Your rights
Power cut too long? Your electricity company owes you money
Every state sets a deadline to bring the power back. Miss it, and the company has to pay you. Most people never ask.
In short
Yes, you can claim money for a long power cut. Your state fixes how many hours the company gets to fix a fault. After that, it pays you for every hour or day it is late. In Delhi that is ₹50 an hour, then ₹100 an hour. If the company refuses, two free offices above it will hear you.
What your state pays
Delhi
- Power must come back in
- 1 hour. 3 hours if your meter burnt or was stolen. A planned cut: 12 hours, or 6pm, whichever comes first.
- They pay you
- ₹50 an hour for the first 2 hours, then ₹100 an hour
- How you get it
- Added to your bill automatically. Companies report the credits to the regulator every week.
Small print
Nothing is paid if last cycle's bill is unpaid, or if you were convicted of theft or billed for unauthorised use in the last two years. If the company still refuses, the CGRF or Ombudsman can order ₹5,000 or five times the amount, whichever is more.
DERC (Supply Code and Performance Standards) Regulations, 2017, Schedule-I item 14, as amended by the Third Amendment Regulations dated 18 December 2018
Tamil Nadu
- Power must come back in
- City: 1 hour for an HT failure, 2 hours for a line or transformer fault. Town: 4 hours. Village: 6 hours. A burnt transformer gets 24 hours in a city, 48 hours elsewhere.
- They pay you
- ₹50 for every 6 hours late, up to ₹2,000
- How you get it
- Either a bill credit or a claim you file. The company chooses.
Small print
These figures are from the 2008 version of the rules. A 2024 version exists and we are reading it now.
Tamil Nadu Electricity Distribution Standards of Performance Regulations, 2004, Regulations 12 and 21 (text read as amended up to 31 July 2008)
Bihar
- Power must come back in
- Fuse: 4 hours in a town, 24 hours in a village. Line or cable: 6 and 36 hours. Transformer: 24 and 72 hours.
- They pay you
- ₹50 a day. ₹100 a day for a transformer if you are the only one affected.
- How you get it
- Adjusted in your bill within 90 days. Cash or cheque if that is not possible.
Small print
The state put out new draft rules in May 2026. We are watching whether they come into force.
BERC (Standards of Performance of Distribution Licensee) Regulations, 2006, Schedule, as consolidated with the First Amendment Regulations 2012
West Bengal
- Power must come back in
- Fuse: 3 hours in a town, 6 to 8 hours in a village. Snapped wire: 4 and 10 to 16 hours. Transformer: 12 and 48 hours.
- They pay you
- ₹500 a day. Wrongful disconnection: ₹1,000 for a home, more for a business.
- How you get it
- Within 15 days of the order, with interest after that.
Small print
The rules set no upper limit on the daily amount. Village deadlines are longer in the monsoon months. A fourth amendment exists and we are reading it.
WBERC (Standards of Performance of Licensees Relating to Consumer Services) Regulations, 2010, Regulations 9 and 15, notified 31 May 2010
Gujarat
- Power must come back in
- Town: 4 hours for most faults, 1 day for a transformer. Village: 24 hours, 3 days for a transformer.
- They pay you
- ₹25 for every 6 hours, up to ₹500 at home and ₹1,000 on an HT connection
- How you get it
- You have to claim it from the company.
Small print
These amounts are from 2005 and have not been revised in the text we read. The state issued draft rules in 2024; we are checking whether they replace this.
GERC (Standard of Performance of Distribution Licensee) Regulations, 2005, Chapter XIV, Notification No. 10 of 2005 dated 31 March 2005
Rajasthan
- Power must come back in
- Big city: 2 hours for no supply, 4 for a line fault, 8 for a transformer. Town: 4, 6 and 8 hours. Village: 8, 10 and 24 hours.
- They pay you
- Per power cut, not per hour. ₹75 at home and ₹150 on HT for a line fault. ₹150 and ₹450 for a transformer or a voltage problem.
