Your November 2026 bill is likely to carry two extra per-unit charges: a September fuel charge that the Power Division estimates at Rs 2.56 a unit, and the third and final month of the Rs 0.5194 quarterly charge. The quarterly charge is already decided. The Rs 2.56 is not: as of 16 October 2026 NEPRA had not heard or approved it, and last month it approved much less than was asked.
The two charges at a glance
| Charge | Rate | Relates to | Status as of 16 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel charge (FCA or FPA on your bill) | Rs 2.56 a unit (estimate) | September 2026 fuel costs | Power Division projection; not yet approved by NEPRA |
| Quarterly charge (QTA) | Rs 0.5194 a unit | April to June 2026 | Approved; November is the third and last month |
The August fuel charge on October bills was Rs 1.11 a unit. The Power Division says the September charge is expected to be Rs 1.45 a unit higher than that, and puts its total cost to consumers at about Rs 32.7 billion. If you want the background on October's charges, see the October 2026 bill explainer.
Why Rs 2.56 is not final
The figure came from the Power Division on 15 October 2026. It is an advance estimate, not a regulatory decision.
Dawn reports that for the past two months the Power Division has published its estimate before the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA-G, which buys power on behalf of the distribution companies) formally files its request. The Nation reported on 16 October that CPPA-G was "all set to seek" NEPRA's approval. In other words, the request had not been heard, and no hearing date or formal requested amount had been published.
What happened last month
The August charge shows how far the final number can move:
- CPPA-G asked for Rs 1.73 a unit, based on an actual fuel cost of Rs 8.8265 against a reference cost of Rs 7.0998.
- NEPRA approved Rs 1.11 a unit, based on an actual cost of Rs 8.21 against Rs 7.10.
That is a difference of 62 paisa a unit between the request and the decision. The September figure could also change once NEPRA examines the actual fuel costs, so treat any headline about a Rs 2.56 increase as a projection.
What it could add for your units
The fuel charge is worked out on the units used in the month the fuel cost relates to. By the established method, the September fuel charge should be calculated on your September units, not on the units you use in November. Confirm this in NEPRA's September decision once it is published.
The figures below use the projected Rs 2.56 and the approved Rs 0.5194. For simplicity they assume the same number of units for both charges. They are estimates only, before GST and other taxes, and will need redoing once NEPRA notifies the final fuel charge.
| Units | Fuel charge at Rs 2.56 (estimate) | Quarterly charge at Rs 0.5194 | Combined, before tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | Rs 256 | Rs 51.94 | Rs 307.94 |
| 200 | Rs 512 | Rs 103.88 | Rs 615.88 |
| 300 | Rs 768 | Rs 155.82 | Rs 923.82 |
GST and other taxes are added on top. How much they add depends on your own bill, so check the tax lines on it rather than relying on a general figure. To estimate a full bill for your units at the notified rates, use the bill calculator.
Who is exempt, and why the two lists differ
The exemptions for the two charges are not the same. That catches people out.
Fuel charge
The August fuel charge applied to every consumer category of the former WAPDA companies and K-Electric, except:
- lifeline consumers
- EV charging stations
- prepaid consumers who chose prepaid tariffs
It did apply to units billed under the Incremental Consumption Package. Whether the September decision keeps exactly the same exemptions will only be clear when NEPRA publishes it.
Quarterly charge
The Rs 0.5194 quarterly charge applies to former WAPDA company and K-Electric consumers. Lifeline consumers, prepaid consumers and Incremental Consumption Package units are exempt.
So package units pay the fuel charge but not the quarterly charge.
Protected consumers
The reports on both charges list only the exemptions above. Protected consumers are not named as exempt from either. If you are a protected consumer, do not assume you will escape these lines; look at your own bill when it arrives.
The load management claim
The Power Division says it deliberately ran "targeted load management" of about 2 to 2.5 hours in September. Its argument is that this cut the use of expensive furnace oil and diesel in power generation.
