Montana energy and heating bill assistance: LIHEAP and weatherization (2026-27)

Ten HRDC districts and six tribal offices do the intake

DPHHS sets policy and pays vendors through its Intergovernmental Human Services Bureau; local sub-grantees handle intake, eligibility and emergencies ⁠². The state lists ten local eligibility offices, each serving a fixed group of counties ⁠⁴:

Phone numbers and addresses are on the DPHHS office page ⁠⁴ and on page 4 of the application ⁠³.

Native American and enrolled tribal members living on the Blackfeet, Fort Belknap, Fort Peck, Northern Cheyenne, Rocky Boy’s or Flathead (Confederated Salish and Kootenai) reservations apply to their tribal LIHEAP office instead. Members on the Crow Reservation apply through District 7 HRDC in Billings ⁠³. Each office must be able to handle heating emergencies 24 hours a day ⁠².

The 60% median-income test, plus an asset limit

For households of one to eight, the 2026-2027 limit is 60% of Montana’s state median income. Households of ten or more use 150% of the poverty guidelines instead ⁠¹. The chart continues to fifteen people: $97,942 for nine, $100,620 for ten ⁠¹. Because the median-income figure is the higher of the two tests for small households, a family of four can qualify up to about 210% of the poverty line ($33,000 for four in DPHHS’s chart) ⁠¹.

Montana also applies an asset test. Cash, bank accounts, CDs, stocks and rental property count ⁠¹.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Source: DPHHS 2026-2027 resource limits ⁠¹. The limit stops rising at $31,524.

Categorical eligibility works differently by program. If every person in the household gets SNAP in the month of application, the household is LIHEAP-eligible. Households where members receive SSI or TANF are also categorically eligible, and the office does not verify their resources ⁠². Income is counted from the month before you apply: an October application needs September proof ⁠³. Renters in subsidized housing whose heat is in the rent get a reduced benefit of 5% of the matrix amount, at least $25 a year, with eligibility lasting five years if nothing changes ⁠².

How DPHHS turns bedrooms, fuel and district into a dollar amount

The office takes a base benefit for your dwelling type, bedroom count (up to four) and main heating fuel, then multiplies it by a factor set by your district’s climate and your income as a percentage of poverty ⁠². Selected 2026-2027 base amounts:

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Source: DPHHS benefit matrix ⁠¹. Coal is also listed. Non-traditional dwellings get a flat $150 base for any fuel ⁠¹.

The multipliers run from 1.12 (Action, Inc. in Butte, income at or below 25% of poverty) down to 0.21 (District 7 in Billings, income above 201% of poverty) ⁠¹. In the manual’s own example, a two-person household earning $12,500 in District 7 is at 58% of poverty. It heats a two-bedroom house with propane, so it gets $1,503 times 0.75, or $1,127 for the season ⁠². At the top of the matrix, $3,362 times 1.12 gives about $3,765. At the bottom, a one-bedroom gas-heated apartment in Billings above 201% of poverty gets $378 times 0.21, about $79 ⁠¹.

DPHHS pays the benefit by check or electronic transfer to your fuel vendor. The vendor applies it to this season’s unpaid balance and then to future bills ⁠². If heat is in your rent, you are reimbursed against rent receipts (up to 50% of rent or one-seventh of the benefit per month), with receipts due by June 20 ⁠².

When the furnace quits: Montana’s emergency and crisis rules

Emergency Assistance is paid from each office’s Contingency Revolving Fund (CRF) and is available all year, but only to households that would be LIHEAP-eligible ⁠². The office must provide some help within 48 hours, or within 18 hours in a life-threatening situation ⁠². Montana counts it as life-threatening when the home has no electric or gas heat, or less than 10% of a delivered fuel, with no backup source and outdoor temperatures below 32°F. A household member must also be at risk: someone 60 or older, a child under six, someone receiving disability payments, someone whose condition is worsened by heat or cold, or someone who relies on electric medical equipment ⁠².

Help can include fuel, reconnection, space heaters, emergency shelter, and repair or replacement of an unsafe heating system. Emergency jobs of $9,000 or more need state approval first ⁠². During the regular heating season, a one-time crisis benefit of up to $250 covers a threatened shutoff, a reconnection or an emergency fuel refill ⁠². Cooling help needs state approval and is limited to fans, cooling centers (90°F expected for three days), a hotel stay, or a one-room air conditioner with a medical provider’s letter ⁠².

