Massachusetts heating assistance: HEAP, weatherization and utility discounts (2026-27)

How EOHLC splits HEAP among 20 local agencies

EOHLC does not decide individual applications. The State Plan lists 20 local administering agencies, mostly community action agencies and other nonprofits, that determine eligibility and pay gas, electric and fuel vendors ⁠⁴. The same network runs weatherization and heating system repair, and in most towns one agency handles all three ⁠⁶⁠⁷. To find yours, use the online portal or EOHLC’s provider locator, which lists the fuel assistance, weatherization and heating system agencies for each city and town ⁠¹⁠⁸.

The money goes straight to your heating company for actual usage or deliveries. Tenants whose heat is included in their rent are the exception: they get a check from the agency once the landlord or manager confirms the tenancy ⁠¹⁠⁴. For heating oil, agencies buy from local dealers under a Margin Over Rack price. The dealer is paid either 75 cents a gallon over the daily average rack price or its posted price for that day, whichever is lower ⁠⁴. That stretches your benefit further than paying retail.

The 60% line for FY2027 and how housing type changes your award

Federal law lets states set the LIHEAP ceiling at either 150% of the poverty guidelines or 60% of state median income, whichever is greater ⁠¹⁴. Massachusetts uses 60% of state median income, and this is the highest limit allowed. For a family of four it is $103,049, about three times the 2026 federal poverty line ⁠¹. EOHLC says not all income counts and the local agency makes the final call ⁠¹. The State Plan says eligibility is based on gross income, and the agency checks proof of income for the 30 days before you apply ⁠¹⁠⁴. There is no asset test ⁠⁴.

Your housing situation matters as much as your income:

• Homeowners and unsubsidized renters who pay their own heating vendor get a full benefit. So do unsubsidized renters with heat included in the rent ⁠⁴.
• Renters in subsidized or Low Income Housing Tax Credit buildings who pay their own heating bill get a reduced benefit ⁠³⁠⁴.
• Subsidized renters with heat in rent qualify only if rent is more than 30% of gross monthly income. If they pay 30% or less, they are not eligible ⁠⁴.

Massachusetts does not give automatic HEAP eligibility to SNAP, TANF or SSI households. The only automatic payment is H-EAT, a $21 yearly benefit that the Department of Transitional Assistance sends to certain SNAP households through a data match. Everyone else applies to a local agency ⁠⁴.

Reading the FY2026 benefit matrix and the 2026-27 increases

HEAP pays a fixed benefit based on six income levels, fuel type and housing subsidy. Households whose previous year’s heating costs exceeded a set threshold also get a High Energy Cost Supplement (HECS) ⁠³⁠⁴. The last published chart, for FY2026 (March 2026 revision), sets these amounts:

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Source: EOHLC FY2026 chart ⁠³. HECS applies when last year’s heating costs exceeded $1,839 for oil or propane, $1,459 for natural gas, $1,542 for kerosene, $2,157 for electricity or $1,308 for other fuels ⁠³. Poverty brackets on that chart use the 2025 federal guidelines.

EOHLC had not posted a FY2027 benefit chart as of October 2026. On October 5, 2026, the Governor declared a State of Energy Emergency and committed $15 million more to HEAP. Oil-heated households will get 20% more than current benefits and utility-heated households 15% more ⁠². The release says about 156,000 households received HEAP in the 2025-2026 season ⁠². Ask your agency for the FY2027 amounts before planning around the table above.

FastTrack: how Massachusetts handles a no-heat emergency

Massachusetts has no separate crisis grant. Emergencies go through a FastTrack process inside regular HEAP. Your application jumps the queue, and once you are eligible the agency authorizes a fuel delivery or guarantees payment to stop a shutoff or eviction ⁠⁴. The State Plan sets 48 hours to resolve the crisis, or 18 hours when it is life-threatening ⁠⁴. Emergencies include:

• no heat for any reason;
• less than a 3-day fuel supply, or 1/8 of a tank or less on a standard 275-gallon oil tank;
• a final termination notice from the utility that supplies your heat, or from the one that runs your heating system;
• eviction within 72 hours for a renter whose heat is in the rent;
• heating system failure, or a fire that may force you to move ⁠⁴.

When the furnace itself fails, the agency can refer a homeowner to HEARTWAP for repair ⁠⁷.

Applying for HEAP between October 1 and April 30

1. Find your agency

   Open the HEAP portal at toapply.org/MassLIHEAP, use the EOHLC provider locator, or call the Cold Relief Heatline at (800) 632-8175 ⁠¹⁠⁸. Mass 2-1-1 answers general questions around the clock ⁠¹.

2. Apply online, by mail or in person

   The online application opens October 1 ⁠¹. First-time applicants must also complete an intake appointment with the agency ⁠¹. Homebound applicants can ask for a home visit or name a proxy to apply for them ⁠⁴.

