Prepaid meter recharge calculator, Maharashtra

How many units does a recharge buy on a Maharashtra prepaid smart meter? Work it out with today’s tariff and the prepaid rules, or find the recharge you need for your units.

Rs 500 buys about 50 units
Rebate: confirmed
Runs on your phone

Work out your recharge

Example for Maharashtra

A home uses no units yet this month. Each recharge also pays the fixed charge for the month.

Recharge	Units	Average a unit
₹200	5	₹36.36
₹500	50	₹9.90
₹1,000	112	₹8.89

For 200 units a month, the prepaid recharge is about ₹2,290. The post-paid bill is ₹2,333, so prepaid saves ₹43.

Today’s tariff for an urban home, single phase, 2 kW, with the prepaid rules above. Duty and fuel surcharge as the calculator includes them.

Prepaid rules in Maharashtra

Prepaid rebate: Prepaid homes get 2% off the energy charge.
“Consumers with prepaid metered connections shall be entitled for rebate of 2% in the Energy Charge Rate (incl FAC) applicable for the consumer category.”
MERC MYT Order, Case No. 217 of 2024 (MSEDCL), Annexure I Tariff Schedule, general provisions, PDF p.781 (printed Page 781 of 827)
Time of day: With a smart meter, the energy charge depends on the time of day. 9 am to 5 pm: Rs 0.85 less a unit; 5 pm to 9 am: normal rate.
“ToD (Rebate) For LT-Residential & HT-Group Housing Societies* (Rs./unit) ... 09:00 hrs to 17:00 hrs ... Rs. -0.80 (FY 26) Rs. -0.85 (FY 27)”
MERC Case No. 75 of 2025, post-remand review order dated 25 Mar 2026, Table 8 Revised ToD Tariff, PDF pp.76-77 (printed Page 76-77 of 123)
Security deposit: “A distribution licensee shall not be entitled to require security in pursuance of clause (a) of sub-section (1) if the person requiring the supply is prepared to take the supply through a pre-payment meter.”
Electricity Act 2003, Section 47(5), as extracted verbatim in KSERC Order OP No. 12/2026 dated 23.02.2026, PDF p.11 (para 23)
How the meter takes money: “the figures for Energy Charge and Wheeling Charge are denominated in Rupees per unit (kWh or kVAh as case may be) for the energy consumed during the month.”
MERC Case No. 217 of 2024, Annexure I Tariff Schedule, General para 7, PDF p.722 (printed Page 722 of 827)

How we work it out

We price the month with today’s tariff for homes, from the calculator’s official rates.
Then we apply the prepaid rules of the state order: a rebate, prepaid rates, and the time-of-day rates of smart meters.
Units used earlier in the month decide the slab of the new units.
Discoms take money each day, but the slabs count the whole month. Your daily balance can differ from our figures for the month.

More tools

Maharashtra bill calculator Units from a meter reading How to read a smart meter All states

Questions

How many units do I get for a Rs 500 recharge in Maharashtra?

At today’s tariff, about 50 units, if it is the first recharge of the month and it also pays the fixed charge. Later in the month, the units depend on the slab you are in.

Is prepaid cheaper than post-paid?

Prepaid homes get 2% off the energy charge.

Why do I get fewer units late in the month?

The slabs count the units of the whole month. Units late in the month can fall in a higher slab, so each unit costs more.

Can I get a prepaid meter in Maharashtra?

Smart meters belong to your discom, MSEDCL. Ask MSEDCL if prepaid meters are available for homes in your area. Its app or website shows the balance and the recharges.