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Why is there a security deposit on my West Bengal electricity bill?

Your licensee keeps a security deposit equal to 3 months of estimated bills. Each year it re-estimates your bills from the last 12 months. If the deposit is short, it asks you to replenish it.

  • Reviewed every year
  • Top-up: replenishment of security deposit
  • Prepaid meters: no deposit

Check your deposit

The check runs on your phone. Nothing you type leaves your device.

How WBSEDCL / CESC reviews the deposit

  • Each year the licensee estimates your use from the 12 months before 1 April.
  • The required deposit is 3 times the estimated monthly bill at the rates of the day.
  • Replenishing amount = required deposit minus the deposit held.
  • The licensee sends a notice with its calculations. You pay within one month.
  • The licensee may add it to your energy bill. No tariff rebate applies to this amount.
  • The licensee may collect it in not more than 10 instalments.
  • If you do not pay, the licensee can disconnect 30 days after the notice.

If you hold more than needed

  • The regulation does not give a rule for excess deposit after the yearly review.
  • When you ask for your deposit back, the licensee returns it within 15 days after it deducts unpaid bills.

Deposit for a new connection

  • The deposit covers 3 months of estimated bills at the rates of the day.
  • For a new applicant, the licensee estimates use from the declared load.
  • It treats this amount as an advance. It adjusts the deposit after your first 12 months of use.
  • For LV and MV supply below 50 kVA, you pay the deposit in cash.

Interest and prepaid meters

  • The licensee pays 6% a year on a cash security deposit.
  • It adds the interest to the deposit while the deposit is at or below the required amount.
  • It refunds or adjusts excess interest in your May bill.
  • If it does not refund the excess interest, it pays 10% a year.
  • You need no security deposit, in cash or bank guarantee, for supply through a prepaid meter.

What we could not confirm

  • The regulation does not say if the licensee refunds excess deposit after the yearly review. Ask your licensee.
  • We found no WBSEDCL sample bill or circular on the yearly review.
  • CESC's bill guide says your bill shows the security deposit held. We did not find the WBSEDCL label.

Questions

Can I pay the replenishing amount in parts?

The licensee may collect it in not more than 10 instalments. The notice states the instalments.

What interest does my deposit earn in West Bengal?

The regulation fixes 6% a year on a cash deposit. Excess interest comes back in your May bill.

Do I get a tariff rebate on the deposit amount in my bill?

No. No tariff rebate applies to the replenishing amount.

What happens if I do not pay?

The licensee can disconnect 30 days after it serves the notice.

More tools

West Bengal bill calculatorWhere to complain in West BengalOther states

Sources

Read on 16 October 2026.

ebbillcalc is not part of any discom or regulator. The regulations and your discom have the final word.