- How you get it
- Claim within 60 days of the fix. They pay within 45 days, as a bill adjustment. Meter complaints are credited automatically.
Small print
In a year you cannot get more than 30% of the fixed charges you pay. Nothing is paid while you owe the company money. The notified rules are in Hindi; the amounts held steady across two reads, but check clause numbers against an English copy.
RERC (Standards of Performance for Distribution Licensees) Regulations, 2021, Regulation No. 141, dated 31 March 2021, published 15 April 2021
Kerala
- Power must come back in
- Fuse: 4 hours in a town, 6 in a village, 8 in a hilly area. Line or cable: 6, 8 and 12 hours. Transformer: 18, 24 and 36 hours.
- They pay you
- ₹100 each time supply is late. ₹200 a week for a voltage problem left unfixed.
- How you get it
- Meant to reach your bill automatically since March 2026, with no claim. Read the small print before you rely on that.
Small print
The March 2026 rules added automatic payment, but the same schedule says payment stays manual until KSEB builds the system. Until then: apply in Form A within 30 days, a decision follows in 60 days and payment in 30. Amounts went up sharply, from ₹25 to ₹100 and ₹25 to ₹200.
KSERC (Standards of Performance of Distribution Licensees) Regulations, 2015, as amended by the First Amendment Regulations, 2026, notification No. 171/Con.Engg/2026/KSERC dated 5 March 2026, Kerala Gazette No. 1020 of 6 March 2026
Why it is not here (8)
We only print an amount after reading it in the actual rule book. Some states we could not open yet. Rather than copy a number from a random website, we left it blank and linked you to the regulator.
- Maharashtra. The amounts sit in Annexure III of the 2021 rules, which MERC's own website will not let us open. The rules do say the company must work the compensation out itself and credit it within 90 days.
- Uttar Pradesh. UPPCL does pay: complain on 1912, a compensation number is generated, and payment is due in 60 days. But the only online copies of the notified rules are scans with no readable text, and the amounts we can find are from the 2019 draft. A draft is not the law, so we are not printing it.
- Karnataka. The 2022 rules are the right document. KERC's website did not open them for us. We are trying again.
- Telangana. There is a real muddle here. Telangana's supply rules point to an Andhra Pradesh regulation from 2004, but the state commission also lists its own from 2016. Until we know which one applies, no figure is safe.
- Andhra Pradesh. A 2021 amendment moved payment from a claim you file to automatic, but it names no amounts, and the state commission's website will not open the 2004 rules that do. Any figure you see elsewhere for Andhra is probably out of date.
- Madhya Pradesh. The regulator's own performance report reproduces the standards: 4 hours in a town and 24 in a village for a fuse, up to 72 hours for a transformer, and ₹100 for each day late. We are holding that back until we can read the rule itself, which is not published anywhere we can find.
- Haryana. The regulator names its 2004 rules but does not link them, and its website blocks the file. The Ombudsman we did confirm: it sits at the Commission in Panchkula, phone 0172 2572299, and you appeal within 30 days of the CGRF order.
- Punjab. Punjab's rules are new, from November 2024, and the compensation table is Annexure-4 at around page 155 of a 160 page document. Every copy we could open stopped near page 38.
How to claim, in 3 steps
- 1
Call and save the complaint number
Ring 1912 or your company's number. Note the complaint number and the time. Without it, nothing happened.
- 2
Note when power went and came back
A photo of a clock works. So does a report on this site, which saves the time for you.
- 3
Ask in writing, then go free to CGRF
Email the company, quote the complaint number, ask for compensation. No reply or a no? File with the CGRF. It is free, no lawyer needed, and above it sits the Electricity Ombudsman.
Why hardly anyone gets paid
The rule has been in force since 2020. Regulators checked five states to see what was actually paid out. Four paid nothing.
| State | Paid out |
|---|---|
| Delhi | Nil |
| Gujarat | Nil |
| Assam | Nil |
| Karnataka | Nil |
| Maharashtra | ₹8,900 |
About 40% of people surveyed had never heard of the CGRF. Another 40% thought they needed a lawyer. You do not.
