Can you use an electric bill as proof of address?

Yes, when that application’s document list accepts it. California’s REAL ID checklist, for example, lists home utility bills as residency evidence.^⁠[1] Start by naming the organization receiving your document and the application you’re making.

• For REAL ID, open your state licensing agency’s current checklist.^⁠[2]
• For a bank or another organization, ask for its list for your application.
• If you need a substitute for a bill, ask about that exact document before requesting it.

Agency and utility instructions in this guide were checked November 9, 2026.

Check the name, address, issue date and format against the receiver’s list. California and Illinois specify name and address requirements; Illinois also sets a utility-bill age limit.^⁠[1,3] Treat the checks below as questions for your application.

• Does the name meet the rule?

  California generally asks REAL ID applicants for their first and last name on residency documents. Its checklist also has a family-document route.^⁠[1]

• Is it the required address?

  California asks for the mailing address on your application. Illinois requires your full residential address.^⁠[1,3] Check which address your receiver needs.

• Is the bill recent enough?

  Illinois REAL ID lists utility bills issued within 90 days of application.^⁠[3] Compare your bill’s issue date with your receiver’s limit for the day you apply.

• Is the format accepted?

  Illinois accepts printed electronic documents, but excludes mobile phone photos and photocopies.^⁠[3] Check the receiver’s instructions before choosing a printout or upload.

Also check instructions about account details. Illinois REAL ID requires visible account numbers.^⁠[3] Follow your own receiver’s requirements when deciding what information to submit.

Get the statement from your utility’s account service. Con Edison’s public instructions give this route to a printable bill PDF:^⁠[4]

1. Open Con Edison’s My Account

   Choose Billing & Usage, then scroll to your billing history.^⁠[4]

2. Choose the billing cycle you need

   Select a billing cycle, then choose View Bill to open its PDF.^⁠[4] Compare that statement’s date with the receiver’s requirements.

3. Print the statement if your receiver requires it

   Con Edison lets you print the PDF from your browser.^⁠[4] Confirm the required submission format with the receiver before sending it.

For a different utility, look for its own bill-copy instructions. If you can’t find them, find your utility’s contact information and ask for the statement you need. Ask the receiver about a receipt or account screenshot rather than assuming it counts as the bill.

Ask the receiver whether it accepts a particular utility-issued letter, then check how your utility provides it. PG&E offers the following distinct routes.^⁠[5] If you haven’t started service, see how to set up electricity at your new address.

Sign in to PG&E, open Billing, choose All billing tasks, then Payment Reference Letter.^⁠[5] Confirm that the receiving organization accepts this named letter for your application before relying on it.

Separately, call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000 to request a service confirmation by mail or fax.^⁠[5] Check that the receiver accepts that exact confirmation and delivery format before requesting it.

PG&E doesn’t send confirmation letters until the first day of service.^⁠[5] Its instructions don’t give an arrival time. Ask about delivery if you’re working toward an appointment or deadline.

These states list utility bills among their REAL ID residency documents.^{⁠[1,3,6,7,8]} These examples cover proof of address, rather than the whole application. We checked the sources on November 9, 2026.

Ask the receiving authority which alternatives it approves for your application. Explain whether your name isn’t on the bill, you haven’t received one, or you don’t have your own utility account. Use the same approach when utilities are included in rent.

• Ask which listed document can cover your situation.
• Check whether supporting documents are needed for a bill in another person’s name.
• Confirm how many proofs you need and any restrictions on their sources or types.

California’s REAL ID checklist has a family-document route if your name isn’t on any residency documents. A birth certificate, marriage license or domestic partner registration certificate can show your relationship to the person named.^⁠[1]

If the residency and relationship documents show different names because of a name change, you’ll need more name-change evidence.^⁠[1] Check which relationship and name-change documents California DMV needs for your situation.

For example, New York REAL ID requires two residency proofs and restricts repeated sources or types.^⁠[8] Don’t choose another month’s utility bill without checking those requirements. Ask DMV which other listed proof fits your application.

Work through this list with your documents and the receiver’s instructions together. If anything is unclear, ask about that specific detail before your appointment or upload.

Public Grid offers help setting up electricity for your move.^⁠[9] It’s free to sign up, with no contracts.^⁠[9] Keep the document request on your move-in list, and check that the receiving organization accepts what your utility provides.

Electricity accountvia Utility Co.

Sample account