Checked 23 Oct 2026
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How much is the TNEB security deposit?
One full bill plus half of another. If your bill is usually ₹2,000, TNPDCL should hold ₹3,000. The deposit earns 5.76% interest a year (2026-27), and you get it back when you give up the connection. If TNPDCL finds it holds too little, it asks you to pay the difference. That top-up is called ASD, and you get 30 days to pay it.
Check yours
Your average two-month bill over the last year, and the deposit you have paid, from TNPDCL's bill status page, plus any interest credit TNPDCL has told you of. A tenant with the owner's consent letter counts as an owner.
Short by ₹1,500: TNPDCL can bill this as ASD at a review
₹3,000
- Deposit the rules require₹3,000One full bill plus half of another.
- You hold now₹1,500Your deposit payments, plus the interest credit TNPDCL tells you each year.
- Interest on what you hold, 2026-27₹865.76% a year, credited to your deposit.
TNPDCL can review a home's deposit once every two years, in April or May. If it bills an ASD, you have 30 days to pay it.
Rules from TN Electricity Supply Code, consolidated to 2009, regulation 5(5), and TN Supply Code amendment, Notification TNERC/SC/7-48, 2 Sep 2023; interest from TNERC Order No. 3 of 2026, 6 Apr 2026.
In short
- A Tamil Nadu home on two-month billing should hold a security deposit equal to one full bill plus half of another, using its average two-month bill over the past year.
- TNPDCL can review the deposit once every two years for homes and shops, in April or May. A shortfall is billed as an additional security deposit (ASD), payable within 30 days.
- The deposit earns 5.76% a year for 2026-27 (TNERC Order 3 of 2026) and 6.71% for 2025-26. Advance payments earn 2.50% for 2026-27.
- If a review finds too much, the excess comes off your next two bills and any balance is refunded before the third is due. When you sell or lease out the premises, the balance must be refunded within three months of the notice period ending.
- A tenant without the owner's consent letter pays twice the normal deposit on a new connection, and holds six times the monthly average after a review.
The deposits on your account
| Deposit | What it is |
|---|---|
| Security deposit (CC deposit, code 48100) | Held against unpaid bills. Paid with a new connection, topped up by ASD after a review. Earns interest. |
| Additional security deposit (ASD) | The top-up when a review finds the security deposit short. Added to the security deposit once paid. |
| Meter caution deposit | For TNPDCL's meter. Paid once with the connection, and earns the same interest. |
| Advance payment | Money you pay ahead of your bills. Adjusted against each new bill, and earns 2.50% a year for 2026-27. |
A new home connection pays a security deposit of ₹330 for single phase or ₹995 a kW for three phase, and a meter caution deposit of ₹825 or ₹2,215, from 1 July 2025. To see the deposit payments on your account, open TNPDCL's bill status page for your service number and look under Miscellaneous Collection Details for "48100-Cc Deposit". The interest credited is what TNPDCL must tell you each year by 30 June.
TNERC Order No. 7 of 2025, 30 Jun 2025; TNPDCL online payment FAQ; TNERC Order No. 3 of 2026, 6 Apr 2026; TNERC Order No. 1 of 2026, 11 Feb 2026.
How much you should hold
For anyone billed every two months, the Supply Code sets the deposit at three times the monthly average of the electricity charges over the 12 months before April. In plain terms: one full bill plus half of another. To work it out, add up your last six bills and divide by four. A tenant who could not get the owner's consent letter (Form 5) holds six times the monthly average, applied when the deposit of an existing connection is reviewed.
| Average bill | Owner, or tenant with consent | Tenant, no consent |
|---|---|---|
| ₹500 | ₹750 | ₹1,500 |
| ₹1,000 | ₹1,500 | ₹3,000 |
| ₹2,000 | ₹3,000 | ₹6,000 |
| ₹3,000 | ₹4,500 | ₹9,000 |
| ₹5,000 | ₹7,500 | ₹15,000 |
| ₹10,000 | ₹15,000 | ₹30,000 |
Connections on monthly billing hold two times the monthly average (four times for a tenant without consent).
TN Electricity Supply Code, consolidated to 2009, regulation 5(5)(ii); TN Supply Code amendment, Notification TNERC/SC/7-48, 2 Sep 2023, regulation 5(5)(vii). Figures worked out by BillDecoded.
When TNPDCL bills an ASD
- The review. Once every two years for low-tension connections such as homes and shops (every year for high tension), in April or May. Your existing deposit, with the interest credited to it, is compared with one full bill plus half of another.
