How to Appeal a Wrong Electricity Bill in Pakistan: Provincial Office of Inspection, Then NEPRA
Company will not fix a wrong electricity bill? Go to your Provincial Office of Inspection, then appeal to NEPRA in 30 days. Fee Rs 1,000, payable digitally.
Short answer: If your electricity company will not fix a wrong bill, you can take the dispute to your province's Provincial Office of Inspection, called the POI. If you lose there, you have 30 days from receiving the order to appeal to NEPRA, with a fee of Rs 1,000. NEPRA is meant to decide the appeal within 60 days.
Picture a shopkeeper in Multan who has written to the sub division office twice about a meter that runs fast. Nobody replies. He assumes the only next step is to pay and complain. There is a legal step in between, and it is written on his own bill.
We read the NEPRA Act, the appeal regulations and the Consumer Service Manual to put the whole path in one place. We have not filed a case, and we say where the rules leave a gap.
The path has three steps before any court
You start with the electricity company. If its decision does not satisfy you, or it does not reply at all, the manual gives you the POI route. After the POI, an appeal goes to NEPRA. Each step has its own deadline, so keep every paper with a date on it.
| Step | Where | Time limit |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Written complaint | Sub division office of your company | Ask for a reply in writing |
| 2. Dispute on metering, billing or tariff | Provincial Office of Inspection | Set by your province |
| 3. Appeal against the POI order | NEPRA, Registrar's office | 30 days from receiving the order |
| 4. NEPRA's decision | NEPRA Authority | Within 60 days of filing, as far as possible |
Our guide on complaining about a wrong electricity bill covers step 1 and the direct NEPRA complaint. This page begins where that one stops.
The Provincial Office of Inspection settles metering and billing disputes
Section 38 of the NEPRA Act makes each provincial government set up offices of inspection. These offices enforce the company's instructions on metering and billing, decide cases of theft and make determinations in disputes over metering, billing and collection of tariff.
The Act says the province may give these powers to the Electric Inspectors it appoints under the Electricity Act, 1910. It also leaves the procedure for bringing a case to each provincial government. We could not find one national form or fee, so ask the office what it needs.
You do not need to hunt for the address. The Consumer Service Manual says every bill must print the address of the Electric Inspector or Provincial Office of Inspection, along with NEPRA's head office. Look at the bottom or back of your bill.
You can ask the POI to test the meter in front of you
If your dispute is about a meter, write to the company that you have asked the Electric Inspector or POI to check its accuracy. From that moment the company must not remove the meter until the test is done, in your presence and the company's, with a calibrated check meter.
The inspector must carry out the test within one month of receiving your request. If the meter is found fast or slow, it is to be replaced at once, or within two billing cycles if meters are not available. Any credit or debit is made for a maximum of two months.
That sequence is useful. It stops a company from taking away the meter, which is the evidence. Our page on getting a faulty meter checked and replaced sets out the company side of the same process.
Appeal to NEPRA within 30 days of the POI order
Any person aggrieved by a decision or order of the Provincial Office of Inspection may appeal to NEPRA within 30 days of receiving it. NEPRA may admit a late appeal if you show sufficient cause, but do not plan on that. File inside the 30 days.
- Get a copy of the POI order and ask for it to be certified.
- Note the date you received it, and keep the envelope or courier slip. The 30 days run from receipt.
- Write the appeal on Form C as a memorandum, with facts, the law you rely on and your grounds, in numbered paragraphs.
- Attach a verified affidavit, the certified order and proof that you paid the fee.
- Send it by registered post or a recognised courier to the Registrar at NEPRA Tower, Islamabad.
The 2012 regulations also ask for the paper to be typed on legal size paper, one side, double spaced, with pages numbered and stitched, in four sets. If a lawyer or relative appears for you, attach a signed authorisation.
The fee is Rs 1,000 and can now be paid digitally
The appeal fee is Rs 1,000. Until May 2026 the rules said it had to be a bank draft. NEPRA's notification S.R.O. 863(I)/2026 of 12 May 2026 changed that to a pay order, bank draft or digital means, which includes online banking, QR codes and card payments.
The change also altered the appeal forms, so a digital payment receipt now counts as proof of payment. Keep the receipt in the file. A defective appeal is returned to you to fix, and if you do not fix it in the time given, NEPRA may reject it.
What NEPRA can do with your appeal
After you file, the company answers within 10 days of its notice, and NEPRA fixes a hearing. You are heard in person or through a representative. The hearing is not public, but a person who is not a party may attend with NEPRA's permission.
NEPRA may confirm, send back, set aside or cancel the POI order. It can also change the penalty, or make any other order it considers just. A copy of the signed order goes to all parties within three days of it being passed.
Detection bills follow the same path. If your bill is for supposed meter tampering, read how to dispute an electricity detection bill first, then use the POI route for the ruling.
Common questions
What is the Provincial Office of Inspection?
It is an office each provincial government sets up under section 38 of the NEPRA Act to settle disputes about metering, billing and collection of tariff between consumers and electricity companies.
How long do I have to appeal a POI order to NEPRA?
You have 30 days from receiving the order. NEPRA can accept a late appeal only if you show sufficient cause.
How much does a NEPRA appeal cost?
The filing fee is Rs 1,000, payable by pay order, bank draft or digital means since the 12 May 2026 amendment.
Can I file the appeal by email or online?
The regulations we read say to send it by registered post or a recognised courier to the Registrar. We found no online filing option, so check with NEPRA's office before relying on one.
How long will NEPRA take to decide?
The Act says NEPRA shall decide an appeal within 60 days. The regulations say as far as possible within 60 days of filing.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We read section 38 and section 39 of the NEPRA Act on NEPRA's legal page, the 2012 appeal regulations with the S.R.O. 863(I)/2026 amendment, and clauses 4.3.5, 6.4.1 and 15.1 of the Consumer Service Manual as revised on 26 November 2025, on 12 October 2026. Provincial procedures and fees vary and we could not verify them.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
