Checked 30 Oct 2026

TNEB Aadhaar link: do you still need it, and how to link online

You need the TNEB Aadhaar link if your connection gets one of six Tamil Nadu electricity subsidies, because a 2022 Government order made Aadhaar the condition for them: free units for homes, huts, farm pumps, handlooms and powerlooms, and lower rates for places of worship. TNPDCL's (formerly TANGEDCO) online linking form is still open for all but places of worship.

Do I need to link my connection?

My connection is for

Do I need to link?Yes, link it

Homes get free units, one of the six subsidies that need Aadhaar. TNPDCL's online form takes this connection.

Schemes: Madras High Court, W.P. No. 32564 of 2022, 21 Dec 2022, para 10; handloom and powerloom free units today: TNERC Order No. 4 of 2026, 27 Apr 2026; form: TNPDCL, Link Aadhaar.

By Raviraj Ramavarapu. From the Madras High Court's judgment on the 2022 order and TNPDCL's own linking form. Checked 30 Oct 2026.

TNEB Aadhaar link, in short

Aadhaar is the condition for six Tamil Nadu electricity subsidies: free units for homes, free supply for huts and farm pumps, lower rates for places of worship, and free units for powerlooms and handlooms. Shops, offices and industries are not in the six schemes, and TNPDCL's online form does not take them.
Link online on TNPDCL's form with your service connection number and the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar; an OTP comes to that mobile.
The Madras High Court called the fear that tenants would lose the free units unfounded, because the 2022 order does not change who is entitled to them; the State told the court the free units are given per domestic connection. The first screen of TNPDCL's online form asks for the service connection number and an Aadhaar-linked mobile, not the owner's name.
No order says an unlinked connection cannot pay its bill; that was the claim of the person who challenged the 2022 order in the Madras High Court, not the court's finding. If you have no Aadhaar number, the court noted that an Aadhaar enrolment slip can be given to keep getting the subsidy.

Who needs to link Aadhaar

In October 2022 the Government of Tamil Nadu approved a notification under section 7 of the Aadhaar Act (G.O.(Ms) No. 52, Energy, 6 October 2022). It makes Aadhaar the condition for six subsidy schemes, paid from the State's funds. The Madras High Court upheld it in December 2022 and set out the six:

Connection	Subsidy in the order	Link?
Home (domestic)	Free units for domestic consumers, scheme (i)	Yes
Hut	Free supply for hut consumers, scheme (ii)	Yes
Farm pump (agriculture)	Free supply for agriculture, scheme (iii)	Yes
Handloom	Free units for handloom consumers, scheme (vi)	Yes
Powerloom	Free units for powerloom consumers, scheme (v)	Yes
Place of public worship	Lower tariff up to 120 units, scheme (iv)	Ask your section office
Shop, office or other business	No scheme	No
Factory or industry	No scheme	No

The free units for homes have grown since 2022: today a home using up to 500 units in two months gets 200 units free, and above that the first 100 stay free. Handlooms now get 300 units free every two months and powerlooms 1,000, both raised in March 2023. See TNEB tariff 2026, and for farm pumps TNEB free electricity for farmers.

If your row in the table says Yes, link online with the steps below.

Madras High Court, W.P. No. 32564 of 2022, 21 Dec 2022, paras 2, 10 and 12; free units: TNERC Order No. 5 of 2026, 26 May 2026; TNERC Order No. 4 of 2026, 27 Apr 2026; online form scope: TNPDCL, Link Aadhaar.

How to link Aadhaar to your EB number online

Open TNPDCL's Aadhaar link page: app1.tangedco.org/Aadhaar. TNPDCL's own Online Services page links to it.
Enter your service connection number exactly as it appears in the bill SMS or on your payment receipt. The page's "Click here" link shows where to find it.
Enter the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar and the code shown in the picture, then press Enter.
Type the OTP sent to that mobile and then follow the next screens.

Older guides link to nsc.tnebltd.gov.in/adharupload. That page did not open when we checked on 30 Oct 2026; TNPDCL's menu now links to app1.tangedco.org/Aadhaar.

The form is only for domestic, handloom, powerloom, agriculture and hut services. If the OTP does not reach you, the mobile on your Aadhaar may be different; ask your section office (the local TNPDCL office for your area).

TNPDCL, Link Aadhaar; TNPDCL, Online Services.

Tenants, and people without Aadhaar

Tenants. The person who brought the 2022 court case (the petitioner) worried that tenants would lose the free units. The High Court called that "unfounded": the order does not change who is entitled to a subsidy. The State also told the court the free units are given per domestic connection.

If the connection is still in a former owner's name, a name transfer puts it right: see TNEB name transfer.

No Aadhaar number. The court noted that a person without one can enrol for Aadhaar, and the enrolment slip can be given to continue getting the subsidy. So if you have no Aadhaar, keep the slip when you enrol.

Madras High Court, W.P. No. 32564 of 2022, 21 Dec 2022, paras 11 and 13.

Does an unlinked connection stop you paying the bill?