According to the Power Division:
- without that load management, the September charge could have been Rs 5 to Rs 6 a unit
- it describes the result as saving up to Rs 3.44 a unit
- cheaper imported RLNG (liquefied gas sold to power plants at domestic gas prices) reduced the charge by a further 83 paisa a unit
These are the government's own figures. They have not been independently verified, and the fuel cost NEPRA finally accepts may differ from the Power Division's working.
If you had longer outages in September and want to see your company's published schedule or report a fault, the load-shedding page lists where each company publishes its schedule.
How a fuel charge reaches your bill
- CPPA-G files a monthly fuel charge request with NEPRA, comparing the actual fuel cost with the reference fuel cost built into the tariff.
- NEPRA holds a public hearing. For August, the hearing was on 29 September 2026.
- NEPRA issues its decision and notification. For August, this was notified on 8 October 2026.
- The distribution companies and K-Electric add the charge to bills two months after the fuel month, calculated on the units used in that fuel month.
- You compare the FPA or FCA line and the QTA line on your bill with the rates NEPRA notifies.
For September's charge, step 1 had not formally happened as of 16 October. Steps 2 and 3 are still to come.
How this year's charges have run
The Nation describes September as a likely sixth consecutive monthly increase. By its count, consumers have paid about Rs 140 billion, including 18% GST, in fuel charges for January, February and April to August 2026. March was the exception: a small refund of Re 0.0102 a unit.
The recent months, by the bill they appear on:
| Fuel month | Bill month | Fuel charge a unit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | September 2026 | Rs 2.06 | Approved |
| August 2026 | October 2026 | Rs 1.11 | Approved, notified 8 October |
| September 2026 | November 2026 | Rs 2.56 | Power Division estimate only |
The quarterly charge of Rs 0.5194 has sat alongside the fuel charge on September, October and November bills. In total it is worth about Rs 12.67 billion.
What happens after November
The 52-paisa quarterly charge ends with November billing. It is not permanent. Any quarterly charge on December bills would come from a new NEPRA decision.
That next decision, covering July to September 2026, has not been made. At the 29 September hearing, power officials said the third-quarter increase would be "almost similar" to the second quarter's. No filed amount or start month has been published, so there is no figure to plan around yet.
NEPRA has also held a hearing on revising or suspending the Incremental Consumption Package. As of 16 October no decision had been announced; the Rs 22.98 package review covers where that stands.
What to do next
- Wait for NEPRA's notification before working out your final cost. The this month page will show the approved September fuel charge alongside past months once it is notified.
- Note your September units from your October bill. Those are the units the fuel charge should be calculated on.
- When your November bill arrives, find the FPA or FCA line and the QTA line, and check that the rates match what NEPRA approved. You can pull up the current bill from the bill checker with your reference number.
- If you are on the Incremental Consumption Package, check that the fuel charge appears on package units but the quarterly charge does not.
- If a line uses the wrong rate or the wrong units, raise it with your distribution company with the notification in hand.
Sources
- Power Division projects Rs2.56 per unit increase in Nov bills (Dawn, 16 Oct 2026)
- Power users face Rs33bn FCA hit in Nov bills (Dawn, 16 Oct 2026)
- Consumers brace for another power price hike (The Nation, 16 Oct 2026)
- Power Division Says It Saved Nation From High Electricity Bills (ProPakistani, 15 Oct 2026)
- NEPRA allows Rs1.11 per unit fuel adjustment in October billing (Express Tribune, 8 Oct 2026)
- Nepra notifies consumers of Rs1.11 per unit higher fuel costs in Oct billing (Dawn, 8 Oct 2026)
- Power consumers to pay additional Rs29.50b in October bills under FCA (The Nation, 30 Sep 2026)
- Nepra increases power cost by 52 paisas per unit (Express Tribune, about 8 Sep 2026)
- Nepra raises electricity costs by Rs2.58 per unit (Dawn, about 5 Sep 2026)