CARE residential single family program FAQs

You receive the discount for two years. If you are on a fixed income, you get the discount for four years. Three months before your discount expires, you receive a letter and an application from PG&E to reapply if you still qualify under the current Program Guidelines.

Proof of income is not required during the application process. However, you may be randomally selected to provide proof of income at a later date.

The discount will appear on the next bill you receive.

The phrase: “CARE Discount” appears on the first page of your bill, under the heading, "Your Enrolled Programs." Access a sample bill (PDF, 706 KB).

No, each family must have a separate meter to receive the CARE discount.

We encourage you to reapply whenever your income situation changes. Proof of income is required if you reapply within 24 months of being denied CARE benefits. Please visit the program guidelines page for the current information. The income guidelines change each year in June.

Follow the instructions on the letter by listing all members of your household. Complete the form. Then, provide copies of income documents for every member of your household with an income. When you’re finished, mail or fax the completed form and documents to the CARE Program in the envelope provided.

Refer to our Required Income Document Guide for examples of income documents. Depending upon your situation and the ways that you and your household members receive income, you may have to send more than one document.

As a courtesy, a reminder call is made 15 days after the verification letter is mailed. The call reminds you that you are required to provide income documents to remain on the CARE Program.

Review the letter for the type of documentation needed. Gather the documentation and mail it to the CARE Program in the envelope provided.

If your documents are not received by the date listed in the verification letter, you will be removed from the CARE Program. Removal from the program takes effect following the next billing cycle. Your energy charges may increase as a result.

In order to re-enroll in the CARE Program, you must mail the proof of income that was requested on the original verification letter. If you submitted documentation and received a letter indicating that your documents were incomplete, you must mail the requested documents to the CARE Program in the envelope provided.

You can be denied enrollment or removed from the CARE Program for the following reasons:

• You didn’t meet the program eligibility guidelines.
• Your household income exceeds the income guidelines.
• You have an ineligible meter type.
• You failed to recertify in the program. You must recertify every two years, or every four years for fixed income households.
• We asked for proof of income and you were denied, didn’t respond in time or didn’t respond with complete paperwork.

Retroactive discounts are not provided on charges incurred while you’re off the CARE Program. However, if you are interested in creating a payment plan or discussing your options for payment of your energy charges, call 1-800-743-5000.

We provide the CARE and FERA Programs for income-qualified households. However, each program offers a different type of energy discount. CARE has lower income guidelines than FERA. If you submit an application for CARE and don’t qualify under the income guidelines, we automatically evaluate you for FERA.

The CARE Program offers a minimum 20 percent discount on gas and electric rates. The FERA Program offers a 12 percent discount on electric rates and doesn’t offer a discount on gas rates.

If you have additional questions, call the CARE Program at 1-866-743-2273 or email CAREandFERA@pge.com.

Yes, CARE, FERA and Medical Baseline are state programs which provide a discounted rate for electricity to qualifying low-income households. These programs are administered to all customers by PG&E, including those who choose to receive service from a CCA. If you’re enrolled in CARE/FERA/Medical Baseline and start service with a CCA, your account will remain enrolled in these programs and you’ll continue to receive your full discount under your new provider. New enrollments and re-enrollments for CARE/FERA/Medical Baseline must be done through PG&E.

Your income eligibility is based on current earnings of all persons living in your household going forward. Income should be based on your situation today, looking at eligible earnings going forward and not past income. So, if you and/or other members of your household have had a change in circumstances such as job loss or decreased wages, you may now qualify.

If you are receiving Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) payments under the Federal CARES act at the time of application, you can use your EDD award letter to calculate income based on how many weeks you are scheduled to receive payment. Refer to the Maximum Benefit Amount since at the time of enrollment this should be the maximum amount you would be scheduled to receive.

Add the Total Annual Income for all people in your household. Check the income range on the Income Guidelines chart to see if you are eligible for CARE or FERA.

See example for a household of four:

*Annual Income calculation should not include income earned from prior employment. Use only current and expected income for the next 12 months.