Outlet Not Working? Causes and $80 to $200 Repair (2026)

Outlet not working: repair cost at a glance. National figures; each guide shown as published, not averaged.

Dead outlet warning signs: when is it urgent?

• Leave and call 911: smoke, flame, or a burning smell that is getting stronger.
• Stop using it and call today: the outlet or the wall around it is warm, the cover is scorched or melted, it sparked, it buzzes, or you felt a tingle when you plugged something in. HomeGuide says to stop using an outlet right away if it or the wall around it feels warm and to contact an electrician, and ESFI lists warm outlets, discolored switches and a mild shock or tingle as warning signs.
• Leave the power off: the outlet or the box got wet in a leak or flood. ESFI's list of water-damaged electrical equipment says receptacles, GFCIs and outlet boxes must be replaced.
• Can wait for a normal visit: an outlet that is simply dead, cool and unmarked, or one that will not hold a plug.

ESFI cites CPSC data that electrical receptacles are involved in 5,300 fires every year. A dead outlet with no heat or smell is not one of those warning signs, but an outlet that works on and off can be, because a connection that comes and goes is a connection that can heat up.

Why is my outlet not working? Check these in order

Most dead outlets have one of five causes, and the first three cost nothing. Use this table to match what you see to the likely fix:

Prices from HomeGuide (Sep 2025) and Angi (Sep 2026), as each publishes them.

1. A GFCI somewhere else tripped. HomeGuide says that when a GFCI outlet trips, it also cuts power to the other outlets connected to it. The GFCI can be in a different room, so look in every bathroom, the kitchen, the garage, the basement and outdoor outlets, and press RESET until it clicks.
2. A breaker tripped. Check the panel for a handle in the middle position. The safe way to reset it is on how to reset a breaker box.
3. A wall switch controls it. In many bedrooms and living rooms, one outlet, or just its top or bottom half, is wired to the switch by the door so a lamp can be turned on from there. Flip every switch in the room before you call.
4. A connection came loose. Once the first three are ruled out, this is the next suspect, and it needs an electrician. See the next section.
5. The outlet is worn out. HomeGuide says standard outlets last 12 to 25 years or more. A plug that falls out is the usual sign.

Several outlets not working in one room

Outlets on a circuit are usually wired one after another, so power passes through each box on its way to the next. When one connection fails, every outlet after it goes dead while the ones before it keep working. That is why half a wall of outlets can quit while the breaker is still on and no GFCI has tripped.

A common failure point is the backstab, or push-in, connection. HomeTips describes it as a wire pushed into a hole on the back of the outlet and held by a spring clip. Heat, vibration and heavy loads can loosen the clip, and once it is loose, resistance rises and the connection can overheat or arc. HomeTips says a failed backstab can interrupt power to everything downstream, and that the safest long-term repair is usually moving the wires to the outlet's screw terminals. The electrician will typically start at the last working outlet and the first dead one, since the fault is in one of those two boxes.

If a whole section of the house is out and the breakers all look fine, the problem may be outside. National Grid says that if the breakers and fuses are fine, one or more service wires to the house may be damaged, and to call the utility. Lights that dim or flicker along with the dead outlets are covered in lights flickering in the house.

Do GFCI outlets go bad? Signs a GFCI has failed

Yes, GFCI outlets go bad, and sooner than ordinary outlets. HomeGuide puts the life of a GFCI outlet at 7 to 15 years or more, against 12 to 25 years or more for a standard outlet. The CPSC's GFCI fact sheet says blackouts and other power disturbances can sometimes damage a GFCI's ability to work.

Newer GFCIs tell you when they fail. UL, writing in IAEI Magazine, says GFCI outlets and breakers made on or after June 29, 2015 must have a self-test function, and that when the device reaches the end of its life it generally cuts power rather than keep running unprotected. That is why a GFCI can go bad and leave a string of outlets dead even though nothing tripped. UL also notes that a past field study found a number of GFCIs that were inoperative.

Signs a GFCI outlet has gone bad:

• It will not reset even with the breaker on and nothing plugged in.
• Pressing TEST does nothing, or the lamp you plugged in stays on. ESFI says that if the light does not go out, the GFCI may have been wired wrong or damaged and does not protect against shock.
• It trips with nothing plugged in, over and over.
• On a model with a status light, the light shows a fault.
• It got wet in a leak or flood. ESFI lists water-damaged GFCIs as equipment that must be replaced, and NEMA says air drying and washing them should not be attempted.

UL notes that the self-test cannot check every part, so the TEST button should still be used. The monthly test, step by step, is in the GFCI outlet guide. HomeGuide puts replacing a GFCI outlet at $90 to $200, and Angi puts GFCI repair at $100 to $300.

Outlet repair cost by problem

Angi's September 2026 data prices outlet repair by what went wrong. The national average is $130 per outlet:

Angi, Electrical outlet repair cost, September 2026. Causes are our plain-language summary; prices are Angi's.

Two things raise the bill. Old wiring is the first: Angi says replacing outdated wiring for a single outlet can cost up to $1,500, and adding a ground wire to an existing outlet location costs $130 to $300. The second is the visit itself. HomeGuide says most electricians charge a minimum one-hour rate or a $100 to $200 trip fee, so if three outlets are acting up, have them all looked at on one trip. For aluminum or knob and tube wiring behind the outlet, see knob and tube wiring.

Only half of the outlet works

If the top works and the bottom does not, or the other way around, the outlet is probably split. On a switched outlet, a small metal tab between the two halves was broken off on purpose so that one half follows the wall switch. Try the switches in the room first. If none of them brings the dead half back, the outlet itself or a connection behind it has failed, and Angi's range for a broken outlet is $60 to $200.

What the electrician does on a dead outlet call

Expect the electrician to confirm power at the panel, test the dead outlet and the outlets next to it, then open the box with the breaker off. If the wires are pushed into backstab holes, they will usually move them to the screw terminals or replace the outlet. If the outlet shows heat damage, it gets replaced and the box gets checked for melted insulation. A tripped breaker that will not stay on is a different job, covered in breaker keeps tripping.

Questions to ask before you book

• What is your trip fee, and does it include the first hour?
• Will you check every outlet on the circuit, or only the dead one?
• If you find backstab connections, will you move them to the screw terminals?
• Is the price per outlet or for the visit?
• Where my state licenses electricians, what is your license number?

Calls go to an independent company that serves your area and takes this kind of job; hours vary. How calls work. Other common repair prices are in electrical repair costs and rates. If outlets died after a lightning storm, a panel surge protector may be worth pricing on the same visit; see whole house surge protector cost.

Outlet stopped working: what to do now

1. Feel the cover plate with the back of your hand. If it is warm, smells burnt or is marked, stop here: turn off its breaker if you can reach the panel from a dry spot, and call.
2. Unplug everything from the dead outlet and the outlets near it.
3. Press RESET on every GFCI in the kitchen, bathrooms, garage, basement and outside.
4. Check the panel for a tripped breaker and reset it once.
5. Flip each wall switch in the room and test again with a lamp you know works.
6. Note which outlets are dead and which still work, in order along the wall. That list saves the electrician time.
7. Call an electrician if none of that brings it back.