Under NEPRA's Consumer Service Manual, as quoted from its earlier version, one missed bill is not enough for your company to cut your supply straight away. If last month's bill is unpaid, your company must send a disconnection notice with your second month's bill, giving you seven clear days to pay. Your supply can be disconnected only if the dues are still unpaid after the due date on that second bill.
NEPRA has since published a revised 2025 manual, and the exact 2025 wording of these steps could not be confirmed here. Treat the timeline below as the rule as last published in full, and check your own bill and the 2025 manual for the current text.
The rulebook your company has to follow
Whether you call it WAPDA, LESCO, MEPCO or anything else, your electricity company is a distribution company, and it is bound by NEPRA's Consumer Service Manual. This is the rulebook that sets out how companies deal with consumers.
The manual applies to all consumers of a distribution company, including bulk power consumers. The 2020 version covers the areas you need if you have fallen behind:
- connection and reconnection fees
- billing
- the time allowed to pay a bill
- how a disconnection notice for non-payment must be issued
In the 2020 version, these sit in clauses 1.2.2, 1.2.5 and 1.2.6. The detailed disconnection steps were quoted by K-Electric in around October 2021, when it described its own policies as compliant with the manual.
As of November 2026, the version NEPRA publishes is the Consumer Service Manual (CSM) Revised 2025. Clause numbers and wording may have changed in that revision, so if you are quoting the manual to your company's office, quote from the 2025 PDF on NEPRA's website rather than from older copies.
What happens, month by month
The sequence below follows the clauses as quoted by K-Electric from the earlier manual. It is the clearest published statement of the process, but check it against the 2025 text.
| Stage | What happens | Can supply be cut? |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 bill passes its due date unpaid | A late payment surcharge is added | No, not on this alone |
| Month 2 bill arrives | A disconnection notice comes with it, giving seven clear days to pay | Not yet |
| Month 2 bill's due date passes unpaid | Supply "shall be disconnected" under clause 8.2.4 as quoted | Yes |
| Dues cleared | You can seek reconnection | Restoration follows the reconnection process |
Month 1: the first bill goes unpaid
If you miss the due date, the immediate cost is the late payment surcharge, not a cut. That is covered in detail in our guide to the late payment surcharge and due date.
Month 2: the notice arrives with your next bill
Under clause 8.2.2 as quoted, if the previous month's bill is unpaid, the company must send a notice with the second month's bill. The notice gives seven clear days to clear the dues or face disconnection.
The notice does not have to be a separate letter. It may be printed or stamped on the bill itself.
After the second due date
Under clause 8.2.4 as quoted, if payment is still not received by the due date on the second month's bill, the supply "shall be disconnected". This is the point at which your company is allowed to act.
In practice, that means the deadline that matters most is the due date printed on the bill carrying the notice.
How to recognise a disconnection notice
Many people miss the notice because they expect a letter or a visit. Under the quoted clause, the warning may simply be a stamp or a printed line on your next bill.
When your second bill arrives:
- Read the whole bill, not just the amount payable. Look for any stamp, box or printed message about disconnection or outstanding dues.
- Check the arrears field. Your unpaid amount from last month should appear, usually with the surcharge.
- Note the due date on this bill. That is your deadline.
- Keep the bill, or a photo of it. If there is a dispute later about whether notice was given, the bill is your record.
If you are not sure which field shows arrears or the due date, our annotated sample bill walks through every field.
One point of caution: a draft amended version of the manual, found on a trade association's website rather than NEPRA's, words the notice step differently, referring to clearing "the outstanding dues with the current bill". It is not known whether that wording was adopted. Either way, the practical advice is the same: if your bill shows arrears, act before its due date.
Asking for installments
If you cannot pay both bills in full, ask for installments before the second bill's due date, not after it. Once the due date has passed, your company is allowed to disconnect, and you will be asking from a weaker position.
What could not be confirmed from NEPRA for this guide:
- how many installments are allowed
- whether any markup is charged, and at what rate
- who at the company approves an installment request
You may see figures for these on other websites. They have not been verified against the manual, so do not rely on them. Ask your company's office directly, and ask it to tell you which clause of the manual it is applying.
Where to ask in person
The 2025 manual says each sub-division has a one-window facility, alongside the company's customer service centres, for information on new connections and other services. Your sub-division office is the place to make an in-person request.
When you go:
- Take your latest bill and the previous unpaid one. The reference number on the bill identifies your connection.
- Take your CNIC.
- Ask clearly for installments on the outstanding amount, and ask what the terms are.
- Ask for any agreement in writing, or for the revised bill showing the installment, before you leave.
- Note the date, the office and the name of the person you spoke to.
The exact process for approving installments has not been verified here, so do not assume a request is granted until you have it on paper or on a revised bill.
Getting reconnected
If your supply has been cut, reconnection requires the outstanding dues to be cleared. The manual covers reconnection fees, but the current fee and the time within which the company must restore supply could not be confirmed for this guide. No rupee figure is given here for that reason.
To get reconnected:
- Pay the full outstanding amount through an official channel.
- Keep the payment receipt or confirmation.
- Contact your sub-division office or customer service centre with the receipt and your reference number, and ask what reconnection fee applies and when supply will be restored.
- Check your next bill for any reconnection charge, and compare it with what you were told.
If you are charged a reconnection fee you think is wrong, ask the office to point to the clause in the 2025 manual that sets it.
Pay only through official channels
When people fall behind on bills, they become targets. Be wary of any call, SMS or WhatsApp message asking you to send money to a personal account or mobile wallet to "stop disconnection". No source was found describing this specific pattern, but the safe rule is simple: pay only through the channels listed on your bill or your company's official website.
Our guide to paying your bill online lists the official routes. If you are sent a link or QR code you are not sure about, read how to spot fake bill links and scams before you pay anything.
If the bill itself is wrong
Sometimes a bill goes unpaid because it looks wrong. Not paying is risky, because the disconnection timeline above still runs. File a complaint as soon as you see the problem, keep proof that you complained, and ask the office what you should pay while it is investigated. Our guide to filing an overbilling complaint sets out how.
Detection bills, where the company charges for electricity it says was used but not recorded, are a separate matter with their own rules. Do not assume the steps in this guide apply to detection arrears.
Why this matters now
Bills have been rising. Dawn reported on 5 September 2026 that September bills carried a fuel charge of Rs 2.06 a unit, plus a quarterly charge of 52 paisa a unit running through November 2026. If that has pushed you behind, knowing the timeline gives you a window to act before your supply is at risk.
What to do next
- Check your current bill on the bill checker using your reference number, and note the arrears and the due date.
- Look on the bill for a printed or stamped disconnection notice.
- If you cannot pay in full, visit your sub-division office or one-window facility before the due date and ask for installments in writing.
- Pay only through official channels and keep every receipt.
- If your supply has already been cut, clear the dues, take the receipt to your sub-division office, and ask for the reconnection fee and timeline.
Sources
- NEPRA – Consumer Service Manual (CSM) Revised 2025
- NEPRA – Revised Consumer Service Manual 2020
- K-Electric – K-Electric Policies Are Compliant With NEPRA Consumer Service Manual
- Dawn – Nepra raises electricity costs by Rs2.58 per unit (5 Sep 2026)
- PHMA – Draft Amended Consumer Service Manual (unofficial copy; context only)