What is billing cycle?
The billing cycle is the period that one regular bill covers, such as one month, two months or a quarter. Also called billing period, bill period, monthly billing, bi-monthly billing, quarterly billing.
- Plain English
- Official sources
- Bill terms A–Z
Billing cycle on your bill
The commission sets the billing cycle. Most states bill monthly.
Tamil Nadu and Kerala bill most homes every two months. West Bengal bills LT homes quarterly.
Slab edges usually follow the cycle. A two-month bill often doubles the monthly slabs.
The discom must bill on actual readings each cycle. It must deliver the bill at least 10 days before the due date.
Compare bills of the same length. A longer cycle can push units into a higher slab.
Billing cycle in each state
| State or UT | Homes are billed |
|---|---|
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands | Monthly |
| Andhra Pradesh | Monthly |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Monthly |
| Assam | Monthly |
| Bihar | Monthly |
| Chandigarh | Monthly |
| Chhattisgarh | Monthly |
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu | Monthly |
| Delhi | Monthly |
| Goa | Monthly |
| Gujarat | Monthly |
| Haryana | Monthly |
| Himachal Pradesh | Monthly |
| Jammu & Kashmir | Monthly |
| Jharkhand | Monthly |
| Karnataka | Monthly |
| Kerala | Monthly |
| Ladakh | Monthly |
| Lakshadweep | Monthly |
| Madhya Pradesh | Monthly |
| Maharashtra | Monthly |
| Manipur | Monthly |
| Meghalaya | Monthly |
| Mizoram | Monthly |
| Nagaland | Monthly |
| Odisha | Monthly |
| Puducherry | Monthly |
| Punjab | Monthly |
| Rajasthan | Monthly |
| Sikkim | Monthly |
| Tamil Nadu | Every two months |
| Telangana | Monthly |
| Tripura | Monthly |
| Uttar Pradesh | Monthly |
| Uttarakhand | Monthly |
| West Bengal | Every three months |
Official sources
- Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, G.S.R. 818(E), 31-12-2020 (Gazette copy hosted by MERC), rule 2(1)(d)
“the period for which regular electricity bills as specified by the Commission, are issued” - Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, G.S.R. 818(E), 31-12-2020 (Gazette copy hosted by MERC), rule 6(2)
“The distribution licensee shall prepare the bill for every billing cycle based on actual meter reading” - UPERC Electricity Supply Code, 2005, Notification UPERC/Secy.-Supply Code/05-4528, 18-02-2005 (copy hosted by PVVNL), cl. 2.2(i)
“the period for which electricity bills shall be prepared for different categories of consumers”
Read on 17 October 2026. Your State regulator’s rules and your discom’s bill have the final word.