PM Surya Ghar for EPCs: tracking subsidy claims, equipment rules and paperwork
The scheme pays the customer, but rejected paperwork lands on the EPC. What the subsidy covers, what a vendor must record, and a tracker that stops claims bouncing.
- Reported subsidy: Rs 30,000/kW for 2 kW, plus Rs 18,000 for the third kW, capped at Rs 78,000. Verify on the official portal.
- The subsidy goes to the customer, but the EPC's paperwork decides whether it arrives.
- Equipment rules apply: ALMM-listed modules, and reportedly ALMM List-II cells for projects commissioned on or after 1 June 2026.
- Record serial numbers and photos at installation, not afterwards.
- Treat every claim as a pipeline with a status, an owner and a next date.
Quick answer
Under PM Surya Ghar the central subsidy is reported as Rs 30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and Rs 18,000 for the third kW, capped at Rs 78,000, paid to the customer's bank account after commissioning. For an EPC the work is in the evidence: DISCOM registration, compliant equipment, serial numbers and photos, and matching customer data across every upload. Track each claim as its own pipeline from application to payout, and treat a mismatched field as a defect to fix before submission.
What does the subsidy pay?
As reported by an EPC-focused guide, the central financial assistance works like this:
Reported PM Surya Ghar central subsidy by system size (Rs)
Source: SurgePV EPC guide (vendor source). Verify against the official scheme portal before use.
View data
| Subsidy | |
|---|---|
| 1 kW | ₹30,000 |
| 2 kW | ₹60,000 |
| 3 kW | ₹78,000 |
| 5 kW | ₹78,000 |
Above 3 kW the subsidy stays at the cap. Larger systems are priced on the customer’s own money beyond that.
Who gets paid, and what does the EPC do?
The assistance is reported as a direct bank transfer to the customer after commissioning and the portal claim. The EPC’s job is everything that makes that claim clean: registration, compliant equipment, correct paperwork and accurate uploads. A rejected claim does not just delay the customer’s money. It delays your final payment if your contract ties billing to subsidy.
What must a vendor have in order?
From the same guide, as reported:
- Registration per DISCOM. Each DISCOM you serve has its own vendor registration, with licence, GST and PAN, a local office, a vendor declaration and a security deposit or bank guarantee under its norms.
- Compliant equipment. Modules on ALMM List-I; inverters BIS-certified; and for projects commissioned on or after 1 June 2026, ALMM List-II cells.
- Sequence. Feasibility first, installation second.
- Accurate records. Consumer numbers, serial numbers and bank details must match across uploads.
- After-sales commitment. The guide says vendor declarations commit installers to free maintenance for five years in most states. Verify for your state.
On ALMM List-II, trade press reports that MNRE issued a memorandum on 6 July 2026 clarifying applicability. For competitively bid government projects the dates depend on the bid deadline; for projects not awarded by competitive bidding, those commissioned on or after 1 June 2026 generally must comply, subject to approved extensions. Read the memorandum for your project type.
What should the claim tracker look like?
Treat each subsidy claim as a pipeline with a status, an owner and a next date.
| Stage | Evidence to hold | Common failure |
|---|---|---|
| Registered | Consumer number, state, DISCOM, sanctioned load | Wrong DISCOM or category |
| Feasibility approved | Approval date and reference | Installing before approval |
| Installed | Photos, module and inverter serial numbers | Serials missing or mistyped |
| Commissioning uploaded | Completion report, component details | Upload does not match the BOM |
| Net meter installed | Inspection and meter dates | Inspection backlog |
| Claim raised | Portal claim reference | Bank details differ from the application |
| Paid | Payout date | Chasing without a reference |
Put Waiting on and Days in stage on every row, as in approvals tracking. Capture serials at installation using the method in serial-number and warranty tracking, so the commissioning upload is a copy-paste and not a hunt.
Where does this not apply?
Commercial and industrial projects are generally outside this residential scheme, and states run their own incentives. If your work is mostly C&I, your approval and billing logic differs. See billing milestones.
What to do this week
- Take your last five subsidy-linked projects and list which fields differed across forms.
- Check each against the equipment rules for its commissioning date.
- Add serial numbers and photos to your site checklist as mandatory fields.
Part of the guide Running a solar EPC business on connected systems.
Subsidy amounts, vendor requirements and workflow: SurgePV, PM Surya Ghar guide for EPCs, a vendor source that discloses a commercial relationship with an installer. ALMM List-II clarification: SolarQuarter, 7 July 2026, reporting an MNRE memorandum dated 6 July 2026. Scheme size and household figures: Financial Express. These are secondary sources; the official scheme portal and MNRE notifications govern. The tracker design is our own model.
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