How to Pay Your Electricity or Gas Bill in Instalments in Pakistan
NEPRA lets your DISCO split an electricity bill: first instalment by the due date has no surcharge, the rest 14% markup. What to take, and the gas bill rules.
You can ask your electricity company to split a bill into instalments. NEPRA's Consumer Service Manual lets it do so: pay the first instalment by the due date with no late payment surcharge, and the rest carries markup at 14 per cent a year. Gas companies publish no such scheme.
The bill arrives, the amount is far above normal, and the due date is ten days away. That is when most people search for bill instalments in Pakistan. The answer is yes for electricity, but it is the company's choice, not your right.
We read the current Consumer Service Manual, revised 2025, on NEPRA's own website on 27 September 2026. We also read the SNGPL and SSGC customer pages. One thing changed from the older rules that most advice online still repeats, and we explain it below.
The electricity bill instalment rule in the 2025 manual
Clause 6.8 of NEPRA's Consumer Service Manual covers instalments. If you ask to split the current month's bill, there is no markup or surcharge on the first instalment when you pay it by the due date. The remaining instalments carry markup at 14 per cent a year, worked out pro rata.
The Consumer Service Manual is the rulebook NEPRA, the power regulator, sets for every electricity distribution company, or DISCO. That covers LESCO, IESCO, MEPCO, GEPCO, FESCO and the rest.
| Clause | What it says |
|---|---|
| 6.8.1 | No late payment surcharge where the due date is extended |
| 6.8.2(a) | No markup or surcharge if the first instalment is paid by the due date |
| 6.8.2(b) | Remaining instalments carry markup at 14% a year, pro rata |
| 6.8.3 | DISCOs may allow instalments and due date extensions as per their business requirements |
| 6.8.4 | The DISCO issues computerised bills once instalments are allowed |
Clause 6.8.3 is the one to understand. It says DISCOs "may" provide instalments. So the company can say no. Nothing in the manual forces it to split your bill.
The old SDO and XEN limits are no longer in the manual
The 2021 manual had a table saying which officer could approve how many instalments. The 2025 revision on NEPRA's website no longer has that table. It leaves the decision to each DISCO, so the old limits are no longer NEPRA's rule.
Under the 2021 table, an SDO could allow three monthly instalments on a bill up to Rs 50,000. An XEN could allow three on a bill up to Rs 200,000. Higher officers could go up to twelve instalments on large bills. Many pages still quote those limits as current.
We compared both versions page by page. In the 2025 manual, clause 6.8 has four short points and no officer table. Your DISCO may still use similar limits inside the company, but that is its own practice now, not NEPRA's rule. Ask at your sub-division which officer signs off.
How to ask for your bill in instalments
Go to the sub-division office named on your bill before the due date, with the bill and your CNIC. Ask the revenue office to split the current bill. If it agrees, it prints a new computerised bill for the first instalment, which you pay by its date.
- Check the bill first. If the units look wrong, you may want to complain about a wrong electricity bill instead of paying it in parts.
- Take the original bill, a copy of your CNIC and a short written request to the sub-division office named on the bill.
- Say how many instalments you want and why, for example a very high summer bill.
- If it is allowed, collect the new computerised bill for the first instalment.
- Pay that bill by its due date, then pay each later instalment on time.
The manual lists no form and no fee for this. Keep a photo of your request and of every receipt. If you lost the bill, clause 6.6.2 says every bill must be available to download on the DISCO's website.
Timing matters. Clause 6.5 gives a due date within 15 days of the bill's issue date, with at least seven clear days after you receive it. Ask early in that window.
What 14 per cent markup costs you
Markup at 14 per cent a year works out to about Rs 117 a month for every Rs 10,000 still unpaid. On a Rs 30,000 bill split into three parts, the extra cost is only a few hundred rupees.
Here is our own rough example. It is not a DISCO figure, and your new bill shows the real amount.
| Instalment | Principal | Balance before it | Rough markup |
|---|---|---|---|
| First, by due date | Rs 10,000 | Rs 30,000 | None |
| Second, a month later | Rs 10,000 | Rs 20,000 | About Rs 233 |
| Third, two months later | Rs 10,000 | Rs 10,000 | About Rs 117 |
Compare that with the late payment surcharge you would pay by missing the due date. The first instalment has no surcharge at all if it is paid on time. For a household that simply cannot pay in full, splitting is usually the cheaper route.
