Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. A user equipment (UE) may communicate with a base station as part of a wireless communications system. The UE may identify a configuration for one or more repetitions of an uplink control channel transmission, where each repetition of the one or more repetitions including a first quantity of symbols. The UE may determine a power level for each repetition of the one or more repetitions. The UE may then identify that a second quantity of symbols is available to the UE to transmit a repetition of the one or more repetitions, and the second quantity of symbols may be less than the first quantity of symbols indicated by the configuration. The UE may transmit, to a base station, the repetition on the using the power level.