What the MAP refund is
For years many customers waited for a prepaid meter that never came. The Meter Asset Provider scheme was the way around the queue: you paid an approved provider for the meter yourself, and it was installed on your DisCo's network.
The catch is ownership. A meter on the network is the DisCo's asset, not yours. So the money you paid is treated as a debt the DisCo owes you, and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission requires it to be paid back.
Not in cash. In electricity. IBEDC runs a separate portal for it at ibedc.com/map-refund, and that portal is what this tool checks.
How the refund is paid
The meter cost is credited to your account when the meter is activated, then paid out as monthly energy credits spread over an approved 120-month period. Prepaid customers get a token each month. Postpaid customers get a separate credit line on the bill.
Many DisCos fell behind. By the end of 2025 they still owed customers N20.33 billion in meter refunds, so NERC issued Order NERC/2026/025, the Amended Order on the Reimbursement of Meter Costs, effective 1 March 2026. It gives DisCos 12 months to clear that backlog. Three rules from it matter to you:
- Two tokens a month during the catch-up period: the normal instalment plus a backlog token.
- By the fourth day of each month, prepaid refund tokens must be generated.
- No offsetting. The refund may not be used to clear old debts on your account.
How the check works
The box at the top of this page is the same screen AidaPay users see in the app. You type your meter number and press Get Token. Our server sends that number to IBEDC's MAP refund portal and brings back its answer as plain data.
Three answers are possible. Refunds found: a numbered list, earliest first, each with its issue date, refund amount, the amount already applied, the balance left and the 20-digit token with a copy button. Verified, nothing yet: your meter is on the MAP list but no token has been issued so far. Not found: IBEDC has no MAP meter with that number.
The name on the account is partly hidden, enough for you to recognise your own meter. A meter checked twice within a few minutes is answered from a short cache so IBEDC is not asked again.
Loading the tokens
IBEDC asks for one thing above all: load the tokens in ascending order, from the earliest issue date to the latest. The list above is already sorted that way.
- Copy the first token, or write it down in four-digit groups.
- On the meter keypad, type the digits and press Enter (the tick or # key on some meters).
- Wait for Accept, then move to the next token in the list.
A meter that shows Used already has that credit. Reject usually means a typing error or a token loaded out of order.
If something looks wrong
"Meter not found" is most often a mistyped digit, so check the number printed on the meter. If it is right, the meter was probably not bought under MAP, and there is no refund to pay.
"Verified, nothing yet" means you are on the list and waiting. Check again early next month. If months pass with nothing, or a token keeps rejecting, call IBEDC with your meter number and the date you paid for the meter. NERC told every DisCo to set up a dedicated complaints channel for meter refunds; if IBEDC cannot fix it, your state's NERC customer complaints forum is the next step.
IBEDC contacts
Customer care line +234 700 123 9999, email customercare@ibedc.com, and the MAP refund portal at ibedc.com/map-refund. When you need more units, IBEDC tokens are sold in the AidaPay app with the meter name verified before you pay.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MAP scheme?
How is the refund paid?
Why do I have more than one token this month?
Why must I load the tokens in order?
It says my meter was verified but no refund yet.
It says meter not found.
Is AidaPay part of IBEDC?
How we check this page
The AidaPay team checked the facts on this page on 29 Sep 2026 against the sources below - the provider's own pages and the regulator first. The tool itself asks the provider live on every check. Spotted something out of date? Email help@aidapay.ng and we will correct it.
Sources: IBEDC: MAP refund portal · Legit.ng: NERC orders DisCos to refund meter costs to customers within 12 months (March 2026) · Nairametrics: NERC orders DisCos to fast-track N20.33 billion meter refunds (March 2026)
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