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🔍 Eligibility Check

Check your Cross Subsidy Program eligibility online

Type the 14-digit reference number from the top of any recent electricity bill. We copy it to your clipboard and open the official css.pitc.com.pk homepage in a new tab. Paste, submit, and PITC will either show your meter details on the /register page (you are eligible) or display an inline error on the homepage (you are not).

Printed on the top of your printed electricity bill — 10 to 14 digits.

For your security, the official eligibility check, CNIC entry, and OTP verification all happen on the official PITC portal css.pitc.com.pk. checkbills.pk does not store your reference number.

What happens next?

  1. Click Apply — we copy your reference to your clipboard and open the official PITC homepage css.pitc.com.pk in a new tab.
  2. Paste & submit on PITC homepage — there is only one form on the PITC homepage. Paste your reference into it and click submit.
  3. PITC opens your register page — if the reference is valid, PITC redirects you to /register which displays your meter owner details (consumer name, address, sanctioned load) and the occupant CNIC + mobile fields.
  4. CNIC & OTP — enter your CNIC and a PTA biometric-verified mobile number, then verify the OTP that PITC sends by SMS.
  5. Done — your subsidy registration is queued. The protected tariff reflects on your next bill cycle if you qualify.

There is no separate "eligibility" page — what really happens

Many guides describe a multi-screen "eligibility check" but the PITC portal itself does not have one. The homepage at css.pitc.com.pk contains a single reference- number form. When you submit, the form POSTs to the URL /check-eligibility — that URL is just the server-side handler, not a page. The server runs three deterministic checks against the PITC consumer master (the same database that powers your monthly duplicate bill lookup) and immediately decides between two outcomes:

  • Eligible → server returns an HTTP 302 redirect to https://css.pitc.com.pk/register. Your browser follows the redirect and shows you the register page with your meter owner details and the CNIC + mobile form for the OTP step.
  • Ineligible → server keeps you on the homepage and shows an inline error (usage above threshold, non-domestic tariff, duplicate CNIC, or reference not found).

So when this guide talks about "the eligibility check", it really means the instantaneous decision the server makes in step 1 — and whether you end up on /register or back on the homepage tells you the result.

What the three deterministic checks are

The portal performs three checks in sequence against the PITC consumer master:

  1. Tariff class — the meter must be flagged as a domestic-tariff connection. Commercial (A2), industrial (B), agricultural (D), and bulk-supply meters are excluded by design; they have their own tariff stacks and are not part of the protected-slab framework.
  2. Rolling six-month average — the system sums the last six monthly metered units, divides by six, and checks the result against the protected threshold (typically 200 units/month, with two micro-slabs at 1–100 and 101–200). A single outlier month does not disqualify; the rolling average smooths it.
  3. One-occupant-one-meter — once you complete OTP registration, the system stores your CNIC as the verified occupant of this meter. Any attempt to use the same CNIC on a second live domestic connection elsewhere in the country will fail. This is the rule that closes the historical leakage where one household held several lifeline-priced meters.
All three must pass simultaneously. If any one fails, the result page tells you the exact reason and how to fix it — usage drop, tariff conversion, or CNIC consolidation.

Which reference numbers are accepted?

The CSS portal accepts both the older 14-digit reference number and the newer 10-digit consumer number that appears on SAP-based bills in some zones. The reference is the single most important identifier on your bill — usually printed in large type at the top, right below your DISCO logo and above the consumer name. It looks like a long block of digits, sometimes broken into 2-2-4-6 chunks for readability.

  • 14-digit reference — used by most legacy DISCOs (MEPCO, LESCO, IESCO, FESCO, GEPCO, PESCO, HESCO, SEPCO, QESCO, TESCO, HAZECO). Format: XX XXXX XXXX XXXX.
  • 10-digit consumer number — used by newer SAP-rolled zones inside the same DISCOs. The CSS portal autodetects which format you typed.
  • Spaces and dashes — strip them before pasting. checkbills.pk will also clean them automatically before forwarding to PITC.

If your bill is damaged, faded, or you have moved house and cannot find your reference, try the electricity problems & solutions page for the most common ways to recover it — including the SMS service some DISCOs offer. You can also walk into your local subdivision office with your CNIC to print a fresh duplicate.

What you see after submitting the reference

There are two destinations the PITC server can send you to. Which one your browser lands on tells you the result of the eligibility check:

1. Eligible — you are redirected to /register with your details visible

On a successful eligibility check, PITC redirects the browser to https://css.pitc.com.pk/register. The register page is a single screen with two stacked panels:

  • Owner Details (read-only) — your reference number, tariff code, consumer name, father/husband, address, and sanctioned load. These come straight from the DISCO master record on file with PITC.
  • Occupant Details (you fill these in) — your CNIC and mobile number. On mobile you can scan the QR code on the back of your physical CNIC to fill the field automatically.