Renters: Montana law makes the landlord fix a broken furnace, within three working days in an emergency. The HRDC arranges backup heat meanwhile and can refer you to Montana Legal Services (1-800-666-6899) ⁠².

Applying for the 2026-2027 heating season

1. Find your office

   Use the DPHHS Local Eligibility Offices page or page 4 of the application to find the HRDC, community action agency or tribal office for your county or reservation ⁠⁴⁠³.

2. Fill out form DPHHS-EAP-088

   The 2026-2027 form covers both LIHEAP and Weatherization. List everyone who lives at the address, related or not ⁠³. The form also lists apply.mt.gov for online filing, but DPHHS’s page says an online form must be printed and delivered; ask your office ⁠³⁠¹. If you or a household member is 60 or older or has a disability, call 1-800-551-3191 for help with the form ⁠³.

3. Copy your verifications

   You need photo ID for adults; ID or birth certificates for children; Social Security numbers or proof of lawful status; your latest heating and electric bills; last month’s gross income for every adult; a full month of statements for every bank account, including Direct Express and payroll cards; and proof of any health insurance premiums, which can reduce countable income ⁠³.

4. Submit by April 30

   Bring or mail the packet to your office. Applications that arrive after April 30 are handled as summer weatherization only, though emergency help is still possible ⁠².

5. Answer requests within 30 days

   If the office asks for missing information, you have 30 days to send it ⁠³.

6. Watch for your “About Your Case” letter

   It should arrive within 45 days; call your office if it does not ⁠³. Your vendor is notified of the award ⁠².

7. Appeal if denied

   You can request a fair hearing at your local office or with the DPHHS Office of Administrative Hearings, Box 202922, Helena, MT 59620-2922 ⁠³. You have up to 90 days to ask, and the hearing must be held within 90 days of your request ⁠².

8. Reapply each fall, and after any move

   If you move during the season, you must reapply at the new address ⁠³.

Weatherization: free if you qualify for LIHEAP, 200% of poverty if you don’t

Every LIHEAP-eligible household whose home has not already been weatherized is income-eligible for weatherization. Households that are over the LIHEAP limit but at or below 200% of poverty can still get “Weatherization Only” service ⁠⁵. Because 200% of poverty ($66,000 for four) is below the 60% median-income line for households of one to six, the weatherization-only route mostly helps households of seven or more ⁠¹. You can apply for weatherization any time of year ⁠¹.

Funds are limited, so offices work from a priority list. A broken primary heating system or water heater can move a home to the top. After that, priority goes to households with an elderly member, a member with a disability or a child, ranked by energy burden ⁠⁵. DPHHS tells approved households that if they have not heard back within a year, they must reapply to keep their place ⁠². A home weatherized with Department of Energy funds cannot be redone for 15 years; the wait is five years for work paid by LIHEAP or NorthWestern Energy funds ⁠⁵.

NorthWestern Energy’s automatic discount and the November-to-April shutoff rule

Montana law requires regulated utilities to fund Universal System Benefits programs. Public utilities must spend at least 50% of that money on low-income energy and weatherization assistance ⁠¹⁰. At NorthWestern Energy, that pays for a discount written into its tariffs. If you receive LIHEAP, you get 25% off the electric bill from November 1 to April 30 and 15% off from May 1 to October 31 ⁠⁶. Natural gas customers get 30% off from November 1 to April 30 ⁠⁷. You do not apply separately: LIHEAP approval is the qualifying condition ⁠⁶⁠⁷.

From November 1 to April 1, a regulated utility cannot shut off residential service without prior approval from the Public Service Commission ⁠⁸. On those days, and on any day it is freezing at 8 a.m. or a snowstorm or freeze is forecast, service cannot be cut if you show you cannot pay or can pay only in installments. The same protection applies if someone in the household is 62 or older or has a disability ⁠⁸. The Commission says it will not approve winter shutoffs for customers at or below the poverty line or on public assistance. You have to tell the utility before the shutoff and may need to show documents ⁠⁹. Co-ops and propane dealers are not regulated by the Commission and follow their own winter policies ⁠⁹. Commission consumer line: 1-800-646-6150 ⁠⁹.

Energy Share of Montana, an independent nonprofit, helps with energy emergencies based on circumstances rather than income. LIHEAP offices take its applications too ⁠².

For more help in the state, see the Montana assistance hub or compare states on the energy and utility assistance page.