Get Your Electricity Reconnected After Disconnection in Pakistan

To get your electricity reconnected in Pakistan, clear the arrears in full or agree instalments with your SDO office, then pay the reconnection fee on the demand notice. NEPRA's fee runs from Rs 500 for arrears up to Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 above Rs 10 lakh. In a city the company should restore supply the same day your payment clears.

The lights go off, a lineman has cut the wire at the pole, and the bill in your hand is red. Most people then lose a day finding out what to pay and where. We read the rules NEPRA, the power regulator, sets for every distribution company, so this electricity reconnection guide follows them line by line.

Electricity reconnection starts with clearing the arrears

Nothing happens until the dues are paid. NEPRA's Consumer Service Manual says a disconnected supply "shall not be reconnected or restored" until you pay in full with the late payment surcharge, or pay through instalments the company has allowed.

The manual is the rulebook every company must follow, including K-Electric. NEPRA sent the revised version to all companies on 26 November 2025, and we read clauses 8.1 to 8.7 of it.

If you cannot pay the whole amount, ask for instalments before anything else. The process for paying your electricity bill in instalments runs through the same office. Be careful, though. Clause 8.2.6 says that if you miss an instalment, the supply can be cut again without a further notice, and it then comes back only after you pay at least 50 percent of the dues.

Restore your connection in five steps

Go to the SDO office, which is the sub divisional office printed on your bill. The online new connection portal does not handle reconnection, so this is a counter visit for most people.

1. Get the exact amount. Ask the revenue counter for your arrears, the late payment surcharge and any fixed charges for the time you were off. Take your bill and CNIC.
2. Pay the dues. Pay at a bank or through a banking app using the reference number. Keep the paid receipt.
3. Apply for reconnection. Give a written request with the paid bill and a CNIC copy to the SDO office.
4. Pay the demand notice. The office issues a demand notice for the reconnection fee, any security deposit difference and any material cost. Pay it the same way.
5. Follow up on the Reconnection Order. The office issues an RCO, the reconnection order, and a team restores the supply. Note the name of the official you spoke to.

If the supply was cut because of a fire or severe fault in your house wiring, you also need a fresh test report from the Electric Inspector or a licensed wiring contractor. The company may reconnect you on a temporary basis after checking the wiring itself, under clause 8.5.6.

The reconnection fee depends on how much you owed

Clause 8.5.3 sets the fee by the size of the arrears. It is a flat amount for each band, not a percentage.

The 2025 revision added one line that matters. Clause 8.5.4 says reconnection charges can be collected only if the supply was permanently disconnected and the material was actually removed from the site. If the company only pulled the wire at the pole and left your meter in place, ask why a reconnection fee is on your demand notice.

Fixed charges and the deposit can add to the bill

A home on a single phase meter pays only Rs 200 in minimum or fixed charges for the whole disconnected period, however long it lasted. That is clause 8.5.2, and it covers residential, commercial and general services connections.

Three phase connections pay more. For up to 90 days off, they pay fixed charges for the actual period. From 90 days to three years, they pay one month's charge for every quarter on top of that.

The security deposit is the other cost. Clause 8.6 has four cases:

• Deposit not used against arrears and off for less than 365 days: nothing extra.
• Deposit used against arrears and off for less than 365 days: you pay back only the amount that was used.
• Deposit not used and off for more than 365 days: you pay the difference up to today's rate.
• Deposit used and off for more than 365 days: you pay the full deposit at today's rate.

Removed material also has a clock. The office keeps it for 365 days, and you pay nothing for it if you apply within that year. After a year it goes back to the store, and you may pay for material again. That is the strongest reason not to wait.

How fast the company must reconnect you

Under NEPRA's Performance Standards (Distribution) Regulations 2026, a home in a city must be reconnected the same day the payment is realised, and a rural home the next day. Those deadlines are set out with the others in NEPRA's new service deadlines.

Payment "realised" means the money has reached the company, not the moment you pressed pay. A bank transfer late on a Friday may not count until the next working day, so pay early and keep the receipt.

If the deadline passes, complain to the SDO in writing first. If nothing moves, NEPRA takes complaints online, and the route is the same one used for a wrong electricity bill complaint.

Rules that protect you from being cut off

Some disconnections should not have happened at all. Knowing these rules can save you the fee.

• One unpaid bill is not enough. Clause 8.2.3 says no connection is cut on default of one month's bill. The company must first print a clear seven day notice on your second bill.
• A NEPRA restraining order protects you. If you filed a billing complaint with NEPRA and it issued a restraining order, you cannot be cut while you keep paying current bills.
• A neighbour's default is not yours. Where a house has separate connections in different names, the others stay on if one defaults.
• A cancelled cut costs nothing. If NEPRA, the provincial inspector or a court declares the disconnection void, you pay no fee, fixed charges, deposit or material cost.

After three years off, you can choose a new connection at the same premises instead, with no fixed charges or reconnection fee for the gap. After ten years, a new connection is the only route. The new electricity connection process applies, and you still clear the old dues first.

Common questions

How much is the electricity reconnection fee in Pakistan?

Rs 500 if the arrears were up to Rs 5,000, rising to Rs 10,000 for arrears above Rs 10 lakh. The bands are in clause 8.5.3 of NEPRA's Consumer Service Manual.

Can my electricity be cut after one unpaid bill?

No. The company must give a clear seven day notice with the second bill, and can disconnect only after the second bill's due date passes unpaid.

How long does reconnection take after I pay?

NEPRA's 2026 regulations set the same day the payment is realised for city homes and the next day for rural homes.

Do I pay fixed charges for the months I was disconnected?

A single phase home pays a flat Rs 200 for the whole period. Three phase connections pay more, based on how long the supply was off.

Can I get reconnected after many years?

Yes, up to ten years after disconnection. Beyond ten years you must apply for a new connection at the same address.

Can the company charge a reconnection fee if my meter was never removed?

The 2025 manual says reconnection charges apply only if the supply was permanently disconnected and the material was removed from the site.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 2 October 2026. We read NEPRA's revised Consumer Service Manual, a scanned document, page by page for chapter 8, clauses 8.1 to 8.7, and checked the figures against the January 2021 text version on NEPRA's legal page. The same day and next day reconnection deadlines come from the Performance Standards (Distribution) Regulations 2026 as we recorded them in September. We did not apply for a reconnection ourselves, and local offices may ask for extra papers.