No order or regulation we have on record says so. The claim that a bill "will not be accepted" without Aadhaar was the petitioner's argument in the 2022 case; the court's ruling was about subsidy benefits, and it dismissed the case.

The order makes Aadhaar the condition for the subsidy, but we found no TNPDCL notice that says what happens to an unlinked connection's free units; linking removes the doubt. Ways to pay: TNEB online payment.

Madras High Court, W.P. No. 32564 of 2022, 21 Dec 2022, paras 2 and 12 to 14.

Aadhaar for new connections and other applications

This is a separate rule. TNPDCL's application portal says an Aadhaar number is mandatory for every kind of application under the domestic, powerloom, handloom and agriculture tariffs, except temporary supply and group applications. What a new connection needs: TNEB new connection charges.

TNPDCL application portal, What's new.

What people report

The 2022-23 deadline drive

News reports in early 2023 (DT Next, 31 January and 28 February 2023) describe a linking drive with deadlines moved from 31 December 2022 to 31 January, 15 February and finally 28 February 2023. We have not seen an official notice of a later deadline. TNPDCL's form was still open on 30 Oct 2026 for home, hut, farm pump, handloom and powerloom connections; for a place of worship, ask your section office.

"Cannot pay online" and "50% lower bills"

Finance sites such as ClearTax and Bajaj Finserv (read 30 Oct 2026) say an unlinked connection cannot pay online, or that linking cuts the bill by up to 50%. We found neither in any order; the free units come from the tariff subsidy, not from linking itself. If your connection gets a subsidy, link it for that reason, and pay your bill as usual meanwhile.

TNEB Aadhaar link: questions people ask

Is TNEB Aadhaar linking still mandatory in 2026?

For connections that get a Tamil Nadu electricity subsidy, yes. A 2022 Government order made Aadhaar the condition for six subsidy schemes, including the free units for homes, and TNPDCL's linking form is still open. Shops, offices and industries are not in the six schemes, and the online form does not take them.

How do I link Aadhaar to my EB number online?

Open TNPDCL's Aadhaar link page, enter your service connection number as it appears on your bill SMS or receipt, the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar, and the code shown on screen. An OTP is sent to that mobile; then follow the next screens.

Can a tenant link Aadhaar to the EB connection?

The Madras High Court found the worry about tenants "unfounded": the order does not change who is entitled to the subsidy, and the State told the court the free units are given per domestic connection. The form's first screen asks for the service number and an Aadhaar-linked mobile, not the owner's name.

What if I do not have an Aadhaar number?

The High Court noted that a person without an Aadhaar number can enrol for one, and the enrolment slip can be given to continue getting the subsidy.

Will my bill payment be refused if Aadhaar is not linked?

No order we have seen says so. The claim came from the person who brought the 2022 court case (the petitioner); the court's ruling was about subsidy benefits, and it dismissed the case.

How do I check if my EB number is linked with Aadhaar?

TNPDCL's Aadhaar page has no status check, and the 2023 status page (adhar.tnebltd.org) did not open when we checked on 30 Oct 2026. Ask your section office (the local TNPDCL office for your area).

Is there a last date for TNEB Aadhaar linking?

No TNPDCL notice we have seen sets a current deadline, and the form was open on 30 Oct 2026. The 2022-23 drive's last reported date was 28 February 2023 (DT Next).

What happens if I do not link Aadhaar?

The 2022 order makes Aadhaar the condition for the subsidy, but we found no TNPDCL notice that says what happens to an unlinked connection's free units. Linking removes the doubt.

Can I link one Aadhaar to more than one EB connection?

Neither the 2022 order, as the High Court describes it, nor TNPDCL's form sets a limit that we could find. Whether a second connection is allowed at all is a separate supply rule: under the Distribution Code, one person or business gets one connection in a door number. In flats and shopping complexes where each flat or shop is permanently separated, more than one connection is given.

But one person or business still gets only one connection for one activity, even with separated areas (reg 27(13) to (15A)). To apply for another connection, see TNEB new connection charges.

Sources

Madras High Court, W.P. No. 32564 of 2022, 21 Dec 2022. Upholds G.O.(Ms) No. 52, Energy, 6 October 2022; the six schemes (para 10), tenants (para 11), enrolment slip (para 13).
TNPDCL, Link Aadhaar. Only for Domestic, Hand loom, Power loom, Agriculture and Hut services; Aadhaar-linked mobile for the OTP; service number as on the SMS or receipt.
TNPDCL, Online Services. Links to the Aadhaar form.
TNPDCL application portal, What's new. Aadhaar number mandatory for applications under Domestic, Powerloom, Handloom and Agriculture (LM41), except temporary supply and group applications.
TNERC Order No. 5 of 2026, 26 May 2026. 200 free units for homes using up to 500 units in two months.
TNERC Order No. 4 of 2026, 27 Apr 2026. First 100 units free for other homes; 300 units free for handlooms and 1,000 for powerlooms (sections V and VI).
TN Electricity Distribution Code, as amended to 31 Mar 2024. More than one connection in a door number, reg 27(13) to (15A).

Sources last checked 30 Oct 2026. Found a mistake? Tell us, and see how we correct it.