3. Gather documents

   You need photo ID for the applicant, a list of everyone in the household, your heating company’s name and account number, a lease or mortgage statement, and proof of 30 days of income for each adult ⁠¹. The agency also checks citizenship or qualified-noncitizen status, student status of adults, and housing costs ⁠⁴. A member without eligible status reduces the benefit rather than disqualifying the household ⁠⁴.

4. Flag any emergency right away

   If you have no heat, a final shutoff notice or a nearly empty tank, say so at intake to start FastTrack ⁠⁴.

5. Watch for the notice

   Agencies must send a Notice of Eligibility Determination within 45 days of a completed application ⁠⁴. Your discount on investor-owned electric and gas bills is applied automatically if you qualify ⁠¹.

6. Apply before the deadline

   Applications close April 30, or the last business day in April if it falls on a weekend. An April 30 application must be finished by May 31, and the state may extend the deadline in a hard winter ⁠⁴.

7. Renew each year

   After the first year, the agency mails you a renewal you can return by mail, online or in person, often before the season starts ⁠¹⁠⁴.

If you are denied, appeal to your local agency within 20 working days of the notice. You can also appeal if you hear nothing within 45 days. After the agency’s final decision, you have 20 working days to appeal in writing to the state ⁠⁴. Local appeals are accepted from November 1 through the fourth Friday in June, and state appeals through the fourth Friday in August ⁠⁴.

Weatherization and HEARTWAP use the same application

In Massachusetts, the weatherization income limit is 60% of state median income, the same as HEAP and higher than the federal 200%-of-poverty default. Any HEAP-eligible household qualifies, and so does a household with a member receiving TAFDC or SSI ⁠⁶. Your HEAP application doubles as the weatherization application ⁠⁶. Crews do air sealing, attic, wall and floor insulation, pipe and duct insulation and limited repairs, worth an average of $4,725 per home. They also test the heating system and combustion appliances for safety. Licensed private contractors do the work at no cost to you ⁠⁶. Priority goes to older adults, people with disabilities, children 6 and under, high-cost HEAP households and Native Americans. Renters need the landlord’s permission ⁠⁶.

HEARTWAP repairs or replaces unsafe or failed heating systems for HEAP-eligible households, mainly homeowners ⁠⁷. Massachusetts landlords must keep tenants’ heating systems working under the State Sanitary Code ⁠⁷. During the heating season HEARTWAP handles emergencies first. Tune-ups and replacements of worn-out systems happen afterward if funds remain, and some jobs require a co-payment ⁠⁷. The State Plan caps LIHEAP-funded weatherization and heating work at $18,500 per household ⁠⁴.

Discount rates and winter shutoff rules from the DPU

Every HEAP-eligible household automatically gets the low-income discount from investor-owned electric and gas companies ⁠¹. Since 2024, Berkshire Gas, Eversource, Liberty, National Grid and Unitil also enroll SNAP, MassHealth, TAFDC and EAEDC recipients automatically. The state put those discounts at up to 25% on gas and 42% on electric bills ⁠¹⁰. A February 2026 Department of Public Utilities order requires those companies to switch to six tiered discounts by November 1, 2026. The tiers match HEAP’s income levels ⁠⁹:

• Households at or below 100% of poverty get discounts aimed at a 2% energy burden each for electric and gas heat.
• Households above 100% of poverty and up to 60% of state median income get discounts aimed at 3%.
• No discount may fall below 25% on electric or 15% on gas ⁠⁹.

If your discount goes down under the new tiers, you keep your current rate from November 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027. After that it drops no more than five percentage points every six months ⁠⁹. Municipal light plants are not covered by the order ⁠⁹.

The DPU’s shutoff rules protect you from November 15 to March 15. During that period a gas or electric company may not shut off service that heats your home if you have a financial hardship, unless service was already off before November 15 ⁠¹¹. Being income-eligible for LIHEAP counts as a financial hardship ⁠¹³. Separate protections apply year-round:

• Serious illness. A physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner or board of health official must certify it, and the certificate needs renewal ⁠¹¹.
• Infant in the home. A child under 12 months is protected until the first birthday ⁠¹¹.
• Everyone 65 or older. A company needs written DPU approval before shutting off a household where every resident is 65 or older ⁠¹².

Charges keep accruing during the moratorium, so the debt is still owed in spring ⁠⁴.

If you earn 60% to 100% of state median income

For the 2026-27 season only, Massachusetts created Middle-Income Heating Oil Relief. It is a one-time payment of up to $680 for households that heat with #2 heating oil and earn more than 60% but less than 100% of state median income. For a family of four that means more than $103,050 and up to $171,749 ⁠⁵. Applications open in December 2026, through the same local HEAP agencies, and benefits run until April 30, 2027 or until funds run out ⁠²⁠⁵. The interest form on EOHLC’s page signs you up for a notice when it opens; it is not the application ⁠⁵. Gas, electric and propane households in this income range are not covered.

HEAP never charges an application fee, and EOHLC warns about scams that do ⁠¹. For other help in the state, see the Massachusetts assistance hub or compare states on the energy and utility assistance page.