared on a bill you always paid — There is a previous balance on my bill but I have every receipt.
You were charged a late payment surcharge despite paying on time — I paid before the due date but the next bill still charged me the surcharge.
You have been billed twice, or hold two bills for one meter — Two different bills arrived for what I am certain is one connection.
Your connection is billed in the wrong tariff category — My bill says A-2 but this is a house, or the rates look commercial.

Worth sorting out, not urgent

The bill is in the wrong person's name — The meter is still in the previous owner's — or a deceased relative's — name.
The address printed on your bill is wrong — The address block on my bill is incomplete, outdated, or belongs to a different house.
Your meter is in the wrong place and needs moving — The meter is inside the house, behind a locked gate, or somewhere nobody can read it.
You need a no-dues certificate for a property transfer — I am buying or selling a property and need to prove the electricity account is clear.

Not a billing problem?

Complaints and helplines — outages, transformer faults, voltage and street lighting, by company.
Quick answers — the short-form version of the questions consumers ask most.
Find your sub-divisional office — where almost every procedure on this page begins.
Bill glossary — if you are not yet sure which line is the problem.

How complaints work

What makes a complaint to a Pakistani distribution company actually work?

Putting it in writing and getting your copy stamped with a diary number. A verbal complaint leaves no record and cannot be escalated, so it effectively does not exist. The stamped date is also what proves a company has exceeded its response timeline, which is the ground on which every escalation rests.

Should I pay a bill I believe is wrong?

Pay the portion you accept and state on the written complaint that you have done so. Paying nothing invites disconnection over an amount you never disputed, and paying everything without recording a protest weakens the case that anything was wrong.

When does a complaint go to NEPRA and when to the Electric Inspector?

NEPRA hears complaints about a company's conduct — refusal to act, unreasonable delay, wrongful disconnection. The Provincial Electric Inspector has jurisdiction over metering accuracy and the amount of an assessment or detection bill. Sending a detection dispute to NEPRA is the most common and most expensive procedural mistake.

Do these procedures differ between MEPCO, LESCO, IESCO and the rest?

The procedures are common, because all eleven companies operate under the same NEPRA consumer service manual and the same billing platform. What differs is the office you walk into and the contact numbers, not the steps or the documents.