Rooftop Solar Subsidy Not Credited or Rejected?

You installed a rooftop solar system, expected the government subsidy in your bank account, and it has not arrived, or your application on the National Portal was rejected. This guide explains who pays the subsidy, the exact steps that must finish before it is credited, how to read your rejection reason, and how to escalate through the portal grievance, your DISCOM, CPGRAMS and RTI.

Reviewed on: 2026-09-15.

This guide is for homeowners and residential electricity consumers in India who applied for a rooftop solar subsidy through the National Portal for rooftop solar (the PM Surya Ghar route) and are now stuck. It is useful if:

• Your panels are installed and working, but the subsidy has not been credited to your bank account.
• Your application on the National Portal was rejected or returned, and you are not sure why.
• Your DISCOM has not yet inspected your system or completed the metering step, and the subsidy is waiting on that.
• A vendor took an advance promising to “handle the full subsidy” and the work or the subsidy never materialised.
• The status on the portal has not moved for weeks and nobody is giving you a clear answer.

It applies to residential rooftop solar applicants. It does not cover commercial or industrial solar plants or state-specific solar tenders, which follow different rules. Housing societies and RWAs have their own subsidy rate for common facilities; see our housing society and RWA guide. Where your state adds its own subsidy on top of the central one, the amounts and timelines vary, so always confirm the current position on the official portal and with your state agency rather than relying on a number you saw in an advertisement. For the full 2026 rules and the 31 March 2027 deadline, read our PM Surya Ghar 2026 guide.

Log in at consumer.pmsuryaghar.gov.in with your registered mobile number and the OTP. Open your application and read the current stage carefully. The portal shows one of 10 stages, from Consumer Registration and Feasibility Approval through Solar Installation Details, Project Inspection and Project Commissioning to Subsidy Request and Subsidy Disbursal. Take a clear screenshot or save the page as PDF, with the date and any remark visible.

Read any rejection or return remark word for word. Do not guess. The scheme guidelines require the DISCOM to give adequate justification when it rejects a claim, so the remark should tell you what to fix, such as a name mismatch between your bank account and electricity bill, missing geo-tagged photos or DCR undertaking, panels whose DCR details cannot be verified, or wrong bank details. Note exactly what it says.

Open the bank details you entered on the portal. Confirm the account number and IFSC are correct, the account is active, and the account holder name exactly matches the consumer name on your electricity bill. The portal says a subsidy application is not processed when these two names do not match.

Build your evidence file. Pull together the vendor's quotation and tax invoice, your payment proof (bank transfer, not cash), the vendor's registration details from the National Portal, the installation report or completion photographs, your DISCOM feasibility approval, and any metering agreement, net meter or commissioning record. Keep them in one folder, named clearly.

Work out which single step is actually blocking you, because each step has a different owner. If installation details have not been sent to you, that is on the vendor. If they are waiting in your login, submitting them is on you. If inspection, the metering agreement or commissioning is pending, that is on the DISCOM. If your bank details or name do not match, that is on you to correct. Chasing the wrong party wastes weeks.

Check your DISCOM's status separately. Find the consumer-care number and email of the DISCOM named on your electricity bill, and ask for its rooftop solar or net-metering office. If inspection or the meter is the blocker, this is the office that has to act, not your vendor.

If your problem is purely that a private vendor took money and disappeared, treat that as a consumer dispute and start a separate evidence trail for it. Note down dates of every promise and payment.

Draft your follow-up communications. Write one clear letter or email to the responsible party: the vendor for installation data, the DISCOM for inspection and metering, or the portal grievance for a stuck subsidy release. Use the template later in this guide as a starting point. Attach your status screenshot and key documents.

Prepare your grievance text for the Grievance button on the consumer login page, so you can submit it first thing Monday. Keep it factual: application number, dates, the stage it is stuck at, and what you want done.

If a vendor has cheated you, draft a separate written demand to the vendor for completion or refund, and save the National Consumer Helpline number (1915) for Monday. Keeping the government subsidy track and the vendor-dispute track separate will save you confusion later.

Log in at consumer.pmsuryaghar.gov.in (the PM Surya Ghar route) with your registered mobile number and OTP. Open your application and read the current stage and any remark, word for word. Save a screenshot or PDF showing the status, the stage, and the date. This is your baseline document for every follow-up and complaint that comes after.

