A power cut-off threatens when you have not paid bills or instalments and your supplier warns that it will interrupt supply. The German Energy Industry Act (Energiewirtschaftsgesetz, EnWG) sets narrow limits: reminder, formal threat, minimum arrears, a waiting period and a written notice of the cut-off date. This guide shows the sequence, gives the statutory deadlines and explains how you can avert a cut-off.
Short answer: A supplier may cut off household customers only after a reminder and a formal threat, at the earliest four weeks after the threat. Arrears must be at least €100 and twice the current monthly instalment. The supplier must announce the start in writing eight working days beforehand (Section 41f EnWG, accessed November 2026).
Key points
- A cut-off requires a reminder and a threat. It may happen at the earliest four weeks after the threat, and the threat can be combined with the reminder.
- Arrears must be at least €100 and reach twice the current monthly instalment. Without instalments, one sixth of the expected annual bill applies.
- The supplier must announce the start by letter eight working days in advance.
- You can state reasons against the cut-off in writing, for example disproportionality or a concrete risk to life or health in the household.
- In basic supply you can ask for an arrangement to avert the cut-off with interest-free instalments. The supplier must offer it within one week.
When may the supplier cut off your electricity?
Under Section 41f EnWG, an energy supplier may interrupt supply to a household customer only if you do not pay despite a reminder. At least four weeks must pass between the threat and the cut-off. With the threat, the supplier must inform you of your right to state reasons against the interruption in text form and give a contact address. It must also point out, in text form, ways to avoid the cut-off at no extra cost, for example local support offers, payment plans, energy advice, minimum-income benefits and recognised debt counselling.
The threat and the announcement must state the reason and the expected costs clearly, comprehensibly and prominently. The start is announced by letter eight working days ahead. It should also be sent electronically in text form where possible.
From what amount of arrears is a cut-off allowed?
The law ties a cut-off to minimum arrears. They must either reach twice the instalment or advance payment for the current calendar month or, if there are no instalments, at least one sixth of the expected annual bill. In both cases a floor of €100 applies.
Worked example, assumption: your monthly instalment is €45. Twice that is €90, the €100 floor is higher, so it applies. With an instalment of €80, the law requires arrears of at least €160. Without instalments and assuming an expected annual bill of €900, one sixth is €150.
| Step | What happens | Deadline or threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Reminder | The supplier reminds you of the arrears | Arrears of at least €100 and at least twice the monthly instalment |
| Threat | Threat of a cut-off, can be combined with the reminder; information on help follows in text form | Cut-off at the earliest four weeks later |
| Announcement | Letter with the start date and expected costs | Eight working days before the start |
| Cut-off | The network operator interrupts the connection | Only if proportionate |
| Reconnection | The supplier arranges reconnection | Without delay once the reasons lapse and costs are refunded |
Which arrears do not count?
Certain claims are left out when arrears are calculated. These are claims without a court title that you have disputed in proper form and time with a plausible reason, arrears that are not yet due because of an agreement, arrears from a disputed price increase not yet decided with final effect, and arrears that were already the subject of a conciliation procedure when the threat was issued. If you think a bill is wrong, dispute it in writing with reasons instead of simply leaving it unpaid.
When is a cut-off disproportionate?
An interruption is not allowed if its consequences are out of proportion to the seriousness of the breach. The same applies if you show that you will probably still make the payments. Proportionality is in particular not given if you or a household member is especially vulnerable. The law assumes this where personal circumstances, above all health or age, create a concrete risk to life or limb. The supplier may require you to make this credible, for example with a medical certificate.
What is an arrangement to avert a cut-off?
Under Section 41g EnWG, household customers in basic supply who have been threatened with a cut-off can ask the supplier for an offer to avert it. The supplier must make the offer within one week of your request, and at the latest with the announcement of the cut-off. By the wording of the law this right applies to household customers in basic supply of electricity or gas. If you have a special contract, you cannot rely on it, but Section 41f still protects you. The offer must contain interest-free monthly instalments for the arrears and a commitment to keep supplying as long as you pay current bills.
- The instalment period must be economically reasonable. Six to 18 months is generally regarded as reasonable, depending on the amount owed.
- If arrears exceed €300, the period is generally at least 12 and at most 24 months.
- Within one month of concluding the arrangement, you can object to the underlying claims. This right cannot be excluded.
- If you accepted the offer in text form before the cut-off, the supplier may not cut off. If you later miss the deadlines, it may do so under the conditions of Section 41f.
With your consent, the supplier may also involve the local social welfare office to avoid the cut-off. In that case the interruption may happen at the earliest eight working days after the information is sent to the social welfare office. Only first name, surname, address and the planned cut-off date may be passed on.
What does a cut-off cost?
You must reimburse the costs of the interruption and the reconnection. The supplier may charge a flat rate if it is easy to follow and does not exceed the costs normally to be expected. You may prove that your costs are lower, and on request the supplier must disclose the basis of calculation. The charge may never exceed the costs actually incurred.
Does this apply if electricity is included in your rent?
The rules described apply to household customers with their own electricity contract. In many dorms and shared flats, electricity is part of the rent. Then you have no contract with a supplier, and a cut-off affects your landlord or main tenant first. Check your tenancy agreement and ask the student services, the landlord or a tenants’ advice service.
Are there cases of cut-off without a threat?
Yes, but they have nothing to do with late payment. Under Section 19 of the Basic Electricity Supply Ordinance (StromGVV), the basic supplier may interrupt supply without prior threat if you culpably and significantly breach the ordinance and the cut-off is necessary to prevent electricity use that bypasses or tampers with the meter. For late payment, Section 19 StromGVV refers to Sections 41f and 41g EnWG.
Frequently asked questions
How long after the reminder can the power be cut off?
At the earliest four weeks after the threat, and the supplier must announce the start by letter eight working days in advance. The threat can already be in the reminder.
From what sum may the supplier cut off?
Arrears must be at least €100 and also reach twice the current monthly instalment. Without instalments, one sixth of the expected annual bill applies.
What if the bill is wrong?
Dispute it in writing, in time and with reasons. A claim without a court title that you dispute in proper form and time with a plausible reason is left out of the arrears calculation. Keep paying the undisputed part.
May the supplier cut off during illness?
If you or a household member faces a concrete risk to life or limb because of health or age, a cut-off is generally disproportionate. You must make the risk credible on request.
Do I have to pay the cut-off costs?
Yes, you must reimburse the costs of interruption and reconnection. They may not exceed the costs actually incurred, and you can prove lower costs.
How to proceed
- Read the reminder and the threat closely and note the arrears, deadlines and contact address.
- Check that the claim is correct and dispute errors at once in writing with reasons.
- In basic supply, request an arrangement to avert the cut-off in writing and keep up the instalments.
- At the same time, seek help from a debt counselling service, the social welfare office or the job centre where you may be entitled.
- If someone in the household is especially vulnerable, tell the supplier in writing and enclose a certificate if needed.
Related guides
- Klima, Energie und Kosten 2027: Der Überblick für Mieter und Studierende (in German)
- Sonderkündigung beim Stromvertrag: Fristen und Rechte bei Preiserhöhung (in German)
- Stromkosten berechnen: Vom Gerät zum Monatsbetrag (in German)
- Saving Electricity as a Student: Energy and Utility Costs
- Avoid Student Debt: Typical Traps and Ways Out
Sources: Section 41f EnWG, interruption of supply for non-payment (accessed November 2026), Section 41g EnWG, arrangement to avert interruption (accessed November 2026), Section 19 StromGVV, interruption of supply (accessed November 2026).
Last updated: November 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
