LIHEAP: How to get help paying your heating and cooling bill

A LIHEAP application can lower what you owe on your heating or cooling bill, and applying is free. LIHEAP is the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, a federal energy assistance program for households with limited income.

This site is independent. It is not part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees LIHEAP. We can’t approve applications or predict amounts, because each state sets its own rules every year.

Picture a January gas bill that doubles after a cold week. Or an August power bill that jumps because the air conditioner ran all day. LIHEAP can help with bills like these, and sometimes with a broken furnace too.

What is LIHEAP and how does the money reach your bill?

LIHEAP is paid for by the federal government, but you won’t deal with Washington. The money passes through a few hands before it reaches your account.

Each year, Congress decides how much money the program gets. HHS then sends it to states, territories, and tribes as a block grant.

A block grant is a lump sum a state can shape into its own program. The state still has to follow federal rules.

Next, the state hands the day-to-day work to local offices. Many are community action agencies, which are nonprofits that run help programs in your area. They take your application and decide if you qualify.

When you’re approved, the payment usually goes straight to your electric, gas, or fuel company. You typically won’t get a check. The help shows up as a credit on your account instead.

If your heat or electricity is included in your rent, ask your local office before you rule yourself out. Rules for renters in that situation vary from state to state.

LIHEAP never charges a fee for its benefits. If someone wants money to help you apply, treat it as a scam.

Depending on your state, LIHEAP may help with a regular heating or cooling bill, an energy emergency, or weatherization. Weatherization means small upgrades, like sealing drafts or adding insulation, so your home uses less energy.

Not every state offers every type of help. Your local office can tell you what is available where you live.

When can you send a LIHEAP application?

Timing can decide whether you get help at all. Many states accept applications only during certain months, and the money is limited.

For heating help, many states open applications in the fall. That matches the start of cold weather, when gas and electric bills begin to climb.

Cooling help runs on a different calendar. States that offer it often open applications in spring or early summer. Some states don’t offer cooling help at all.

A few states take applications year-round. Others close as soon as the money runs out. In many places, help is first come, first served, meaning earlier applicants get helped first.

Congress sets federal funding each year, and delays in Washington can push back opening dates. Late summer is a good time to call your local office and ask when the next window starts.

Missed the window? Ask the office to tell you when applications reopen. Some states add money or reopen later in the season.

Getting help last year doesn’t sign you up again. Many programs ask you to send a new LIHEAP application each season, so mark the opening date on your calendar.

What is crisis assistance and how fast does it work?

Crisis assistance is the emergency side of LIHEAP. It’s for households facing an energy problem right now, such as a shutoff or an empty fuel tank.

Federal law sets deadlines for this help. After an eligible household applies, the program must provide some form of help that resolves the crisis within 48 hours.

If the situation is life-threatening, the deadline drops to 18 hours. The help might be a payment that stops a shutoff. It doesn’t always mean your whole bill gets paid.

States define a crisis in their own way. Common examples include:

• A shutoff notice from your electric or gas company
• Power or gas service that has already been cut off
• A heating oil or propane tank that is almost empty
• A furnace, heater, or air conditioner that stopped working
• A health condition that makes extreme heat or cold dangerous for someone at home

Each state also decides what counts as life-threatening. In many states, that includes losing heat or cooling in extreme weather. A serious health risk for someone at home can count too.

Many states let you ask for crisis help by phone or in person, sometimes outside the regular application window. Crisis funds can also run out, so don’t wait.

If a shutoff notice arrives, act that same day. Call your local energy assistance office and say you have a disconnection notice. A crisis LIHEAP application usually asks for that notice, so keep it.

Then call your utility company. Tell them you’ve applied for help, and ask whether they can hold off or set up a payment plan.

Who can qualify for this energy assistance program?

Eligibility depends mostly on your household income and how many people live with you. Each state sets its own limits. The same family could qualify in one state and miss the cutoff in another.

How do income and household size affect eligibility?

Your household usually means the people who live with you and share the energy bill. Larger households get higher income limits. A family of four can earn more than a single adult and still qualify.

Take a parent raising two kids on a part-time grocery store job. The state compares that family’s total income with its limit for a household of three.

Federal rules set a ceiling for those limits. States can use whichever of two measures is higher. One is 150% of the federal poverty guidelines. The other is 60% of the state median income.

