Electricity tariff rates — 2026

Every domestic bill in Pakistan is the sum of five components: the variable energy charge (slabbed by units used), Fuel Price Adjustment (monthly), Quarterly Tariff Adjustment (every 3 months), electricity duty (1.5% of variable), and 18% GST on the total. Residential bills also include the PTV licence fee (Rs. 35) and, for bills above Rs. 25,000, 7.5% income tax.

The slab structure is inclining-block: every unit above a threshold costs more than the units below it. Protected consumers — those who used ≤200 units for six consecutive months — get significantly discounted rates in the first two slabs.

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) is the sole authority that approves electricity tariffs in Pakistan. Every DISCO — MEPCO, LESCO, IESCO, GEPCO, FESCO, PESCO, HESCO, SEPCO, QESCO, TESCO — files an annual tariff petition. NEPRA holds public hearings, adjusts for cost-of-service, and issues a determination. The Federal Government then notifies a uniform base tariff so consumers everywhere except Karachi (K-Electric) pay identical slab rates.

On top of the base tariff, three adjustments float:

• Fuel Price Adjustment (FPA) — reflects the previous month's actual fuel cost of generation. Notified monthly, typically 15-25 days after month-end. Positive when oil / LNG prices rose, occasionally negative when hydel generation was high.
• Quarterly Tariff Adjustment (QTA) — reflects capacity payment and transmission cost variance versus the reference tariff. Notified every three months.
• Financing Cost Surcharge — a temporary per-unit surcharge notified when the government needs to service the circular-debt stock (currently ~Rs. 3.23/unit).

K-Electric follows its own multi-year tariff schedule approved separately by NEPRA. Its slab structure mirrors the national one but the exact per-unit rates and FCA / QTA numbers differ.

The single biggest lever on your monthly bill is which category you sit in. Protected consumers pay roughly Rs. 11-14 per unit in the first two slabs; unprotected consumers pay Rs. 16-23 per unit for the same units. Above the 200-unit threshold, every unit is billed at the unprotected rate for that slab regardless of your history.

The protected classification requires you to have used 200 units or fewer every month for the previous six consecutive months. A single month at 201 units resets the six-month clock — this is why households near the threshold obsess about their meter reading in July and August. Once your consumption pattern crosses 200 for six months, you become permanently unprotected until you drop below again for six.

Full breakdown and current rate table on our protected vs unprotected guide.

Non-residential connections do not use inclining slabs. They use flat per-unit rates that depend on sanctioned load and Time-of-Use (TOU) metering.

• A-2 Commercial — shops, offices, restaurants. Flat ~Rs. 44/unit off-peak, ~Rs. 51/unit peak. Sanctioned load < 5 kW gets a slightly lower rate.
• B-1 to B-3 Industrial — factories on TOU metering. Off-peak (10 pm-5 pm) rates ~30% lower than peak-hour (5 pm-10 pm winter, 6 pm-10 pm summer) rates. Bulk industrial consumers get further discounts under Ramzan / export-oriented tariffs when notified.
• D-1 Agricultural — tubewell connections. Heavily subsidised (~Rs. 27/unit blended) because agriculture is politically sensitive; subsidy paid by the federal budget.
• C Bulk Supply — housing societies, campuses. Metered at the substation; society then bills its own residents.

Beyond the variable energy charge, the following typically appear on every domestic bill:

• Fuel Price Adjustment — currently around Rs. 2-3/unit, positive.
• Quarterly Tariff Adjustment — currently around Rs. 1-2/unit.
• Electricity Duty — 1.5% of variable charges, collected by DISCOs on behalf of the provincial government.
• General Sales Tax — 18% on the sum of variable + FPA + QTA + duty. This is the largest tax on your bill and non-negotiable.
• PTV Fee — flat Rs. 35 for domestic connections. Charged by every DISCO on behalf of PTV.
• Income Tax — 7.5% withholding on any bill above Rs. 25,000. Adjustable at year-end if you file returns.
• Financing Cost Surcharge — currently ~Rs. 3.23/unit, notified separately by government.
• Meter Rent — Rs. 15 for single-phase, Rs. 25 for three-phase meters.

• Stay under 200 units to keep protected status — an inverter AC and LED lighting alone often bring a 3-bedroom house from ~350 units/month to ~180.
• Shift heavy loads to off-peak hours — if you're on TOU metering, running the washing machine, water pump and dryer between 10 pm and 5 pm cuts those kWh's cost by ~30%.
• Consider net metering — a 5 kW rooftop solar system pays back in 3-4 years at current tariffs, and any excess generation is exported back to your DISCO at the buyback rate. See our solar savings calculator.
• Audit standby load — routers, TVs, dispensers and chargers left plugged in add 30-60 units/month. Use a switched extension.
• Set the AC to 26 °C, not 20 °C — every degree below 26 adds roughly 8% to compressor energy use.