Behind on Your PPL Bill?
PPL Electric Utilities is the electric company delivering power to about 1.4 million customers across central and eastern Pennsylvania, from the Lehigh Valley to Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Scranton. If you're behind and a shutoff is coming, filing bankruptcy stops it and can wipe out the balance. We handle PPL cases across the state, all by phone or Zoom.
Qualifying filers may be eligible for our $999 flat fee Chapter 7.
Mike has gone up against PPL and won
When a utility keeps collecting after a bankruptcy filing, the law pushes back hard. In In re Minarik, Bankr. E.D. Pa. (2025), a case Mike worked on, the court awarded $20,000 against PPL for an automatic-stay violation. So when we tell you filing stops the shutoff and the collection letters, it's not theory. Section 366 keeps the shutoff threat off the table, and the past-due balance typically gets discharged with the rest of your unsecured debt.
Where PPL debt piles up
- A shutoff notice after a payment agreement fell through
- Winter protection ended with the balance still growing
- An OnTrack or LIHEAP gap left a bill you can't catch up on
- Deposits and reinstatement amounts after a past termination
- Electric arrears riding on top of credit cards and medical bills
What bankruptcy can do
- Stop a PPL shutoff the moment your case hits the docket
- Erase the past-due PPL balance in a Chapter 7 discharge
- Roll the arrears into a single Chapter 13 plan payment
- Keep the power on under Section 366 while the case is open
- Hold PPL accountable if it violates the automatic stay, as in In re Minarik, Bankr. E.D. Pa. (2025), where the court awarded $20,000
Common questions about PPL Bill Debt
What happens if PPL keeps collecting after I file?
That's an automatic-stay violation, and it has consequences. In In re Minarik, Bankr. E.D. Pa. (2025), a case Mike worked on, the court awarded $20,000 against PPL for an automatic-stay violation. If PPL sends bills for old debt, calls, or moves toward shutoff after your case is filed, tell us immediately.
I have a shutoff notice from PPL. How much time do I have?
Pennsylvania rules generally require at least 10 days' written notice before termination. Filing bankruptcy stops the shutoff the moment the case is filed, so even a close date is workable. Call us and we'll map the timing the same day.
Do PPL's assistance programs fix this?
Programs like OnTrack, LIHEAP, and Operation HELP lower the going-forward bills, and they're worth applying for. OnTrack can also forgive a portion of a past-due balance each month while you stay enrolled and pay on time. What these programs don't do is erase a large balance outright. Bankruptcy clears the old debt; the programs make the future affordable. They work well together.
Will PPL turn my power back on after I file?
Section 366 stops PPL from refusing service over the old balance, so reconnection is on the table once you file. PPL may set a reasonable deposit for going-forward service first, and the court can trim it if it's out of line. Reconnection timing varies from case to case, so tell us the day you file and we'll push it along.