The central subsidy is not paid the moment installation finishes. It is released to your own bank account, or to your loan account for scheme loans, only after a chain of steps is complete. The portal lists 10 stages: Consumer Registration, Application Submission, Feasibility Approval, Vendor Selection, Work Start, Solar Installation Details, Project Inspection, Project Commissioning, Subsidy Request and Subsidy Disbursal. In practice, you register and apply with your consumer number; the DISCOM clears feasibility; you choose a vendor registered on the National Portal and upload the work agreement; you enter your bank details before installation is submitted; the vendor installs the system and sends you the installation data, which you check and submit to the DISCOM; the DISCOM inspects the system, signs the metering agreement and approves it on the portal; you redeem the subsidy in your login; and the subsidy is processed within 15 days of the DISCOM's approval. If any link is incomplete, the money will not come. The first job is to find the exact link that is broken, because each link has a different owner.

State metering rules and DISCOM procedures differ, and MNRE updates the scheme through notices on the portal. Treat the chain above as the shape of the process, and confirm the current specifics in the portal's announcements and with your DISCOM rather than relying on a number from an advertisement or a vendor's promise.

Because the subsidy is paid into your account, wrong or mismatched bank details will hold it. Open the bank details you entered on the portal. Confirm the account number and IFSC are correct, the account is active, and the account holder name exactly matches the consumer name on the electricity bill. If the electricity connection is in one family member's name and the bank account is in another's, the subsidy will not be processed; the portal asks you to correct the name with the DISCOM or the bank so that the two match. Since 3 September 2026, if your application's confidence score is below 70%, you must also download, sign and upload an undertaking with a Government of India name proof such as Aadhaar or Voter ID before you can redeem. Correct any error on the portal before chasing anyone else.

Map your status to an owner. If installation data has not been sent to you, the vendor must act; if it is waiting in your login, you must review and submit it. If feasibility, inspection, the metering agreement or commissioning is pending, the DISCOM must act. If bank details, the name match or an undertaking is pending, you must act on the portal. If everything shows complete but the subsidy still has not been credited, the issue is at the release stage, which REC Limited handles for MNRE as the national implementing agency. That is where the portal grievance comes in. Naming the right owner is the single most useful thing you can do.

Once you know the owner, write to them. Do not rely on phone calls alone. For the vendor, send an email or message asking them to complete installation or send the pending installation data, with a clear deadline. If the vendor has not submitted installation details within 60 days of uploading the agreement, the portal lets you switch vendor for applications without a loan. For the DISCOM, write to the rooftop solar or net-metering office asking for inspection and approval, quoting your application and consumer numbers. Keep every request in writing with the date and any reference number. Written proof is what makes your later escalation and any RTI effective.

If the responsible party does not respond, use the Grievance button on the consumer login page to log a formal complaint, or call the National Call Centre on 15555. Under the scheme guidelines, each grievance gets a unique tracking ID and is to be resolved within 30 days. Attach your status screenshot and key evidence. State your application number, the stage it is stuck at, the dates of your earlier requests, and exactly what you want done. Note the grievance or ticket number and the date, because you will need them for escalation.

If the portal grievance does not move things, escalate. For a DISCOM that is sitting on your file, section 42(5) of the Electricity Act, 2003 requires every distribution licensee to set up a forum for redressal of consumer grievances, and section 42(6) lets you approach the Electricity Ombudsman appointed or designated by your State Electricity Regulatory Commission if the forum does not resolve it. In parallel, lodge a grievance on CPGRAMS at the government grievance portal, selecting the relevant ministry or department, and reference your earlier ticket numbers. MNRE, which runs the scheme, is a central ministry, so CPGRAMS is a direct route when the hold-up is at the national portal. For more on combining CPGRAMS with RTI, see our guide on CPGRAMS and RTI complaints.

Where a public authority holds your file, such as MNRE or a government-owned DISCOM, file an RTI to get the recorded reason for the delay or rejection, the movement of your file, and the current status of your subsidy. See our step-by-step RTI filing guide to do this online. If instead your real problem is a private vendor who took money and did not deliver, that is a consumer dispute: keep your evidence, call the National Consumer Helpline on 1915, and if needed file in the consumer commission. See our companion guide on EV subsidy not received for a closely related subsidy-versus-dealer escalation pattern.

Replace the text in square brackets with your own details before sending. Use this for the National Portal grievance or for a letter to your DISCOM.

To, The Grievance Officer / Rooftop Solar Cell [National Portal for Rooftop Solar / Name of DISCOM] [Address or online grievance section]

Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]

Subject: Rooftop solar subsidy not credited / application returned,

       Application No. [Your Application Number],
       Consumer No. [Your Electricity Consumer Number]

Respected Sir / Madam,

1. I am [Your Name], a residential electricity consumer holding

 Consumer No. [XXXX] with [Name of DISCOM]. I applied for a rooftop
 solar system and subsidy through the National Portal vide
 Application No. [XXXX], registered on [DD/MM/YYYY].

