How far back Michigan utilities refund overcharges
Paid overcharges from billing errors are refunded or credited, for up to three years before discovery. Here is the rule behind it, what starts or limits the clock, and what it means for a business with a billing error in Michigan.
Michigan at a glance
| Michigan | |
|---|---|
| Rule | Mich. Admin. Code R 460.126a (billing error) and R 460.115 (meter error) |
| How far back refunds go | Paid overcharges from billing errors are refunded or credited, for up to three years before discovery |
| What starts or limits the clock | Meter-error refunds are limited to the 12 months before discovery |
| Interest | Interest applies to billing-error refunds under the rule |
| Regulator | Michigan utility commission |
What it means for a refund claim in Michigan
- Billing errors and meter errors run on different clocks in Michigan.
- These rules sit in the Commission's consumer billing standards; separate billing rules apply to commercial and industrial gas customers (R 460.2071 onward), so check which part covers each account.
- Read the utility's tariff rules on billing and meter error too: tariffs often repeat or extend the commission rule.
- Municipal utilities and cooperatives usually set their own billing rules.
Discovery Energy reviews 36 to 48 months of history on every account and pursues the longest period each jurisdiction allows. See how overcharge recovery works, or compare Michigan with every other state.
Sources
- Mich. Admin. Code R 460.126a (billing error) and R 460.115 (meter error)
- Pennsylvania PUC national list of utility commissions