Understanding Your Electricity Bill
Every section of a Pakistani electricity bill, explained in the order it actually appears — consumer details, meter reading, slab charges, FPA, taxes, and the due date.
A DISCO bill crams a consumer info block, a meter reading table, slab-based charges, FPA, half a dozen taxes and surcharges, and a due date onto one page — with almost no labeling explaining what any of it means. Below is each section, in the order it appears, top to bottom.
Consumer Information
At the top: name, address, reference number, meter number, tariff category, and sanctioned load. The reference number — 10 to 14 digits — is what you'd use to look the bill up online. The tariff category (domestic, commercial, industrial) is what decides which rate structure applies to everything below it.
Meter Reading and Units Consumed
Current reading minus previous reading equals units consumed, measured in kWh. One unit is the energy a 1,000-watt appliance uses running for an hour — so a 100-watt fan running 10 hours accounts for exactly one unit.
If your connection has a Time-of-Use meter, peak and off-peak readings appear as separate lines rather than one combined figure, and the peak-hour units are billed at a higher rate.
Tariff Slabs
Domestic billing in Pakistan is progressive: the rate per unit rises as total consumption rises. Units in the 1–100 range cost less per unit than units in the 301–700 range, by design — it's meant to make heavy consumption cost disproportionately more, not just proportionately more.
NEPRA sets and periodically revises the exact rate for each slab, and your bill shows how your total consumption splits across whichever slabs apply to you.
FPA and the Tax Lines
Past the base unit charge sit several add-ons: FPA (Fuel Price Adjustment), GST, Electricity Duty, PTV Fee, NJ Surcharge, FC Surcharge, and occasionally others depending on your category. Combined, these can add another 15–30% on top of the base charge.
FPA moves monthly with fuel costs; the tax lines are mostly fixed percentages. Between the two, they explain most of the month-to-month variation in a bill even when your own usage barely changes.
Due Date and Late Payment Surcharge
Every bill carries a due date, and a late payment surcharge kicks in once it passes — a percentage added on top of what you already owed. Check the due date printed on your duplicate bill before assuming you have more time than you do.
Check your bill details now
Check Bill Now →Check any Pakistan DISCO electricity bill
Use your 14-digit reference number on the home checker, or jump straight to the DISCO that bills your address.