Energy and utility bill assistance by state: LIHEAP and weatherization

How LIHEAP money gets from Washington to your utility bill

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is a block grant from the Department of Health and Human Services to states, the District of Columbia, territories and tribes. Federal law lets them spend it on heating and cooling bill payments, energy crisis intervention, low-cost weatherization and energy-related home repairs ⁠³. HHS does not pay individuals. Each grantee writes its own plan, sets benefit levels, and takes applications through a state office, county offices or local community action agencies.

Funding arrives in pieces, which is why some states open their season with smaller benefits and add supplements later. For federal fiscal year 2026, ACF released $3,713,859,933 on November 28, 2025, under a continuing resolution, including $100 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act ⁠⁶, and a final $421,540,067 on April 17, 2026, after the full-year appropriation passed ⁠⁷. For fiscal 2027, the first release of $3,631,860,000 went out on October 9, 2026 ⁠⁸.

Federal rules every state LIHEAP program must follow

• Income ceiling. A household may be served if its income is at or below the greater of 150% of the poverty guidelines or 60% of state median income. A state may choose a lower limit, but not below 110% of the poverty guidelines ⁠³.
• Automatic eligibility. States may treat households receiving TANF, SSI, SNAP or certain veterans’ benefits as eligible without a separate income test ⁠³.
• Targeting. The largest benefits must go to households with the lowest incomes and the highest energy costs or needs relative to income, taking family size into account ⁠³.
• Crisis deadlines. Help that resolves an energy crisis must be provided within 48 hours of application, or within 18 hours when the situation is life-threatening ⁠⁴.
• Spending caps. No more than 15% of a state’s funds may go to weatherization, or 25% with a federal waiver, and administrative costs are capped at 10% ⁠³.
• No fees. LIHEAP never charges to apply. ACF asks anyone offered a “LIHEAP grant” in exchange for a fee to report it to the HHS fraud hotline at 1-800-447-8477 ⁠⁵.

The 2026 poverty guidelines

HHS published the 2026 guidelines on January 15, 2026 ⁠². Programs apply a percentage of them, and many energy programs switch to new figures at the start of their own program year rather than in January. The 150% and 200% columns below multiply the HHS figures for the 48 contiguous states and DC. The 150% column is the poverty-based part of the LIHEAP ceiling (a state may instead use 60% of state median income, or a lower limit), and the 200% column is the weatherization ceiling.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

HHS calculated the 2026 guidelines from 11 months of 2025 consumer price data because October 2025 figures were not collected during the federal shutdown ⁠¹.

Other category pages on this site that refer to the poverty guidelines link back to this table.

What states decide, and why limits differ so much

The federal ceiling is a maximum, and states use the room it gives them in very different ways:

• The income test. Some states use 150% of poverty, some use 60% of state median income (which is usually higher for small households in higher-income states), and some set a lower limit to stretch a smaller allocation.
• Benefit schedules. States build matrices by income, household size, fuel type, region and energy burden, with minimum and maximum payments. There is no national benefit amount.
• Components. How money is split among heating, cooling, crisis and weatherization varies, and some states offer no summer cooling help.
• Seasons and priority windows. Many states open in the fall, give older adults or people with disabilities an early window, and close when money runs out.
• Crisis definitions. A disconnection notice, an empty fuel tank or a broken furnace may qualify, with separate caps on crisis payments.

Utility-funded discounts, percentage-of-income payment plans and winter shutoff protections are set by state law or utility commission orders, not by LIHEAP. In many states, enrolling in LIHEAP, SNAP or Medicaid also qualifies a household for those discounts, so state guides cover them alongside LIHEAP.

Weatherization is a separate program

The Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) pays for insulation, air sealing, heating system repairs and health and safety fixes, carried out by local agencies under a state grantee. It does not pay bills. A household qualifies with income at or below 200% of the poverty guidelines, if a member received TANF or SSI cash assistance in the prior 12 months, or, where the state elects it, through LIHEAP eligibility ⁠⁹. DOE notes that states may use LIHEAP’s 60%-of-state-median-income test ⁠¹⁰. Renters can qualify with the owner’s permission, and multi-unit buildings must meet minimum shares of eligible units ⁠⁹. Priority usually goes to older adults, people with disabilities, families with children, and households with high energy use or a high energy burden, so waiting lists are common.

Common mistakes

• Assuming the federal maximum is your limit. A calculator that applies 150% of poverty in every state can tell you that you qualify when your state’s cutoff is lower.
• Using last year’s figures. A state may still be using 2025 guidelines early in the year, or switch to 2026 figures in October.
• Confusing the two programs. LIHEAP helps with bills; WAP fixes the house. Some states coordinate the two applications; in others you apply separately.
• Waiting for a shutoff. Regular heating benefits are often first-come, first-served. Apply when the season opens, and use the crisis program if a disconnection is already scheduled.
• Answering a text or call about an energy grant. Legitimate programs are reached through the state agency or a local agency listed by ACF ⁠¹¹.

How to use the state guides

The table above gives each state’s LIHEAP income limit for a household of four and the program’s name. Each state guide names the agency and local providers that take applications, gives the limits by household size with their effective dates, explains the benefit range and crisis rules, and says when the season opens. If you cannot find your local office, ACF’s contact list names every state coordinator ⁠¹¹, and ACF’s LIHEAP page lists the National Energy Assistance Referral line ⁠⁵.

Sources

1. 1
   HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, HHS Poverty GuidelinesChecked Oct 20, 2026 · Back to text ↑
2. 2
   Federal Register, Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines (91 FR 1797)Checked Oct 20, 2026 · Back to text ↑
3. 3
   U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo), 42 U.S.C. 8624, LIHEAP applications and requirementsChecked Oct 20, 2026 · Back to text ↑
4. 4
   U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo), 42 U.S.C. 8623, LIHEAP allotment of funds (crisis assistance)Checked Oct 20, 2026 · Back to text ↑
5. 5
   HHS Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)Checked Oct 20, 2026 · Back to text ↑
6. 6
   HHS Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services, LIHEAP FY 2026 first block grant funding releaseChecked Oct 20, 2026 · Back to text ↑
7. 7
   HHS Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services, LIHEAP FFY 2026 final block grant funding releaseChecked Oct 20, 2026 · Back to text ↑
8. 8
   HHS Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services, LIHEAP FY 2027 first block grant funding releaseChecked Oct 20, 2026 · Back to text ↑
9. 9
   Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 10 CFR 440.22, Weatherization Assistance Program eligibilityChecked Oct 20, 2026 · Back to text ↑
10. 10
    U.S. Department of Energy, How to Apply for Weatherization AssistanceChecked Oct 20, 2026 · Back to text ↑
11. 11
    HHS Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services, LIHEAP State and Territory Contact ListingChecked Oct 20, 2026 · Back to text ↑