2. The current status of my application on the portal is

 "[paste the exact status / remark]", as on [DD/MM/YYYY]
 (screenshot attached).

3. The following steps are complete:

 [tick the ones that apply]
 - Vendor installation completed on [DD/MM/YYYY] by [Vendor Name].
 - Installation details submitted to the DISCOM on [DD/MM/YYYY].
 - DISCOM inspection and approval on [DD/MM/YYYY].
 - Net meter installed / metering agreement signed on [DD/MM/YYYY].
 - Bank details submitted on the portal: A/c [last 4 digits], IFSC
   [XXXX], in the name of [Account Holder Name], matching the name
   on my electricity bill.

4. Despite the above, the subsidy has not been credited to my bank

 account / my application has been returned with the remark above.

5. I request you to:

 (a) inform me, in writing, of the exact reason and the current
     stage at which my file is pending; and
 (b) take the necessary action to release the eligible subsidy to
     my bank account / process my application at the earliest.

6. I am attaching: portal status screenshot, electricity bill, vendor

 invoice and payment proof, installation report, feasibility
 approval, metering or commissioning record, and bank passbook copy.

Kindly acknowledge this complaint and provide a reference number.

Yours faithfully,

[Your Full Name] [Residential Address] [Consumer Number] [Mobile Number] [Email Address]

Enclosures: A. National Portal application status screenshot B. Electricity bill / consumer number proof C. Vendor invoice and payment proof D. Installation report / completion photos E. DISCOM feasibility approval F. Metering agreement / commissioning record G. Bank passbook / cancelled cheque

The Right to Information Act, 2005 applies to public authorities. Your electricity distribution company (DISCOM), where it is government-owned, and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), which runs the rooftop solar scheme, are generally public authorities. RTI can be a strong support tool in a stuck-subsidy situation in these specific ways:

• Getting the recorded reason for delay or rejection: If the portal remark is vague, file an RTI with the Central or State Public Information Officer of the DISCOM or MNRE. Ask for: “The recorded reason for the delay or rejection of rooftop solar subsidy application No. [your number], the present stage of the file, and the name and designation of the officer dealing with it.”
• Tracking file movement: Ask for the noting and movement of your file from the date of application, including the date of feasibility approval, inspection, and DISCOM approval, and the date the subsidy was sent for processing.
• Confirming the metering and inspection record: If inspection or metering seems to be the blocker, ask the DISCOM for the date the inspection was carried out and the date the metering agreement was signed or the net meter installed for your connection.

To file an RTI online, see our step-by-step RTI filing guide. The PIO must respond within 30 days under section 7(1) of the RTI Act. If you get no reply or an unsatisfactory one, you can file a first appeal; see our guide on filing a first appeal under RTI Section 19. For deeper strategy on using RTI to unblock government decisions, The RTI Playbook is a useful companion.

RTI has clear limits in a rooftop solar subsidy dispute:

• RTI cannot release the subsidy: RTI gets you information and records, not a payment. Only the DISCOM's approval and the portal's subsidy-processing system can actually lead to the money being credited. RTI supports your grievance and any further complaint; it does not replace them.
• RTI does not reach a private vendor: If your installer is a private company that took your money and did not deliver, RTI does not apply to its internal records. That is a consumer dispute: use a written demand, the National Consumer Helpline (1915), and the consumer commission.
• RTI cannot fast-track a decision: RTI runs on its own statutory timeline. For speed, the portal grievance, the DISCOM grievance forum, and CPGRAMS are usually faster pressure points than waiting on an RTI reply.

• Assuming the subsidy comes automatically after installation: It does not. The subsidy is processed only after the DISCOM inspects and approves the system and you redeem it in your login. Find which step is pending instead of waiting indefinitely.
• Entering bank details that do not match the consumer name: If the electricity connection and the bank account are in different names, the portal will not process the subsidy. Correct the name with your DISCOM or your bank so that both match exactly.
• Chasing the wrong party: Only the DISCOM can inspect, sign the metering agreement and approve your system, and the vendor is the one who fills in the installation data. Map your status to the correct owner before you complain.
• Paying a vendor a large cash advance for “the full subsidy”: The subsidy is credited to you, not collected by the vendor on your behalf. Be cautious with any vendor who insists you pay them the subsidy amount up front in cash. Pay by banking channel, check the vendor's bank details shown on the portal before paying, and keep invoices.
• Not saving the rejection remark: The portal remark should tell you exactly what to fix. Screenshot it before it changes, and address that specific point when you resubmit or re-apply.
• Mixing up the subsidy track and the vendor track: A stuck government subsidy and a cheating vendor are two different problems with two different remedies. Run them on separate evidence trails.
• Going silent after one phone call: Verbal follow-ups leave no proof. Put every request in writing with dates and reference numbers so your escalation and any RTI have teeth.
• Believing an advertised subsidy figure as guaranteed: The central amount is fixed by the guidelines at Rs 30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and Rs 18,000 for the third kW, capped at Rs 78,000, with 10% more in special category states and UTs. State top-ups vary and can change. Confirm the current position on the official portal, not from a flyer or a sales pitch.