- The demand. A shortfall is billed as ASD, by a separate notice or an entry on your meter card or bill.
- 30 days to pay. After that the service is liable for disconnection. The Electricity Act also allows 30 days from the notice, and lets supply be discontinued until the security is given.
Check the demand against the calculator above before you pay. If it looks wrong, write to the Assistant Engineer of your section office within the 30 days with your last six bills; the complaint guide has a letter.
In August 2026, DT Next reported that TNPDCL's 2026-27 review covered high-tension, LT current transformer and industrial connections, and that it "does not cover domestic consumers".
TN Electricity Supply Code, consolidated to 2009, regulation 5(5)(i) and (iv); Electricity Act, 2003, section 47, 47(2) and 47(3); DT Next, 4 Aug 2026.
Interest on your deposit
| Year | Security and meter caution deposits |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 | 5.76% |
| 2025-26 | 6.71% |
Money paid in advance of your bills earns 2.50% a year for 2026-27.
In its 2025-26 and 2026-27 orders, TNERC set the rate at the weighted average bank rate of the previous year; the Electricity Act says it cannot be lower than the bank rate. The interest is credited to your deposit at the start of the financial year, and TNPDCL is to tell you the credit, with interest, by 30 June. A deposit of ₹1,500 earns ₹86 for 2026-27.
TNERC Order No. 3 of 2026, 6 Apr 2026; TNERC Order No. 2 of 2026, 16 Mar 2026; TNERC Order No. 1 of 2026, 11 Feb 2026; TN Electricity Supply Code, consolidated to 2009, regulation 5(5)(iii); Electricity Act, 2003, section 47, 47(4).
Getting your deposit back
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| A review finds you hold too much | The excess comes off your next two bills. Any balance is refunded by cheque, or by direct credit if TNPDCL has your bank details, before the third bill is due. You can ask for it to be kept against later bills instead, and TNPDCL must agree. |
| You sell, lease out or otherwise dispose of the premises | TNPDCL can ask for three months' notice and the dues cleared up to that date. TNPDCL sets any dues against your deposits and refunds the balance within three months of the end of the notice period, by direct credit if you give your bank details. |
| You sell the house | The deposit moves to the buyer only with your consent letter, or a sale document that includes it; settle it with the buyer. Without it, the buyer pays a fresh deposit. |
| You ask for a permanent disconnection | TNPDCL takes a special reading and makes a final bill; the supply is cut once it is paid. Any use between the final reading and the cut comes off the deposit, and the rest is refunded within the period the state commission sets, which the national consumer rules say may not exceed seven days. |
| You stop paying | TNPDCL can take unpaid bills out of the deposit and its interest. If the agreement ends after a long disconnection, the deposit goes first against the surcharge. |
TN Supply Code amendment, Notification TNERC/SC/7-48, 2 Sep 2023, regulations 5(5)(v) and 17(7); TN Electricity Supply Code, consolidated to 2009, regulations 17(3), 17(5) and 5(4)(ix); TN Electricity Supply Code, consolidated to 2009, regulations 5(5)(vi) and 5(7)(ii)(b); Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, Gazette of India, 31 Dec 2020, rule 9(1)(b).
If you rent
With the owner's consent letter (Form 5), a tenant pays the same deposit as an owner. Without it, a tenant can still get a connection by showing proof of occupation, signing an indemnity bond (Form 6) and paying twice the normal security deposit. At later reviews, that tenant holds six times the monthly average instead of three. The deposit belongs to whoever holds the connection: when you move out, settle it with the owner, or close the connection and claim it yourself.
TN Electricity Distribution Code, as amended to 31 Mar 2024, regulation 27(4); TN Supply Code amendment, Notification TNERC/SC/7-48, 2 Sep 2023, regulation 5(5)(vii).
What people report
"My meter was replaced for solar, and the old deposit wasn't refunded."
A home that installed rooftop solar paid for a new net meter; the old meter was removed. The bill status page still showed the security deposit, but "Available for refund or adjustment: NIL", and staff said the old meter deposit would not come back. Ask the section office in writing which rule lets it keep the old meter caution deposit; the security deposit itself stays with the connection.
A consumer post from February 2026, summarised in our words. We have not named anyone. Source: r/Chennai thread, Feb 2026.
Questions people ask
What is ASD in a TNEB bill?
