If you signed in the last few days, you can usually cancel for any reason: federal law gives you three business days on a sale made at your home, and some states give more. After that window, and especially after installation, there is no simple cancel button. Your exits are to pay off a loan, buy out a lease or PPA, transfer it when you sell the house, or, if you were misled at the sale, bring a legal claim that can lead to cancellation or a refund.
Where are you right now?
If you signed in the last few days: cancel in writing
The FTC Cooling-Off Rule (16 C.F.R. Part 429) covers sales of $25 or more made at your home, and $130 or more at other locations away from the seller's place of business. You have three business days to cancel for any reason. The seller had to give you a completed "Notice of Cancellation" form when you signed, and after you cancel it must refund your payments within 10 business days.
Some states give you longer:
- California: buyers 65 and older get five business days on home solicitation and home improvement contracts, including PACE contracts (AB 2471, effective January 1, 2021).
- Texas: residential solar sales carry a five-business-day right to cancel, and if the seller arranged your loan, the contract must require the lender to cancel the loan too (SB 1036). See Texas solar rules.
- Other states: see solar consumer protection laws by state.
How to cancel
- Use the cancellation form the seller gave you, or write a short dated letter: your name, address, the contract date, and "I am cancelling this contract."
- Send it by a method you can prove: certified mail with return receipt, plus email. Send it to the installer and the lender or leasing company.
- Keep copies of everything, and do not let installation start. If a crew shows up, tell them in writing that the contract is cancelled.
- If the seller never gave you a cancellation notice, write that down. A missing notice can matter a great deal later.
If the window has passed but nothing is installed
Read the contract. Many solar agreements have their own terms for cancelling before installation, sometimes with a fee. Ask the installer in writing for its cancellation terms and any amount it says you owe, and do not sign anything new. If the salesperson made promises the contract does not contain, write them down now with dates, while you remember them.
If the system is already installed
What you can do depends on how it is paid for.
Solar loan
- Pay it off or refinance it. Several solar lenders, including Solar Servicing LLC (Mosaic loans) and EnFin, state they charge no prepayment penalty; ask yours for a payoff letter.
- Do not stop paying on your own. A default damages your credit and gives the lender a clean collection claim.
- If you were misled, see the FTC Holder Rule below.
Lease or PPA
- Buy out or prepay the remaining agreement. Get the quote in writing with its expiration date.
- Transfer it to the buyer when you sell the house. See selling a house with solar panels for each company's home-sale desk.
- A lease or PPA is not a loan, so the Holder Rule may not apply. An attorney can tell you what does.
Removing the panels
If you own them, you can pay a contractor to remove them, but any loan stays owed. If they are leased or under a PPA, the company owns them and removal needs its approval.
If you were misled at the sale
This is where cancellation or a refund becomes possible after installation. Common examples: savings that were promised but never came, a tax credit described as a rebate or a guaranteed check, a salesperson who claimed to be from the utility or a government program, terms on the signed contract that differ from what you were shown, or a lease presented as ownership.
These are usually claims under your state's consumer protection or deceptive trade practices laws. Most solar contracts also require individual arbitration and waive class actions, so a class action is usually not the path. A state attorney general complaint costs nothing and is not limited by your contract. See the 2026 attorney general solar lawsuits.
The FTC Holder Rule, if you have a loan
A consumer credit contract for a financed sale must carry this notice: "Any holder of this consumer credit contract is subject to all claims and defenses which the debtor could assert against the seller of goods or services obtained pursuant hereto or with the proceeds hereof. Recovery hereunder by the debtor shall not exceed amounts paid by the debtor hereunder." In plain terms: if the installer misled you, you can raise that against the lender, even if the installer is gone, and what you can recover from the lender is capped at what you paid on the loan. Look for the "NOTICE" box on your loan agreement. More: how financed customers use the Holder Rule.
What to gather
- The contract, the loan or lease agreement, and the sales proposal or savings estimate you were shown
- Texts, emails and any recordings with the salesperson
- Utility bills from before and after installation
- Monitoring data showing what the system actually produces
- Any cancellation notice, or a note that you never got one
Before you pay a "solar exit" company
Search ads for these terms are bought mostly by companies that promise to get you out of your solar contract. Some work with licensed attorneys; others mainly sell you a service. Before you pay anyone, ask:
- Which licensed attorney in my state will represent me, and can I see the engagement agreement?
- What is the total fee, when is it due, and is any of it refundable?
- What happens if you cannot get me out?
- Do you want me to stop paying my loan or lease? (Stopping on your own can damage your credit.)
Get every answer in writing.
Asking is free. We read your request, check your installer and lender against our bankruptcy, lawsuit and warranty records, and tell you what we can do. If an attorney is the right next step, we can organize your contract, bills and messages into one case file an attorney can review in one read, and connect you with consumer attorneys who take solar cases.
We are not a law firm and this is not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Can I cancel a solar contract after signing?
Yes, within the cancellation window. If you signed at your home, the FTC Cooling-Off Rule gives you three business days to cancel for any reason, in writing, and the seller must refund within 10 business days. Some states give longer: California gives buyers 65 and older five business days, and Texas gives five business days on residential solar sales. Check the cancellation notice the seller was required to give you.
Can you cancel a solar panel contract after installation?
Usually not just by asking. After installation the realistic exits are paying off a loan, buying out a lease or PPA, transferring it when you sell the house, or, if you were misled at the sale, a legal claim that can lead to cancellation or a refund. Read your contract for its own terms first.
How do I get out of a solar loan?
You can pay it off or refinance it; several solar lenders state they charge no prepayment penalty. If the seller misled you, the FTC Holder Rule notice in a consumer credit contract lets you raise the seller's misconduct against the lender, with recovery limited to the amounts you paid under the loan. Do not stop paying on your own; a default damages your credit.
Do I need a lawyer to get out of a solar contract?
Not to use a cancellation window or to pay off or buy out a contract. You do need one to bring a claim that you were misled at the sale. A consumer attorney can tell you which claims apply in your state and whether fees can be shifted to the seller.
Are solar exit companies legitimate?
Some work with licensed attorneys; others mainly sell you a service. Before you pay anyone, ask which licensed attorney in your state will represent you, what the total fee is and when it is due, and what happens if they cannot get you out. Get the answers in writing.
Sources
- FTC Cooling-Off Rule, 16 C.F.R. Part 429 (ecfr.gov), read October 22, 2026.
- FTC Holder Rule, 16 C.F.R. Part 433 (ecfr.gov), read October 22, 2026.
- California AB 2471 (2020), effective January 1, 2021, as summarized by Consumer Finance Monitor (Ballard Spahr), October 14, 2020.
- Texas SB 1036 and TDLR residential solar rules; see our Texas guide for primary sources.
General information, not legal advice. Laws and deadlines vary by state and by contract; an attorney licensed in your state can tell you what applies to you.