For a related government-incentive escalation, see our guide on EV subsidy not received after purchase. If your underlying problem is recurring electricity-supply or DISCOM service trouble, the CPGRAMS and RTI route applies there too.

• National Portal for Rooftop Solar, PM Surya Ghar (pmsuryaghar.gov.in): scheme guidelines, FAQs, announcements and the list of registered vendors
• Consumer login (consumer.pmsuryaghar.gov.in): apply, track your application, submit bank details, redeem the subsidy and raise a grievance
• Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (mnre.gov.in): scheme information, guidelines and notifications for rooftop solar
• CPGRAMS (pgportal.gov.in): central grievance portal to escalate against a public authority
• National Consumer Helpline (consumerhelpline.gov.in), call 1915: for a vendor who took money and did not deliver
• e-Jagriti (e-jagriti.gov.in): file a consumer commission complaint online against a vendor

Under the PM Surya Ghar scheme, the central subsidy for an eligible residential rooftop system is released to the consumer's own bank account, or to the loan account for scheme loans, after the DISCOM has inspected and approved the installation and the consumer redeems the subsidy in the portal login. REC Limited, the national implementing agency, runs the portal for MNRE. The subsidy is not paid to the vendor on your behalf. So if it has not arrived, first confirm that the bank details you entered on the National Portal are correct and that the account name matches your electricity bill.

The scheme guidelines fix one clock: the subsidy is processed within 15 days of approval by the DISCOM. The time before that depends on how quickly the installation details are submitted and the DISCOM inspects and approves the system, which varies by DISCOM and state. Check the live status on the National Portal and ask your DISCOM where your file currently sits before assuming the subsidy is stuck.

Yes. Log in and open your application, which shows the remark recorded when it was returned or rejected. The scheme guidelines require the DISCOM to give adequate justification when it rejects a claim. Possible causes include a name mismatch between your bank account and electricity bill, solar modules whose DCR details cannot be verified, missing geo-tagged photos or DCR undertaking, repeated serial numbers, a feasibility or load problem flagged by the DISCOM, or wrong bank details. If the remark is unclear, raise a grievance on the portal and, where a public authority holds the file, you can file an RTI for the recorded reasons.

Since 3 September 2026, applications with a confidence score below 70% cannot be redeemed directly. Download the undertaking from your portal login, fill it in and sign it, and upload it with a Government of India name proof such as Aadhaar or Voter ID. The portal notice does not explain how the score is worked out, so also check that your name reads the same on your electricity bill, bank account and ID.

Both have roles. You register on the National Portal, choose a vendor registered on the portal for your DISCOM, enter your bank details and redeem the subsidy. The vendor installs the system and fills in the installation data, which you check and submit to the DISCOM. The DISCOM inspects the system, signs the metering agreement and approves it. The subsidy is then credited to your account. If a private vendor took money promising to handle the subsidy and did not deliver the agreed work, that part is a consumer dispute against the vendor, separate from the government subsidy release.

The guidelines tie the subsidy to the DISCOM's inspection and approval, and that step includes the metering agreement. The DISCOM inspects the system, signs the appropriate agreement with you (a net meter agreement or otherwise) and approves the application, and the subsidy is processed only after that. The meter is installed by the DISCOM after installation, and the net meter is either provided by the DISCOM or bought by you from enlisted meter vendors. If the metering step is pending, follow up with the DISCOM's rooftop solar or net-metering office and keep written proof of every request.

No. RTI is a tool to obtain information and records from public authorities such as your DISCOM or MNRE. It can reveal where your file is stuck, the recorded reason for delay or rejection, and the file movement. But RTI cannot by itself order the subsidy to be released. The portal grievance, the DISCOM and the national implementing agency handle the actual release; RTI strengthens your follow-up and any further complaint.

Treat this as a consumer dispute against the vendor, separate from the subsidy. Gather your payment proof, the quotation or agreement, and all messages. Send a written demand for completion or refund. If unresolved, call the National Consumer Helpline on 1915 and consider filing in the consumer commission through the e-Jagriti portal. Also raise a grievance against the vendor on the National Portal. Under MNRE's procedure of 22 June 2026, a registered vendor that does not answer a consumer complaint can be deactivated for a month. If the vendor has not submitted installation details within 60 days of uploading your agreement, you can also switch vendor for an application without a loan.