Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP)
A new opportunity to save on your energy bill. The PIPP program sets a cap on electricity and natural gas service. Save money and have a more predictable bill.
The Percentage of Payment Income Plan (PIPP) is a four-year pilot program that sets a cap for electricity and natural gas service charges on your monthly bill. The PIPP Pilot is only available to 1,000 customers based on household income, disconnection history and customer zip code.
Please note that the PIPP pilot is at enrollment capacity. Applications will be added to a waitlist in the order in which they were received.
Who Qualifies?
To qualify for the PIPP Pilot, an applicant must either:
- Be currently enrolled in the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program AND reside in a qualifying zip code.
OR
- Be currently enrolled in the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program, AND have been disconnected two or more times, due to non-payment, between March 2019 and February 2020.
| 91901 | 91932 | 91980 | 92025 | 92061 | 92086 | 92111 | 92127 | 92691 | |
| 91902 | 91934 | 92003 | 92026 | 92065 | 92091 | 92113 | 92128 | ||
| 91905 | 91935 | 92007 | 92027 | 92067 | 92101 | 92114 | 92129 | ||
| 91906 | 91941 | 92008 | 92028 | 92069 | 92102 | 92115 | 92130 | ||
| 91910 | 91942 | 92009 | 92029 | 92070 | 92103 | 92116 | 92131 | ||
| 91911 | 91945 | 92010 | 92036 | 92071 | 92104 | 92117 | 92139 | ||
| 91913 | 91948 | 92011 | 92037 | 92075 | 92105 | 92119 | 92154 | ||
| 91914 | 91950 | 92014 | 92040 | 92078 | 92106 | 92121 | 92673 | ||
| 91915 | 91962 | 92019 | 92054 | 92081 | 92107 | 92122 | 92651 | ||
| 91916 | 91963 | 92020 | 92057 | 92082 | 92108 | 92123 | 92656 | ||
| 91917 | 91977 | 92021 | 92058 | 92083 | 92109 | 92124 | 92672 | ||
| 91931 | 91978 | 92024 | 92059 | 92084 | 92110 | 92126 | 92677 |
PIPP Customer Income Level and Bill Cap
Your PIPP bill cap amount will correspond to your household income level, as indicated in the chart below.
|
Number of people in your household |
0-100% Federal Poverty Resulting 2023 PIPP bill cap for electric and natural gas – $38** + TAXES AND FEES |
101-200% Federal Poverty Guidelines* Resulting 2023 PIPP bill cap for electric and natural gas – $115** + TAXES AND FEES |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
$0-$13,590 |
$13,591-$36,620 |
|
2 |
$0-$18,310 |
$18,311-$36,620 |
| 3 | $0-23,030 | $23,031-$46,030 |
| 4 | $0-27,750 | $27,751-$55,550 |
| 5 | $0-$32,470 | $32,471-$64,940 |
| 6 | $0-$37,190 | $37,191-$74,380 |
| 7 | $0-$41,910 | $41,911-$83,820 |
| 8 | $0-$46,630 | $46,631-$93,260 |
| Each additional member | + $4,720 | + $9,440 |
* Based on the 2022 Federal Poverty Guidelines, effective June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2024. Learn more about the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
** PIPP Pilot bill cap is a line-item discount applied to current charges and does not include past due charges, taxes or fees. Your monthly bill cap amount will change each year or if your income changes.
To be eligible, an applicant:
- Must have an SDG&E bill in your name
- Be the primary account holder or the co-applicant
- Must be an active CARE customer
- Can be a Clean Energy Alliance or San Diego Community Power Customer
- Must reside in eligible zip codes OR have been disconnected two or more times, due to non-payment, between March 2019 and February 2020. Unsure of your disconnection status? Apply online, and SDG&E will automatically check if you are eligible.
Not eligible
- FERA customers
- Claimed on another person’s income tax return other than your spouse
- NEM customers
- Mastered Metered customers & sub-metered tenants
- Direct Access customers Schedule E-SMOP customers
- Schedule E-SMOP customers
- Customers enrolled in another pilot program
- Applicant is not the primary account holder or the co-applicant
- Level Pay Plan customers
Enrollment: We have two ways to apply
It’s quick and easy to apply, and no documentation is needed. Your information is kept private. Unsure of your disconnection status? Apply online, and SDG&E will automatically check if you are eligible.
