There isn’t actually a ComEd deposit waiver form to download and mail in. ComEd waives the security deposit through its Deposit and Late Payment Charge Waiver Program, and you enroll online through the Smart Assistance Manager at ComEd.com/SAM or by phone. The program also waives late payment charges for a year, and if you already paid a deposit, ComEd either credits it against your balance or returns it to you.1ComEd. Deposit and Late Payment Charge Waiver Program
Who Can Get the Waiver
ComEd accepts you into the waiver program through one of two qualifying paths. The first is active participation in LIHEAP, SARP, or PIPP; your existing enrollment in any of those programs serves as your proof of eligibility. The second is being a no-income customer, which ComEd verifies through a separate process inside its portal.1ComEd. Deposit and Late Payment Charge Waiver Program
If your reported income is above the program threshold, your application won’t be accepted. One additional exclusion applies no matter your income: customers identified as having benefited from meter tampering cannot receive the waiver.
How To Enroll
Go to ComEd.com/SAM (the Smart Assistance Manager) or to the program page on ComEd’s website and choose your qualifying path. LIHEAP, SARP, and PIPP participants can enroll directly because their program status is the eligibility proof. No-income applicants are walked through verification inside the portal.
If you need help with the online enrollment or aren’t sure which path fits your situation, call ComEd customer service at 1-800-EDISON-1 (1-800-334-7661).2ComEd. Payment Arrangements
The waiver lasts one year. To keep it active you have to reapply annually. You can use the same qualifying path if nothing has changed, or switch paths if your circumstances have — for example, if you started receiving LIHEAP since your last enrollment.1ComEd. Deposit and Late Payment Charge Waiver Program
Getting Back a Deposit You Already Paid
Enrolling in the waiver while ComEd is still holding a deposit means that deposit doesn’t just sit there. ComEd applies it to any outstanding balance on your account, and if there’s money left over, it comes back to you.1ComEd. Deposit and Late Payment Charge Waiver Program
Even outside the waiver program, deposits are refundable once you’ve built a satisfactory payment record. ComEd refunds automatically after all four of these are true:3ComEd. ComEd Welcome Kit
- 12 consecutive months of service with fewer than four late payments.
- No disconnections for non-payment during that period.
- No meter tampering on your account.
- No past-due balance at the time of review.
Deposit Protections You Have Even Without Enrolling
Being certified as a low-income customer already limits when ComEd can charge you a deposit at all, under a separate section of the Illinois Administrative Code. A utility cannot charge a low-income customer a deposit based on credit scoring, and any deposit already collected for that reason is returned once you’re certified.4Legal Information Institute. Illinois Administrative Code 280.45 – Deposits for Low Income Customers
The late-payments-plus-past-due trigger that applies to regular customers doesn’t apply to low-income customers either. There are only three situations where a low-income customer can be required to pay a deposit at all:
- Meter tampering.
- A prior disconnection for non-payment on the same type of service.
- An unpaid final bill that exceeded 20% of ComEd’s average annual residential billing for the prior calendar year.4Legal Information Institute. Illinois Administrative Code 280.45 – Deposits for Low Income Customers
Small unpaid balances from a previous account won’t clear that 20% threshold, so many low-income applicants shouldn’t be facing a deposit at all before the waiver program even enters the picture.
If You’ve Been Charged a Deposit You Think Is Wrong
Call ComEd first. If a deposit was assessed against you based on credit scoring and you qualify as low-income, that charge shouldn’t stand. If ComEd doesn’t resolve it, you can file a complaint with the Illinois Commerce Commission.
Don’t just ignore a deposit bill while you sort it out. Non-payment of a valid service deposit is an allowable reason for ComEd to disconnect your electric service under Illinois regulations, and reconnection then requires paying the deposit in full plus any outstanding bills.5Legal Information Institute. Illinois Administrative Code 280.130 – Disconnection of Service Applying for the waiver, setting up an installment plan, or entering a Deferred Payment Arrangement is far cheaper than getting shut off and reconnected.