Consumer and banking · Energy · bills
Electricity or gas catch-up bills in France: the 14-month rule
A French electricity or gas supplier cannot bill consumption from more than fourteen months before the last meter reading or self-reading (article L224-11 of the Consumer Code). The period runs back from that reading, not from the bill date. There are three exceptions: no access to the meter, no reading sent after a registered letter from the network operator, or fraud.
Text in force17 August 2016Sources checked17 October 2026
- Official texts cited
- Sources checked on
- Drafted with AI assistance, our method
General legal information with official references and dated checks. It is not personalised advice: for a decision that commits you, have your situation checked by a qualified professional.
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Is the 14-month rule the same as the two-year time limit?
They are two separate rules. The 14 months limit the consumption period you can be billed for. The two years are the time a business has to take action against a consumer to be paid for services supplied.
Read the referencesYou received a large catch-up bill for electricity or gas in France: I can check which months the supplier can still bill.
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Do the 14 months run from the reading or from the bill date?
From the last reading or self-reading, not from the bill date. No electricity or natural gas consumption from more than fourteen months before that reading can be billed.
Example: a reading on 15 September 2026. Consumption before 15 July 2025 cannot be billed, even if the catch-up bill arrives later.
When can a supplier bill further back?
In only three cases: the meter could not be accessed; you sent no actual meter reading after a registered letter from the network operator; or there was fraud.
Outside those cases the limit binds the supplier, which must also bill at least once a year on the energy actually used.
Which months can still be billed to you?
Enter the reading date and the start of the period billed: the tool gives the first billable consumption date and the months to dispute.
Fictional example · billable period
Consumption before 15 July 2025 cannot be billed: dispute about 16 months with a written complaint.
- 14-month limit
- Exceeded
- Consumption billable from
- 15 July 2025
- Months to dispute, roughly
- 16
The limit runs back from the last reading or self-reading, not from the bill date.
How do you contest a catch-up bill that looks too high?
Send the supplier a written complaint citing article L224-11 and the months beyond the limit, and keep a copy. With no satisfactory answer within two months, take the case to the national energy ombudsman free of charge, at the latest ten months after your complaint.
The ombudsman issues a written recommendation within about 90 days, which the parties are free to follow; using the ombudsman suspends court time limits.
Code de la consommation, article L224-11Service-public: the national energy ombudsmanCode de la consommation, article L612-1Code de la consommation, article L612-2
Does the 14-month rule cover gas too?
Yes. The rule covers electricity and natural gas, in contracts held by consumers and non-professionals up to 36 kVA for electricity or 30,000 kWh a year for gas.
It does not cover heating oil, bottled or tank gas, or wood, even though the energy ombudsman can still handle those disputes.
Code de la consommation, article L224-11Code de la consommation, article L224-1Service-public: the national energy ombudsman
Which period is billable in your situation?
| Situation | What can be billed | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Reading or self-reading, general case | The 14 months before the last reading | Consumer Code, L224-11 |
| Meter not accessible | The 14-month limit does not apply | L224-11 |
| No reading sent after the network operator’s registered letter | The limit does not apply | L224-11 |
| Fraud | The limit does not apply | L224-11 |
| Bill on an estimated reading | An estimate based on past actual use | L224-12 |
| End of contract | Closing bill within 4 weeks, overpayment refunded within 2 weeks | L224-15 |
Code de la consommation, article L224-11Code de la consommation, article L224-12Code de la consommation, article L224-15
What does article L224-11 of the Consumer Code say?
Le fournisseur d’électricité ou de gaz naturel facture, au moins une fois par an, en fonction de l’énergie consommée. Aucune consommation d’électricité ou de gaz naturel antérieure de plus de quatorze mois au dernier relevé ou autorelevé ne peut être facturée, sauf en cas de défaut d’accès au compteur, d’absence de transmission par le consommateur d’un index relatif à sa consommation réelle, après un courrier adressé au client par le gestionnaire de réseau par lettre recommandée avec demande d’avis de réception, ou de fraude.
In plain English: Electricity and natural gas suppliers bill at least once a year on the energy consumed. No consumption from more than fourteen months before the last reading or self-reading can be billed, except where the meter could not be accessed, where the customer sent no actual reading after a registered letter from the network operator, or in case of fraud.
The same article requires the supplier to bill at least once a year on actual use: a late catch-up bill is still possible, but only within the fourteen-month window.
What else do households ask?
Is the 14-month rule the same as the two-year time limit?
They are two separate rules. The 14 months limit the consumption period you can be billed for. The two years are the time a business has to take action against a consumer to be paid for services supplied.
Code de la consommation, article L224-11Code de la consommation, article L218-2
Is a catch-up bill after a Linky meter install lawful?
Yes, within the 14 months: a meter reading, smart or not, does not allow billing for consumption more than fourteen months earlier, unless the meter was inaccessible, no reading was sent after a registered letter, or there was fraud.
How do you take a case to the national energy ombudsman?
After a written complaint left without a satisfactory answer for two months, online or by post, with a copy of the complaint and the bill. It is free and must be done within ten months of the complaint.
Service-public: the national energy ombudsmanCode de la consommation, article L612-1
Does the rule also protect small businesses?
It covers consumers and non-professionals, such as an association or a condominium syndicate. A micro-enterprise can also use the national energy ombudsman, but whether the 14 months apply to a business contract has to be checked case by case.
Code de la consommation, article L224-1Code de l’énergie, article L122-1
Which texts is this timeline based on?
- Code de la consommation, article L224-11Légifrance
- Code de la consommation, article L224-12Légifrance
- Code de la consommation, article L224-15Légifrance
- Code de la consommation, article L218-2Légifrance
- Code de la consommation, article L224-1Légifrance
- Code de l’énergie, article L122-1Légifrance
- Code de la consommation, article L612-1Légifrance
- Code de la consommation, article L612-2Légifrance
- Service-public: the national energy ombudsmanService-public.fr
Texts cited last checked: 17 October 2026