- Your SDG&E account number
- Your SDG&E service address
- Total number of people in your household
- Service zip code
- Total gross income
Questions? Call 1-800-560-5551.
Download the application and mail it in.
Your PIPP bill cap amount will correspond to your household income level. If you're successfully enrolled in the PIPP Pilot, we will notify you which tier you qualify for in your acceptance letter.
Yes, the PIPP Pilot is available to eligible Clean Energy Alliance and San Diego Community Power (Community Choice Aggregator) customers.
Once the PIPP pilot is full, we will put eligible customers on a waitlist. If space becomes available, SDG&E will notify waitlist customers.
You may not be eligible for the PIPP pilot due to one or more of the following reason(s):
- Your total combined gross annual income exceeds the qualifying guidelines allowed for the number of people in your home
- You are claimed as a dependent on another person’s income tax return
- The electric rate on your energy bill is not eligible
- You are not the customer of record on this account
- You do not meet the disconnection criteria
- You do not live in a qualifying zip code
- You are a direct access customer
- You are a Net Energy Metering (NEM) customer
- You are a sub-metered tenant
- You are on Schedule E-SMOP (a smart meter is required for this program)
- Level Pay Plan customers
Although you do not qualify for the PIPP Pilot at this time, we invite you to apply again in the future should your situation change.
Zips codes are based on disconnection data from March 2019-February 2020.
The PIPP Pilot will be available for 48 months from the 2023 pilot launch.
The California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) will evaluate the pilot and determine if the pilot will be adopted as a program and opened to more customers. Pilot participants will continue to be CARE customers and will not lose their program benefits.
No, you will still be considered a CARE customer and will be eligible for other assistance programs such as Energy Savings Assistance (ESA) and Arrearage Management Plan (AMP).
The PIPP pilot follows the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
There are a limited number of spots available in each eligible zip code. Customers will be automatically added to a waitlist once each zip code is at capacity. If space in the pilot becomes available, we will notify you.
Please note that the Customer Care Center does not know the waitlist status.
I am enrolled in PIPP, now what?
- Your monthly bill cap amount will change each year or if your income changes.
- You may be asked to verify the total gross income of everyone living in your home.
- You must notify SDG&E within 30 days if you move or if there are any changes in household income.
- If you move to another eligible zip code, you may be eligible to transfer your PIPP enrollment.
- High energy use may result in removal from the PIPP Pilot.
- You may unenroll from the PIPP Pilot at any time.
- You can only be enrolled in one SDG&E pilot program at a time; if you are accepted into PIPP and you were in another SDG&E pilot program, you have automatically been disenrolled from that pilot.
- If you unenroll from the PIPP Pilot, you may apply for another SDG&E pilot program.
- You may also participate in the Arrearage Management Payment (AMP) Plan to help with past-due debt.
- The PIPP Pilot will be available for 48 months from the 2023 pilot launch.
- You will continue to receive CARE benefits as long as you meet CARE rules, income verification and recertification procedures.
Learn How to Read Your PIPP Bill
Yes, you can unenroll from PIPP at any time.
Yes, you will still be considered a CARE customer and may be eligible for other assistance programs such as Energy Savings Assistance (ESA) and Arrearage Management Plan (AMP).
The cap is on your electric and natural gas service only. It does not include past due charges, taxes or fees. Taxes are calculated on the full amount of what your bill would have been. The discount will fluctuate based on your monthly energy use.
No, you cannot be on both Level Pay Plan and be enrolled in the PIPP Pilot. If enrolled in the PIPP Pilot, Level Pay customers will automatically be removed. If you prefer Level Pay, please notify SDG&E and we will unroll you from the PIPP Pilot.
You must notify SDG&E within 30 days if you move or if there are any changes in household income.
Energy Savings Assistance Program
When you apply for the CARE/FERA programs, we’ll also see if you qualify for no-cost energy-efficient home improvements.
California LifeLine Program
If you’re receiving public assistance, you may also qualify for a phone discount through the California LifeLine Program.
CALL 1-866-272-0349
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
This federal assistance program offers help with utility bill payments and energy-related home improvements.
Low-Cost Home Internet Service
You may be eligible for free or low-cost Home Internet Service through the California Emerging Technology Fund. To see if you qualify, call 866-519-8655.
Debt Relief
Qualified residential CARE or FERA customers may be eligible for financial assistance to help reduce outstanding account balances.