Click Send OTP to Mobile and PITC sends a 4–6 digit one-time password by SMS. Type the OTP on the next screen to finish. For the full walkthrough see how to register on CSS.

2. Ineligible — you stay on the homepage with an inline error

If any of the three deterministic checks fails, the server keeps you on the homepage and shows a red error banner. The most common failures are:

  • Usage above threshold — your six-month rolling average has crept above the protected band. The easiest to fix: bring monthly usage down for a few cycles and re-run the check.
  • Non-domestic tariff — the meter is commercial, industrial, agricultural, or bulk-supply. Apply for a domestic conversion at your DISCO subdivision before retrying.
  • Duplicate CNIC / multiple live connections — the CNIC associated with the consumer record is already an occupant on another live connection. You will need to consolidate via the DISCO office and pick a single meter for the subsidy.
  • Reference not found — the reference does not exist in the PITC consumer master. Likely you have typed the account number, customer ID, or billing cycle ID instead of the actual 10–14 digit reference at the top of the printed bill.

Common eligibility errors and how to fix them

"Reference number not found"

You may have typed your account number, bill issue number, or customer ID instead of the reference number. Look for the longest run of digits at the top of the bill — that is almost always the reference. Strip all spaces. If you still see this error, try the 10-digit consumer number printed below the reference (newer bills).

"Permanently disconnected"

The reference exists but the connection is marked permanently disconnected in the DISCO master. Visit your subdivision to either restore service or get a fresh reference on a new meter, then re-run the eligibility check.

"Server busy — try again later"

The PITC API occasionally rate-limits during peak hours (bill cycle endings, news announcements). Wait a few minutes and retry. checkbills.pk does not control this — it is a load condition on the official PITC servers.

"Owner details do not match"

The consumer name on the meter is out of date — frequently after inheritance, sale, or a transfer the DISCO never processed. CSS itself cannot edit those fields; you must apply for a name change at the subdivision office and re-register on CSS once the update is live. Carry your CNIC, the old owner's CNIC (or death certificate), and a recent bill copy.

Privacy: what checkbills.pk does and does not see

checkbills.pk is a thin funnel for the official PITC portal. The eligibility form on this page is a client-side HTML form whose action attribute points directly at https://css.pitc.com.pk/check-eligibility. When you click Check Eligibility, your browser submits the reference number to PITC over HTTPS in a new tab. We do not log the reference, store it in cookies, send it to analytics, or share it with advertisers. Read our privacy policy for the full picture.

Eligibility check FAQs

Is /check-eligibility a separate page I have to visit on the PITC site?

No. css.pitc.com.pk has only one consumer-facing entry point — the homepage with a single reference-number form. /check-eligibility is just the URL the homepage form POSTs to internally; the server runs the eligibility logic and either redirects you to /register (eligible) or keeps you on the homepage with an inline error (ineligible). You never see a dedicated eligibility-result screen.

What does the eligibility check actually verify on css.pitc.com.pk?

The eligibility check looks up your 14-digit reference number in the PITC consumer master and runs three tests: (1) is the meter a domestic-tariff connection, (2) has the rolling six-month average stayed inside the protected band, and (3) does the consumer name on the meter have only one live connection nationally. All three must pass — if they do, you are redirected to /register; if any fails, you stay on the homepage with an error.

What is a valid reference number for the eligibility check?

Most DISCOs print a 14-digit reference number at the top of the paper bill. A few (newer SAP-based zones) print a 10-digit consumer number — both formats are accepted by the CSS portal. Strip spaces and hyphens before submitting. checkbills.pk validates 10–14 digits before redirecting so you do not waste time on the PITC side.

Can my eligibility status change month-to-month?

Yes. The CSS uses the six-month rolling average, so a single heavy-usage month (summer AC, festive season, water-pumping) can push your average above the protected slab and remove the subsidy until your average drops back. The protected slab is restored automatically once your six-month rolling consumption is again inside the threshold.

Why does the form ask me to verify my CNIC and occupant details?

Because the registered consumer name on the meter and the actual occupant of the home are often different — tenants commonly use a meter registered to the previous owner. CSS requires the *current occupant* to be CNIC-verified so the subsidy reaches the household actually paying the bill, not an absent legal owner.

Does checkbills.pk see or store the data I enter?

No. The reference number entry on checkbills.pk is a thin client-side form that POSTs straight to the official css.pitc.com.pk endpoint in a new tab. We do not log, cache, or share your reference, CNIC, name, or mobile number. All eligibility logic and the OTP flow live on the PITC server.