If you think the bill itself is inflated, remember that audit officials reported Rs 47.81 billion overbilled in one month. Paying in parts accepts the amount, so check it first.
What happens if you miss an instalment
Miss one and the protection ends. Clause 8.2.6 says a consumer paying instalments is not disconnected. But if you default again, supply is cut without further notice and restored only after you pay at least 50 per cent of the dues.
The normal disconnection rules in chapter 8 are softer for people not on instalments. A missed instalment skips those steps.
| Situation | What the manual says |
|---|---|
| One month unpaid | No disconnection for a one-month default (8.2.3) |
| Second month unpaid | Seven clear days' notice with the second bill, then disconnection (8.2.2, 8.2.4) |
| Third month unpaid | Meter removed and permanent disconnection code (8.2.5) |
| Instalment missed | Disconnection without further notice, 50% of dues to restore (8.2.6) |
| Bill disputed at NEPRA with a restraining order | No disconnection, but current bills must be paid (8.2.9) |
NEPRA has proposed further changes to the manual this month, covering temporary disconnection and detection bills for tampered meters. Clause 6.8 on instalments is not among them.
Gas bills: no published instalment scheme
SNGPL and SSGC do not publish a bill instalment scheme on their websites. We checked both on 27 September 2026. Any split of a gas bill is a request you make at a customer facilitation centre, and the company can refuse.
What their pages do say is useful. SSGC's FAQ says a domestic customer who pays late is charged a late payment surcharge of 10 per cent of the current bill. It also says the due date covers the current bill only. If an older bill is unpaid, gas can be cut at any time.
After paying the dues, SSGC says you show the paid bill and your CNIC at a customer facilitation centre. Supply is restored within 24 hours if it was cut for less than six months. SNGPL's FAQ says new connection charges cannot be paid in instalments. It says nothing either way about monthly bills.
- Get the exact amount first. You can check your Sui gas bill online with the consumer number from your bill.
- Visit the SNGPL customer care centre or SSGC facilitation centre with the bill and CNIC.
- Ask in writing, and keep a copy of what you submit.
No government instalment relief is open right now
We found no federal scheme that lets households pay electricity bills in instalments as relief. NEPRA's notices for September 2026 cover fuel charge hearings, tariff indexation and manual amendments. None of them announces bill instalments.
If the government does announce one, look for it as a NEPRA or Power Division notice, not a forwarded message. Until then, clause 6.8 is the route.
Common questions
Can I pay my electricity bill in instalments in Pakistan?
Yes, if your DISCO agrees. NEPRA's manual lets DISCOs allow instalments, but it does not force them. Ask at your sub-division office before the due date.
Is there markup on electricity bill instalments?
Not on the first instalment if you pay it by the due date. The remaining instalments carry markup at 14 per cent a year, pro rata, under clause 6.8.2.
Who approves electricity bill instalments?
The 2025 manual does not name an officer. It leaves it to each DISCO. The older SDO and XEN limits were in the 2021 manual, not the current one.
Will my electricity be cut while I pay instalments?
No, as long as you pay each instalment on time. If you miss one, supply can be cut without further notice, and you must pay at least half the dues to restore it.
Can I pay a Sui gas bill in instalments?
SNGPL and SSGC publish no bill instalment scheme. You can ask at a customer facilitation centre, but the company decides. SSGC charges domestic customers a 10 per cent late payment surcharge.
Is there any government relief for electricity bills in instalments?
Not as of 27 September 2026. We found no such scheme among NEPRA's notices for the month.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 27 September 2026. Clause 6.8 on instalments and due date extension, clause 6.5 on due dates and clauses 8.2.2 to 8.2.9 on disconnection are read in NEPRA's Consumer Service Manual, revised 2025, as published on NEPRA's legislation page. The older officer table is read in the Consumer Service Manual of January 2021 from the same page. NEPRA's news page was read for September 2026 notices. SSGC's surcharge and restoration rules are read in its frequently asked questions, and SNGPL's rule on connection charges in its RLNG connection FAQ on sngpl.com.pk. The markup table is our own illustration. We did not apply for instalments ourselves.
About the author
Tax, Bills and Technology Writer
Ali Akhtar is a young and curious voice here at Pakistan Era. He is currently pursuing his A-Levels and has a growing interest in Pakistan’s changing industrial landscape and educational trends. Ali likes to write in a way that helps him explain and explore the world around him. His writing reflects the perspective of the new generation navigating the evolving trends of Pakistan where technology, youth innovation, and shifting opportunities are reshaping the country’s future.
