Help paying your electric bill in Texas
Call your electric provider first: Texas rules require it to tell you every payment option and assistance program it has, and to offer a deferred payment plan on request in set cases, such as bills due during an extreme weather emergency or, for eligible customers, bills due in July, August or September. For outside help, the state's Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) is run through local agencies you can find on TDHCA's Help for Texans page or by dialing 2-1-1.
Start with your provider
When you tell your retail electric provider you cannot pay, or need help paying, it must tell you about all the payment options and assistance programs it offers or has available, such as deferred payment plans, bill payment assistance, disconnection moratoriums for the ill, and low-income energy assistance, with the eligibility rules and how to apply for each (16 TAC 25.480(g)(1)). Every provider must run a bill payment assistance program for residential customers that, at a minimum, collects voluntary donations through its bills (16 TAC 25.480(g)(2)(A)). Call before the due date or, at the latest, before the disconnection date on any notice.
Payment options the rules require
| Option | Who can get it | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Payment arrangement (pay after the due date but before the next bill's due date) | Offered by agreement with the provider | 25.480(i) |
| Level or average billing | Customers not behind on payments | 25.480(h)(1) |
| Deferred payment plan, extreme weather | Customers, on request, for bills due during the emergency | 25.480(j)(1)(A) |
| Deferred payment plan, disaster | Customers in a governor-declared disaster area, when the PUCT directs it | 25.480(j)(1)(B) |
| Deferred payment plan, underbilling | Customers underbilled by $50 or more (except theft) | 25.480(e)(3), (j)(1)(C) |
| Summer or winter payment plan | Eligible residential customers (see below) | 25.480(j)(2) |
If a disconnection notice was already issued when you make a payment arrangement, the disconnection is suspended until the arrangement's due date (16 TAC 25.480(i)).
The summer (and winter) payment plan
For a bill that comes due in July, August or September, a provider must make a payment plan available on request to an eligible residential customer (16 TAC 25.480(j)(2)). The same applies to bills due in January or February if, in the prior month, the wires utility reported an extreme weather emergency in your county for at least five days in a row.
You are eligible if you are a Critical Care or Chronic Condition Residential Customer, or if you have told the provider you cannot pay, unless any of these apply (25.480(j)(2)(A)):
- you were disconnected in the past 12 months;
- more than two of your payments in the past 12 months were returned for insufficient funds; or
- you have been with the provider less than three months and lack sufficient credit or a satisfactory payment history with a previous provider.
You choose between a deferred plan, with a first payment of no more than 50% and the rest in equal installments over at least five billing cycles unless you agree to fewer, or a level or average payment plan (25.480(j)(2)(B)). The provider may not ask for an additional deposit because you entered the plan (25.480(j)(2)(C)). It does not have to offer this plan if you are already on a deferred, level or average plan.
What every deferred payment plan must include
The provider must give you a written copy stating the length of the plan, the total to be paid, each installment amount, and the terms for disconnection if you miss payments. It may include the one-time late fee but not a finance charge (16 TAC 25.480(j)(5)). The provider may add a switch-hold, which means you cannot buy electricity from another company until the deferred balance is paid, and it must explain this before you agree (16 TAC 25.480(j)(1)). If you break the plan, the provider must still send a proper disconnection notice before cutting service (16 TAC 25.480(j)(6)). See when a Texas provider can disconnect you.
Energy assistance: CEAP through TDHCA
The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) describes the Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) as a utility assistance program for low-income households that brings together all programs funded by the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). It is run through local agencies that together cover all 254 Texas counties.
How to reach it, per TDHCA's pages read on October 19, 2026:
- Go to TDHCA's Help for Texans page, choose "Utility Bill Payment Help," and enter your city or county to get local agencies.
- Or call the numbers TDHCA lists for utility bill payment assistance: 877-399-8939 or 877-541-7905.
- Contact the local agency directly. TDHCA says it does not accept applications from individuals, and that listed agencies may be at capacity with their funds.
Eligibility and amounts are set by the program and the local agency; ask them, not your provider, what you qualify for.
When an agency sends your provider a pledge or similar notice by the due date on your disconnection notice, and you pay or arrange to pay the part it does not cover, the provider may not disconnect you for that billing period (16 TAC 25.483(i)(1)). It must allow at least 45 days for the agency to honor the pledge (16 TAC 25.483(i)(3)).
2-1-1 Texas
2-1-1 Texas, a Texas Health and Human Services Commission service, connects you with local help. Dial 2-1-1 or (877) 541-7905, chat online in English or Spanish, or search 211texas.org by category, which includes utility payment assistance and utility bill payment plans.
Other help named by the PUCT
- Low-income discount. The PUCT says providers have the option to offer benefits to low-income customers enrolled in SNAP or Medicaid, with the participant's name matching the bill; self-enrollment is not allowed. Ask your provider whether it participates, or call 1-866-454-8387.
- Weatherization. TDHCA's Weatherization Assistance Program can audit and improve a qualifying home's energy efficiency; the PUCT says households at or below 200% of federal poverty guidelines qualify.
If you have prepaid service
During an extreme weather emergency, a prepaid provider must put you on a deferred payment plan, with no fee, if your balance is negative $50 or more and you ask within one business day after the emergency ends (16 TAC 25.498(i)(1)(A), (i)(10)). An agency pledge must be credited to your balance immediately (16 TAC 25.498(j)(3)). Prepaid disclosures must warn that some assistance agencies may not help prepaid customers (16 TAC 25.498(d)). If the bill itself looks wrong, see why your electric bill is high.
Common questions
Who qualifies for the summer payment plan?
For bills due in July, August or September, a provider must offer a plan on request to Critical Care or Chronic Condition customers, and to customers who say they cannot pay unless they were disconnected in the past 12 months, had more than two payments returned for insufficient funds in 12 months, or have been with the provider under three months without enough credit or payment history. It is not required if you are already on a deferred, level or average payment plan.
How does a deferred payment plan work?
You pay an overdue balance in installments past the current due date. Under the summer plan, the first payment is no more than 50% and the rest is split equally over at least five billing cycles unless you agree to fewer, with no finance charge and no extra deposit.
How do I apply for CEAP?
TDHCA does not take applications from individuals; its funds go to local agencies. Find yours on TDHCA's Help for Texans page by choosing Utility Bill Payment Help and entering your city or county, or call 877-399-8939 or 2-1-1 Texas at 877-541-7905.
Will my power stay on while an agency processes my help?
If the agency's pledge reaches your provider by the due date on the disconnection notice and you pay or arrange to pay the rest, the provider may not disconnect you for that billing period. Providers must allow at least 45 days for the agency to pay.
Is a payment plan guaranteed if I am on prepaid?
Only in set cases: during an extreme weather emergency, a prepaid provider must put you on a deferred plan if your balance is negative $50 or more and you ask within one business day after the emergency ends. Some assistance agencies may not help prepaid customers.
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