The poverty guidelines are yearly income figures the government uses to define low income. Median income is the middle point, where half of households earn more and half earn less.

Many states set their limit below that ceiling. States also count income from everyone in the home, including people who can’t receive LIHEAP themselves.

Many states move certain households to the front of the line. These often include older adults, people with disabilities, and families with young children.

Can you qualify automatically through other benefits?

If someone in your home already gets certain benefits, your state may treat your household as income eligible. This is often called categorical eligibility, and it can save you paperwork.

Benefits that can count include SNAP, also called food stamps, and TANF, which is cash help for families. SSI, a monthly payment for older adults and people with disabilities who have low income, can count too.

So can some veterans benefits that are based on need. Not every state uses this rule, and even when yours does, you still need to apply.

What should immigrant families know before applying?

LIHEAP is open to U.S. citizens and to many immigrants with lawful status, called qualified immigrants. This group includes green card holders, refugees, people granted asylum, and some others.

People without a qualifying status can’t receive LIHEAP themselves. Their household can still apply for members who qualify, like U.S.-born children. The state counts everyone’s income but figures the benefit for eligible members only.

Many families also worry about public charge. That is a test immigration officers use to judge whether someone is likely to depend on government help.

Starting September 18, 2026, new federal rules let officers consider many more income-based benefits than before. Rules in this area may keep changing.

Public charge doesn’t apply to U.S. citizens. It also doesn’t apply to most green card holders, refugees, or people granted asylum. It usually comes up when someone applies for a green card or visa.

Does anyone in your home plan to apply for a green card or visa? If so, talk to a free immigration legal aid group first. They can review your family’s exact situation before you send any benefit application.

What documents do you need to apply?

Having your papers ready is one of the easiest ways to avoid delays. Most offices ask for similar proof, though each state has its own checklist.

Before you start your LIHEAP application, try to gather:

• A photo ID for the person applying, like a driver’s license or state ID
• Social Security numbers for household members, if your state asks for them
• Recent proof of income for everyone in the home, like pay stubs or benefit letters
• Your latest electric, gas, or fuel bill
• Proof of your address, such as a lease or official mail
• Any shutoff or disconnection notice you received

Non-citizens applying for themselves will also need papers that show their immigration status.

If you’ve ever gathered SNAP application documents, this list will feel familiar. Both programs check who lives in your home and how much the household earns.

The main extra item for LIHEAP is your energy bill. It shows the office which account should receive the payment.

If you’re paid in cash, ask the office what proof it accepts. Some offices let you sign a written statement about your income.

Take clear phone photos of every document before you apply. Many states accept uploads, and you’ll likely need the same papers again next year.

How do you apply and what happens next?

The process looks a bit different in every state. Most applications, though, follow a similar path.

First, find the right office. The National Energy Assistance Referral hotline, at 1-866-674-6327, can tell you where to apply. The call is free, and the line is open on weekdays.

You can also dial 211 in most areas. It’s a free phone line that connects people with local help programs.

Depending on your state, you might apply online, by phone, by mail, or in person. If English is your second language, ask whether forms or staff are available in your language.

After you submit your LIHEAP application, the office reviews it. Staff may call or write to ask for more documents. Reply fast, because one missing paper can hold up your whole file.

Write down the name of each person you speak with and the date of the call. That record helps if your file gets lost or delayed.

Regular heating or cooling help can take weeks, especially in busy months. You’ll get a notice saying whether you were approved and, often, how much went to your energy company.

If you’re denied, you can ask for a fair hearing. That’s a review where you explain your situation and bring proof. Your denial letter should list the deadline to ask.

While you wait, keep paying what you can. Many utilities offer payment plans, and a small payment shows you’re trying to keep the account current.

What is one small step you can take today?

LIHEAP won’t cover every energy cost, and nobody can promise approval. It can still take real pressure off a hard month.

Application windows can close once the money is gone. If a shutoff notice arrives, crisis help comes with much shorter deadlines.

This week, take a photo of your latest energy bill and a recent pay stub. Then call the referral hotline and ask when your state opens its next LIHEAP application period.

Legal notice: This site is independent. It is not affiliated with HHS, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), or any state agency. We never charge for information about government benefits, and applying for LIHEAP is free. Eligibility rules and benefit amounts vary by state and change each year. Check your state’s official income limits and the date they were last updated. We cannot promise that your application will be approved or that your bill will be paid.

Educational information: not tax, legal, or financial advice.