Common questions
How long can a power cut last before I can claim?
Depends on your state and what broke. In a city it is usually 1 to 6 hours. In a village it is longer. A burnt transformer gets the longest. Check your state above.
Do I get the money on my own, or do I have to ask?
Delhi and Kerala are meant to add it to your bill by themselves. In most states you have to ask for it. That is the main reason this money goes unclaimed.
What is the CGRF?
A complaint forum every electricity company must run by law. You go there when the company itself does not fix your problem. It is free, you do not need a lawyer, and it should decide in 30 to 45 days.
What is the Electricity Ombudsman?
The next step above the CGRF, appointed by your state. You go within 30 to 60 days of the CGRF's order. Its decision is binding on the company.
Which number do I call first?
1912 works for most Indian companies. Some have their own number. Your company's page on this site has the one it publishes, plus WhatsApp and the app.
My appliance burnt from voltage. Can I claim?
The delay in fixing voltage has its own compensation. The burnt appliance itself is a separate claim, usually in consumer court. Keep the bill and the repair receipt.
What if the company says I have dues?
Delhi will not pay you if last cycle's bill is unpaid, or if you were caught for theft in the last two years. Other states word it differently. Clear the bill first if you can.
Report it while the power is still out
Your report saves the time and place. That is exactly what you need later to prove how long you sat in the dark. 30 seconds, no login.
Send this to your society or colony group
More detail
Which law says this
The Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, notified on 31 December 2020. Rule 10 gives you a right to power 24 hours a day. Rule 12 tells your state regulator to fix the repair deadline and the amount payable. Rule 13 says compensation should reach you automatically wherever the company can monitor the fault remotely. The complaint machinery sits in the Electricity Act, 2003: the CGRF under section 42(5), the Ombudsman under section 42(6).
How the Ombudsman works
It is not a helpline and not a court. Your state electricity commission appoints it. Only you can go there, not the company: the Supreme Court struck down a Uttar Pradesh rule in December 2021 that let companies appeal. Its order binds the company. After it, the next step is a writ petition in the High Court. It is not APTEL, whatever other sites tell you, because section 111 only allows APTEL appeals from a commission or an assessing officer.
People have won much more than this
Compensation for a late repair is small, a few hundred rupees. The big awards come from consumer courts, for actual loss. A manufacturer in Chhattisgarh ran on a diesel pump for two years waiting for a connection and was awarded ₹5,00,000 in 2024. A farmer near Nashik waited eleven years and was awarded ₹11,00,000 plus interest. If a long cut cost you stock, machinery or a day's business, that is the door to use.
What to keep
The complaint number with its date and time. When power went and came back. Your consumer number from the top of any bill. Your last bill, to show no dues. Any reply from the company, including SMS and WhatsApp. Photos and repair bills if something burnt.
Where this comes from
Every figure was read from the document listed here on the date shown. If something has changed, tell us and we will fix it.
- Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020 Ministry of Power, 31 December 2020. Rules 10, 12, 13 and 15.
- Electricity Act, 2003, section 42 Sub-sections (5) to (8): the CGRF and the Ombudsman.
- Consumer Protection in Electricity Sector in India Forum of Regulators, September 2020. Table 2, page 15 is the nil payment table.
- Review of functioning of CGRF and Ombudsman Forum of Regulators, August 2016. Page 15 has the awareness survey.
- DERC Third Amendment Regulations, 2018 18 December 2018. Schedule-I item 14 is the Delhi schedule.
- Supreme Court: only a consumer may approach the Ombudsman UP Power Corporation Ltd v Kisan Cold Storage, 9 December 2021.
- NCDRC raises a connection delay award to ₹5,00,000 National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, June 2024.
- Nashik consumer commission orders MSEDCL to pay ₹11,00,000 March 2021. Eleven year wait for an agricultural connection.
Checked against the rules on 14 September 2026. Every amount below links to the government document it came from.This page explains government rules in plain words. It is not legal advice, and your state's rules can change. Found something out of date? Tell us.