MEPCO Tariff 2026 — Rates, Slabs & Taxes
Electricity prices in Pakistan are set nationally by NEPRA and notified by the government, so MEPCO charges the same domestic rates as every other public distribution company. This is the current schedule, in plain language.
Which consumer are you?
Your per-unit price depends first on your category, which MEPCO decides from your recent usage — it is printed on your bill:
- Lifeline — very small users, up to about 100 units a month. The cheapest rates in the country, and no fixed charge.
- Protected — homes whose monthly usage has stayed at or below 200 units for the last six months. They get subsidised slab rates and keep the benefit of the cheaper first slab.
- Unprotected — everyone else. One month above 200 units in the last six months moves a home into this category, where every unit is charged at the higher rate of the slab the total falls in.
- Time of Use (TOU) — homes with a sanctioned load of 5 kW or more are metered on peak and off-peak rates instead of slabs.
Domestic slab rates — Tariff A-1 (2026)
| Category | Monthly units | Rate (Rs / unit) | Fixed charge (Rs / kW / month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifeline | Up to 50 | 3.95 | None |
| Lifeline | 51 – 100 | 7.74 | None |
| Protected | 1 – 100 | 10.54 | 200 |
| Protected | 101 – 200 | 13.01 | 300 |
| Unprotected | 1 – 100 | 22.44 | 275 |
| Unprotected | 101 – 200 | 28.91 | 300 |
| Unprotected | 201 – 300 | 33.10 | 350 |
| Unprotected | 301 – 400 | 36.46 | 400 |
| Unprotected | 401 – 500 | 38.95 | 500 |
| Unprotected | 501 – 600 | 40.22 | 675 |
| Unprotected | 601 – 700 | 41.85 | 675 |
| Unprotected | Above 700 | 47.20 | 675 |
| Time of Use (5 kW+) | Peak hours | 46.85 | 675 |
| Time of Use (5 kW+) | Off-peak hours | 34.53 | 675 |
Source: uniform domestic tariff notified in S.R.O. 279(I)/2026 (February 2026), the notification of NEPRA's 2026 base tariff decision. These are base energy rates — FPA, quarterly adjustments and taxes come on top. Where no fixed charge applies, a minimum monthly charge of Rs 75 (single phase) or Rs 150 (three phase) still applies.
How slabs are applied
- Protected: progressive — the first 100 units at Rs 10.54, the next 100 at Rs 13.01 (the “benefit of one previous slab”).
- Unprotected: no slab benefit — all units at the one rate of the final slab. 250 units means 250 × Rs 33.10.
- Lifeline: one flat rate for the whole month's units, and no fixed charge.
- Fixed charge: your slab's per-kW figure multiplied by the sanctioned load printed on your bill — it is charged even in a month of low usage, which is why an oversized sanctioned load quietly costs money every month.
Try the numbers yourself in the bill calculator.
FPA — the fuel price adjustment
Power stations burn fuel whose price changes every month. NEPRA therefore decides a monthly Fuel Price Adjustment (FPA) — a per-unit amount, positive or occasionally negative — that is added to bills a couple of months after the fuel was actually consumed. It appears on your bill as its own line (“FPA” or “Fuel Price Adjustment”) and is charged on the units of the relevant month.
Two practical points: FPA is the main reason two months with identical units can produce different bills, and because it is decided monthly, no calculator can know next month's FPA in advance — ours lets you copy the rate from your last bill. A related line, the quarterly adjustment (QTA), spreads other cost differences over three-month periods in the same way.
Taxes and duties on your bill
| Charge | What it is |
|---|---|
| GST (sales tax) — 18% | Charged on the cost of electricity plus fixed charges and FPA. It is usually the largest tax line on the bill. |
| Electricity duty — 1.5% | A provincial duty on the cost of electricity consumed. |
| TV fee — Rs 35 | A flat monthly fee collected with the bill for PTV, charged per meter in most areas. |
| Advance income tax | Consumers who are not income-tax filers can be charged advance tax on larger bills under the income tax law; filers are exempt on domestic connections. |
| Meter rent / service charges | Small monthly amounts that can appear where MEPCO owns the meter or provides specific services. |
Exact tax application follows the current finance and tariff rules and can change with the budget; the lines printed on your own bill are the final word for that month.
How to read the charges on your bill
- Consumer detail (top). Your name, address, tariff (for example A-1), sanctioned load in kW, and whether you are billed as protected — plus the reference number and consumer ID you use to check the bill online.
- Reading & units. Previous and current meter readings; the difference is the units you are charged for. Compare the reading with your meter if a bill ever looks wrong — and if it is wrong, follow the correction process.
- Cost of electricity. Units × your slab rate, plus the fixed charge for your sanctioned load.
- Government charges. FPA, quarterly adjustment, GST, electricity duty, TV fee and any other levies — each on its own line. Every one of them is explained in plain words in our bill charges guide.
- Totals box. “Payable within due date” and the higher “Payable after due date” including the late-payment surcharge. Pay the first figure, before the date printed beside it. For a field-by-field tour of the whole bill, see how to read your MEPCO bill.