Thank you for your interest in participating in the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) Pilot. The PIPP Pilot has reached maximum capacity and is now CLOSED. SCE has other Income Qualified Programs that could assist you with lowering your monthly energy bill.
We are dedicated to providing reliable and affordable electricity service to our customers. As part of this commitment, we are introducing a new pilot program designed to make household energy more affordable and predictable. Our four-year Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) pilot enables qualified customers to receive electricity bills for the same total each month, not including taxes or fees. If eligible, your monthly bill will be fixed at a low amount of either $34 or $103 and is subject to change on a yearly basis.1
Who can participate?
If we identified you as possibly qualified for Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP), we may have already sent you an introductory letter or email. You may be eligible if you are enrolled in our California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program and have had two or more service disconnections between March 2019 and February 2020, or if you live in an area identified as having a high number of recurring disconnections. Because this is a pilot program, participation is limited.
Which fixed monthly bill payment amount could you receive?
To see if you qualify for the $34 monthly payment, please see the 2026-2027 Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) Household Income chart below. If your income exceeds the household income limit, you may still be eligible for the $103 monthly payment.
What happens after I apply?
If you apply online, we will send you an email confirming we’ve received your completed application. We will also send all applicants (online, mail, and phone) application status update letters. If the pilot becomes full, we may place you on a waitlist and contact you if there is a future opening.
If you successfully enroll and qualify for the $34 monthly bill payment amount, we may ask you to provide proof of income within 90 days. Otherwise, we will assign the $103 payment amount (if you apply for that amount, you are subject to the existing CARE post-enrollment verification process).
Once your enrollment is complete, we will send you a program welcome letter and you will start enjoying the benefits of a predictable, fixed monthly energy bill.
2026-2027 Household Income Guidelines | ||
|---|---|---|
| To qualify for a monthly electric payment cap of $34 | To qualify for a monthly electric payment cap of $103 | |
| Persons in Household | Total Combined Annual Income Between 0-100% of FPG* | Total Combined Annual Income Between 101-200% of FPG* |
| 1-2 | Up to $21,640 | Up to $43,280 |
| 3 | Up to $27,320 | Up to $54,640 |
| 4 | Up to $33,000 | Up to $66,000 |
| 5 | Up to $38,680 | Up to $77,360 |
| 6 | Up to $44,360 | Up to $88,720 |
| 7 | Up to $50,040 | Up to $100,080 |
| 8 | Up to $55,720 | Up to $111,440 |
| Each additional person | $5,680 | $11,360 |
| *Current gross (before taxes) household income from all sources | ||
1 The fixed monthly bill amounts will be updated annually beginning June 2024 to reflect current income guidelines, at the same time as CARE program income guidelines are updated.
PIPP is offered on a first-come, first-served basis within eligible customer segments until the pilot participant maximum is met. PIPP is funded by California utility ratepayers and administered by Southern California Edison under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission. Programs are subject to change without notice. Terms and conditions apply.
PIPP Pilot Frequently Asked Questions
PIPP Pilot FAQ
Yes, you will be asked to complete the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program income verification/recertification process. For details, please visit our CARE Post-Enrollment Verification webpage.
No, PIPP eligibility is based on household income. If you receive the CARE rate based on participation in an approved categorical program but your household income exceeds 200% Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPL) you do not qualify for the pilot.
No, NEM customers are not eligible to participate in the PIPP pilot. If a participating PIPP customer subsequently enrolls in NEM rates, the customer will be removed from PIPP.
No, Direct Access customers are not eligible to participate in the PIPP pilot.
No, customers who do not have a SmartMeter are not eligible to participate in the PIPP pilot.
No, master-metered operators such as mobile home parks and their sub-metered tenants are not eligible to participate in the PIPP pilot
Customers can participate in PIPP as long as their CCA is participating in the pilot. The following CCAs in the SCE service area are participating in the PIPP Pilot:
- Clean Power Alliance (CPA)
- Apple Valley Choice Energy (AVCE)
- Lancaster Choice Energy (LCE)
- Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy (PRIME)
- Pomona Choice Energy (PCE)
- Rancho Mirage Energy Authority (RMEA)
- San Jacinto Power (SJPO)
- Central Coast Community Energy (CCCE)
If a participating PIPP customer is subsequently enrolled into CCA service by a non-participating CCA, the customer will be removed from the PIPP pilot.
Yes, provided all other eligibility requirements are met.
If you are on an existing payment arrangement, you will still be required to pay the agreed monthly amount in addition to your monthly bill.
Customers are allowed to be enrolled in both AMP and PIPP at the same time.
If a customer is removed from CARE, the customer will also be removed from PIPP.
If a participating PIPP pilot customer moves within SCE’s or a participating CCA’s service areas and re-establishes service at the new location within 30 days of terminating service at the previous location, SCE will automatically transfer the customer’s PIPP pilot enrollment status to their new location.
If the customer does not re-establish service at the new location within 30 days, or if the customer moves outside of SCE or a participating CCA’s service area, the customer will be removed from PIPP.
To be eligible to participate in the PIPP pilot, a customer cannot be enrolled in another pilot.
To be eligible for the low tier rate, your household’s income cannot exceed 100% Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPL). As an example, for household income generated from wages, salaries or tips you may provide either: (a) Copy of most recent pay stub(s), OR (b) First page of most recent IRS 1040 tax returns. If your income is from Pension, Social Security, Disability, Workers Compensation, Unemployment benefits or VA benefits you can provide a copy of (c) award letter, most recent check stubs or most recent bank statement (if direct deposit).
Listed below are all acceptable forms of income documentation, please provide all income documentation types that are included in your total household income
|
Type of Income |
Documentation |
|
Wages, salaries and commissions |
Copy of customer’s payroll check stub(s) OR Federal income tax filing showing gross income OR affidavit from employer (for cash wages only, and only where just one employer) |
|
Alimony or Child Support |
Copy of check, bank statement, OR most recent court document stating |
|
Disability benefits, Foster Care |
Copy of checks stubs OR copy of most recent award letter |
|
Capital or Other gains |
Federal Income Tax filing showing capital or other gains |
|
Food stamps |
Copy of most recent award letter OR food stamp/cash issuance letter (indicate TANF or General Relief) |
|
Gambling/lottery winnings |
Determined on case-by-case basis
|
|
|
Copy of most recent award letter (Notice of Action) OR |
|
Monetary gifts |
Copy of customer’s bank statement OR affidavit from gift giver |
|
|
Copy of settlement document |
|
Interest and dividend income |
Copy of customer’s bank statement(s) OR copy of customer’s |
|
Pension or 401K payments or |
Copy of customer’s check stubs OR copy of most recent award letter |
|
Rental income1 |
Tax return (Form 1040, Schedule E, Total Rental Real Estate and |
|
School grants, scholarships or |
Copy of award letter OR copies of cancelled checks |
|
Self-employment earnings1 |
Income statement showing most recent quarterly adjusted earnings plus |
|
SSI payments, TANF payments, or Social Security payments |
Copy of most recent award letter (Notice of Action) OR copy of uncashed check(s) OR copy of customer’s direct deposit statement |
|
Union strike fund benefits |
Copy of benefits payment stub |
|
1 For rental income and self-employment income, only positive values of income are included. Negative net rents and negative self-employment income are ignored. |
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