If you haven’t received an accurate energy bill in a while

Your energy supplier might charge you for energy you’ve used in the past. This is known as ‘back billing’.

If you pay by direct debit, your supplier might increase your payments. They use the extra amount to pay off the amount you owe over a few months.

If you haven’t received an accurate gas or electricity bill for over a year, you might not have to pay for all the energy you’ve used.

Under back billing rules, your supplier cannot usually send you a bill for energy you used more than 12 months ago. The back billing rules don’t apply if the supplier sent you a bill before the year passed and you didn’t pay. In this case, the supplier can still charge you.

If your supplier tries to overcharge you

If your supplier tries to charge you for more than 12 months’ energy use, you should write to them.

Tell them that you’re protected by the back billing rules and should only be charged for 1 year's energy use.

Example

You haven't received an electricity bill in 2 years.

You call your supplier and ask them to send you a bill. You give them an up-to-date meter reading.

Your supplier sends you a bill, charging you for 2 years' energy use.

You write them a letter stating that you're aware of the back billing rules and that you should only have to pay for the last year's energy use.

Your supplier sends you a new bill, charging you for only 1 year's use.

You can use our back billing example letter to help you.

If your supplier still tries to charge you the full amount, you should make a complaint.

If you have behaved unreasonably, your supplier could bill you for the full amount. Unreasonable behaviour includes:  

• not allowing the supplier access to read your meters without a good reason

• stealing electricity or gas

If you can’t afford to pay

If you’re sent a bill but you can’t afford to pay it, you can tell your supplier you want to pay it in instalments as part of a payment plan.

You’ll pay fixed amounts over a set period of time, meaning you’ll pay what you can afford. The payment plan will cover what you owe plus an amount for your current use.

Your supplier must take into account:

• how much you can afford to pay - give them details about your income and outgoings, debts and personal circumstances

• how much energy you’ll use in future - they’ll estimate this based on your past usage, but give them regular meter readings to make this more accurate

If you’re not sure how much you can afford to pay, you can use the free budget planner on the MoneyHelper website.

If you’re behind with paying your energy bills

There are things you can do to get help. Check how to get help if you’re behind with your energy bills.

If you're struggling with debt problems, check how to get help with debt.

If you have a smart meter

If you think your smart meter isn’t working properly or sending readings to your energy supplier, there might be things you can do. Check what to do if you’re having problems with your smart meter.

Further help

Contact the Citizens Advice consumer service if you need more help - a trained adviser can give you advice over the phone or online chat.