Confirmed in California: Millions of residents receive an automatic credit on their September electricity bills

Millions of eligible California households will see an automatic discount on their September electricity bills through the California Climate Credit.

For 2026, the California Public Utilities Commission set the September credit at $36.18 for PG&E customers, $36 for Southern California Edison customers and $49.36 for San Diego Gas & Electric customers. The amount remains fixed for residential customers of each utility. It does not depend on electricity use or the size of the bill.

More than 11 million households receive the electricity credit each year, according to the CPUC. Other customers receive separate credits linked to natural-gas service. The program uses funds from California’s Cap-and-Invest system to provide bill assistance.

Customers do not need to enroll or submit an application. The credit is applied directly to the bill and may appear as “CA Climate Credit” or “California Climate Credit.” The exact date depends on each customer’s billing cycle, so it may not show up at the beginning of September.

The CPUC changed the 2026 schedule for customers of PG&E, SCE and SDG&E, moving the payments to August and September, when summer energy demand can push bills higher. If the credit does not appear when expected, the commission advises customers to contact their utility first so it can check the account records.