PG & E offers flexible pay plans, waives new service deposit requirements for hardships caused by COVID 19

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) offers additional support for customers experiencing hardships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is implementing a series of billing and service modifications effective immediately to ensure the lights stay on and the gas continues to flow for customers experiencing financial challenges during this time.



Suspend service disconnections for non-payment and waive new service deposit requirements for residential and small business; implement flexible payment plan options; and provide additional support for low-income and medical baseline customers.

As a reminder, PG&E has never charged late fees.

If a customer is experiencing financial hardships and has trouble paying their bill due to the economic impact of COVID-19, we can help. Please call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. We continue to offer flexible payment plans to support customers during these difficult times.


In addition, PG&E has implemented a moratorium on service disconnections for non-payment. This suspension applies to both residential and small business customers and will remain in effect until further notice. PG&E will also suspend Medical Baseline removals. Customers on the Medical Baseline program will not be asked to re-certify through a doctor or other eligible medical professionals for up to one year.

Customers can also take advantage of the following financial-assistance programs.


PG&E’s California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) Program gives almost 1.4 million income-qualified households discounts on their energy bills.

Yet, PG&E estimates 65,580 eligible customers are missing out on the 20 percent or more savings on their monthly electric and gas bills. Humboldt County is included in the top ten counties with the highest number of eligible customers not enrolled in the program. There are approximately 17,700 customers in Humboldt County enrolled in the program and the company estimates there are about 4,800 customers in the county who quality for the program and have not yet enrolled.

Customers can apply for CARE online at pge.com/CARE. Applying is easy and only takes about five minutes. Qualifying customers will begin receiving the CARE program discount within their next billing cycle.


Separate from CARE, income-qualified households with three or more persons can apply for the Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) Program for an 18% discount on their electric bill.

The federally-funded Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides financial assistance to help offset eligible household energy costs, including heating, cooling and home weatherization expenses. To learn more, dial 211 for LIHEAP income guidelines and a list of participating agencies.

Residential customers requiring electricity-powered medical equipment may qualify for Medical Baseline, which is not based on income. Per month, eligible customers can receive an extra baseline allotment of 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity and/or 25 therms of gas. Certification by a doctor is required.

No disruption in gas or electric service is anticipated due to the public health crisis. For more information, please visit www.pge.com/covid19 to read more about PG&E’s response to the virus.