Additional security deposit. Every two years, in April or May, TNPDCL can check whether the deposit it holds still covers one full bill plus half of another. If it falls short, the difference is billed as ASD, by a separate notice or an entry on your meter card or bill, and you have 30 days to pay it. It is still your money: it earns interest and comes back when you close the connection.
How is the TNEB security deposit calculated?
For a home billed every two months: three times the monthly average of your electricity charges over the 12 months before April. In plain terms: one full bill plus half of another. A tenant who could not get the owner's consent letter holds three full bills.
What is the interest rate on the TNEB security deposit?
5.76% a year for 2026-27, under TNERC Order 3 of 2026, and 6.71% for 2025-26. The same rate applies to the meter caution deposit. The Electricity Act says it must be at least the bank rate.
How do I get my TNEB security deposit refunded?
If you sell, lease out or otherwise dispose of the premises, TNPDCL can ask for three months' notice and the dues cleared; give your bank account details. If you are simply leaving, ask for a permanent disconnection with a final reading and bill. TNPDCL sets any dues against the deposit and must refund the rest within three months, by direct credit. If a review finds you hold too much, the excess comes off your next two bills, and any balance is refunded before the third bill is due.
What is CC deposit 48100 in TNEB?
The account code TNPDCL's bill status page uses for the deposit you paid against current consumption (CC) charges, which is your security deposit. Look under Bill status, then Miscellaneous Collection Details, for "48100-Cc Deposit".
Can TNEB disconnect me for not paying ASD?
Yes. The Supply Code gives 30 days to pay; after that the service is liable for disconnection, and the Electricity Act lets the supply be discontinued until the security is given. Pay it, or write to the section office within the 30 days if the amount looks wrong.
Do I pay a security deposit with a prepaid meter?
Not for the electricity you use. The Electricity Act says a licensee cannot ask for security against the electricity supplied if you take supply through a prepayment meter. A deposit for the meter itself can still apply.
Read next
- TNEB new connection charges 2026The deposits you pay with a new connection, line by line.Read the post
- TNEB name transfer: documents, fee and daysMoving the deposit to a new owner, and the consent letter.Read the post
- TNEB late payment chargesWhy an unpaid ASD can get your supply cut, and how to get it back.Read the post
Sources
- TN Electricity Supply Code, consolidated to 2009. Security deposit: reviewed every two years for LT in April or May (reg 5(5)(i)); three times the monthly average of the last 12 months for bi-monthly billing, two times for monthly (5(5)(ii)); interest credited each April (5(5)(iii)); shortfall billed as ASD with 30 days to pay, then liable for disconnection (5(5)(iv)); can be set against unpaid dues (5(5)(vi)); moves on name transfer only with the consent letter (5(7)(ii)(b)).
- TN Supply Code amendment, Notification TNERC/SC/7-48, 2 Sep 2023. Excess deposit adjusted against two bills, balance refunded by cheque or direct credit before the third due date, or kept against later bills on request (reg 5(5)(v)); tenants without the owner's consent: six times the monthly average for bi-monthly billing, at review (5(5)(vii), as it stands after the 2023 amendment); on closing, dues set off and the balance refunded within three months by direct credit (17(7)).
- TNERC Order No. 3 of 2026, 6 Apr 2026. Interest on security deposit and meter caution deposit: 5.76% a year for 2026-27, credited at the start of the year.
- TNERC Order No. 2 of 2026, 16 Mar 2026. Interest on security deposit and meter caution deposit: 6.71% a year for 2025-26.
- TNERC Order No. 1 of 2026, 11 Feb 2026. Interest on advance current consumption charges: 2.50% a year for 2026-27.
- Electricity Act, 2003, section 47. Reasonable security; 30 days to give fresh security, else supply may be discontinued; interest at the bank rate or more; refund on request; no security from a consumer on a prepayment meter (47(5)).
- TN Electricity Distribution Code, as amended to 31 Mar 2024. A tenant without the owner's consent letter (Form 5) gives an indemnity bond (Form 6) and pays twice the normal security deposit (reg 27(4)).
- TNERC Order No. 7 of 2025, 30 Jun 2025. New connection deposits from 1 July 2025.
- Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, Gazette of India, 31 Dec 2020. Rule 9(1)(b): deposit refund on permanent disconnection.
- TNPDCL online payment FAQ, read 23 Oct 2026.
- News and reports: DT Next, 4 Aug 2026; r/Chennai thread, Feb 2026.
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