PM Surya Ghar subsidy in 2026: slabs, the ₹78,000 cap and the benchmark

The PM Surya Ghar subsidy is the single number every homeowner asks about and every EPC has to quote correctly. Get the slab and the cap right and your quotes are trusted; get the benchmark point wrong and you can quietly cost your customer thousands of rupees of subsidy. Here is exactly how the money works in 2026.

How much is the PM Surya Ghar subsidy?

The PM Surya Ghar subsidy is ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW, plus ₹18,000 for the third kW, capped at ₹78,000 for any residential system of 3 kW or more. That is the whole rule. A 1 kW system gets ₹30,000, a 2 kW gets ₹60,000, and once you hit 3 kW you are at the ₹78,000 ceiling that never moves.

These slab amounts are fixed figures set by MNRE under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana. They are scheme facts, not guarantees of what any one customer will receive — eligibility, a working net-meter and successful commissioning all still apply. Always tell a customer to verify the current figures with their DISCOM and the state nodal agency.

The subsidy slabs and the ₹78,000 cap

The slab structure is simple but the cap surprises people. Here is the subsidy for the common residential sizes.

Source: PM Surya Ghar slab structure (MNRE / National Portal). Figures are scheme facts — confirm current values with your DISCOM.

Why the subsidy stops growing at 3 kW

The cap is reached at 3 kW, so capacity beyond that earns no extra central subsidy. A 5 kW or 10 kW system is often the right technical choice for a higher electricity bill — more generation, more savings over 25 years — but the customer should understand that the subsidy is still only ₹78,000. Never let a customer assume a bigger system means a bigger subsidy.

The point most EPCs miss: subsidy is on the benchmark, not your quote

The subsidy is calculated on the MNRE benchmark cost, not on the price you quote. Because the slab amounts are fixed at ₹30,000/kW and ₹78,000, raising your quote does not raise the subsidy by a single rupee. A higher quote only raises what the customer pays out of their own pocket.

Over-quoting backfires on the customer

This is the part that protects your reputation. If you over-quote, the subsidy stays the same and the customer's net cost goes up — they feel they got less benefit from the scheme, even though the subsidy was correct. Quote against the benchmark honestly and the subsidy does the work it is meant to. Our EPC margins & pricing guide shows where real margin comes from without inflating the quote, and the subsidy calculator lets you show the customer the net cost live.

Paid to the customer by DBT — and what that changes for you

The subsidy is paid directly to the customer by Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) into their bank account, after the system is installed, inspected and commissioned. The EPC never receives the subsidy. That single fact reshapes your collections.

Collection implications

Because the customer is reimbursed later, you generally have to collect the full quote from the customer (or arrange financing) up front — you cannot net the subsidy off your invoice and wait to be paid by the government. Many EPCs structure this as a financing conversation: the customer pays a smaller amount and a loan covers the rest, with the subsidy adjusting later. See PM Surya Ghar loans for how that flow works.

RWA and group housing societies

Resident welfare associations (RWAs) and group housing societies (GHS) get a separate slab: ₹18,000 per kW for common-facility solar, up to a system size of 500 kW (calculated at up to 3 kW per house, including the individual rooftop installations in the society). This is a distinct rate from the individual residential subsidy above.

For larger societies this is a meaningful project category, and the rules around eligible capacity and per-house calculation matter. We cover it in full on the RWA & group housing guide. As always, the 500 kW limit and per-house basis are scheme parameters that can be revised — verify the current figures with your DISCOM and state nodal agency.

State add-on subsidies — real, but never hardcode them

Several states offer an additional top-up subsidy stacked on the central amount. For example, some states have offered figures in the region of an extra ₹30,000 for certain residential sizes. The catch: these vary by state, change frequently, and often carry their own caps and conditions.

Treat every state add-on as an estimate. Never bake a fixed state figure into a quote template or a marketing claim, because the day it changes you are mis-selling. Quote the central subsidy as the scheme fact, mention that a state top-up may apply, and tell the customer to verify the current figure with the state nodal agency.

A worked example: a 3 kW residential job

Here is the full money picture for a 3 kW system using illustrative numbers. The benchmark and quote below are examples only — the benchmark cost is set by MNRE and changes, so plug your own current figures in.

Illustrative only. MNRE benchmark cost and any state add-on change — verify current figures with your DISCOM / state nodal agency before quoting.

The takeaway: the subsidy line (₹78,000) is fixed by the slab, the benchmark sets what the subsidy is computed against, and your quote sets the customer's net cost. To run these numbers for any size and quote instantly, use the free subsidy calculator.

How SuryaHub helps you quote the subsidy right

The subsidy maths is simple once, and error-prone at scale across 20+ quotes a month. SuryaHub's quotation software builds the slab and the ₹78,000 cap into every quote, shows the customer their net cost after subsidy, and keeps the benchmark basis explicit so no one over-quotes by accident. Each job then runs through to commissioning and subsidy-claim tracking so the DBT reimbursement is not lost. SuryaHub is pre-revenue; real pilots are Suryantra Energy and RGESPL, and every figure here is a scheme fact, not a guarantee.

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Sources & references

The slab amounts, the ₹78,000 cap, the benchmark-cost basis and the RWA rate come from primary government sources. Subsidy figures are scheme facts, not guarantees — always confirm current values and any state add-on with your DISCOM and state nodal agency.

• National Portal for PM Surya Ghar ↗

  Official subsidy slabs, the consumer application and benchmark-cost basis.

• Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) ↗

  Scheme guidelines and the benchmark cost notifications that set the subsidy base.

• Press Information Bureau (PIB) ↗

  Government announcements on the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana subsidy structure.