Nebraska energy and utility bill assistance: LIHEAP, crisis aid and weatherization (2026-27)

One DHHS application, and automatic heating payments for open cases

DHHS uses one application for LIHEAP, SNAP, ADC (Aid to Dependent Children, Nebraska’s TANF program), child care subsidy and other aid ⁠². If your household already has an active or pending DHHS economic assistance case, you can ask for LIHEAP without filing a new application ⁠¹. Before or during each season, N-FOCUS runs a “mass run” that finds households already on file who meet the eligibility factors and authorizes heating or cooling payments for them ⁠².

That is how the 2026-27 season is starting. In October 2026, DHHS said it would issue automatic LIHEAP heating payments for eligible households once federal funds are received, and that eligible Nebraskans would get a notice at that time ⁠¹. Households with a shutoff notice, or in danger of one, are told to call (800) 383-4278 right away instead of waiting ⁠¹.

Who qualifies at 150% of poverty, and how DHHS counts income

DHHS uses one income test for heating, cooling and crisis help: gross household income at or below 150% of the federal poverty level ⁠². For October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027, that is $23,940 for one person, $49,500 for four and $83,580 for eight ⁠¹. The FFY 2026 limit, based on 2025 poverty guidelines, was $48,225 for four ⁠³. The household must also meet LIHEAP citizenship and residency rules and be responsible for its home energy costs ⁠¹. Renters in subsidized housing, or with utilities included in rent, qualify only if they pay part of the heating or cooling cost ⁠².

Nebraska borrows its SNAP income rules from Title 475 of the Nebraska Administrative Code ⁠². That has three practical effects:

• Gross Social Security counts. DHHS counts your full Social Security benefit even if part is withheld for a Medicare premium, and it does not deduct medical costs ⁠².
• A student’s job may not count. Earnings of a child 17 or younger who attends school at least half-time are excluded ⁠².
• Workers get a 20% break on the benefit amount. After a household passes the gross income test, DHHS disregards 20% of earned income before placing it in a payment tier ⁠²⁠³.

DHHS must decide eligibility within 30 days of a valid application or request. That deadline can stretch if you do not return requested documents on time ⁠³.

Nebraska’s heating payment table by fuel and home type

Heating payments depend on income tier, household size, single- or multi-family housing and main heating fuel, with the largest amounts going to the lowest incomes ⁠²⁠³. DHHS’s FFY 2026 guidance set these amounts:

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Source: DHHS LIHEAP Guidance Document dated October 1, 2025 ⁠³. For a family of four, the FFY 2026 tier lines were $22,505, $32,150, $41,795 and $48,225 a year ⁠³. DHHS can change amounts based on funding, carryover, caseload or disasters ⁠². A FFY 2027 table could not be verified as of October 20, 2026.

Nebraska pays heating help once per season ⁠¹. If money is left over, DHHS may send a supplemental payment, or raise the regular payment, at any point in the October-to-September program year. Reasons listed in the State Plan include high energy costs, extreme weather, disasters and extra funding ⁠². Supplements usually go to the utility. The State Plan’s examples of paying the household instead are a vendor that will not accept DHHS payments and a vulnerable household whose utilities are included in rent ⁠².

Summer cooling help is limited to four kinds of households

Income eligibility alone is not enough for cooling help in Nebraska. Under 476 NAC 2-003, cooling help (June 1 to August 31) requires a household member who is a child under 6 receiving ADC, is 70 or older, has a severe illness or condition made worse by extreme heat, or got an air conditioner from DHHS in the past four years ⁠¹. The medical route needs form IM-55, signed by a doctor, physician assistant, APRN or other DHHS-approved provider; DHHS sends it on request ⁠³.

Cooling payments in FFY 2026 ran from $700 (tier 1, single-family home) down to $478 (tier 4). In multi-family housing they ran from $385 to $273 ⁠³. Cooling-eligible households can also get help buying a window air conditioner, or a portable unit at DHHS’s discretion, once every 60 months ⁠¹⁠³.

When a shutoff notice becomes a Nebraska crisis payment

A crisis under 476 NAC 2-004 means your household faces immediate loss of home energy: a shutoff notice, service already cut off, no fuel delivery, or expected removal from your utility’s budget plan ⁠². You also need an unexpected reason you cannot pay that arose in the last 90 days: an unexpected medical or household expense; a significant, permanent and involuntary loss of hours, wages or a job; a primary wage earner leaving or unable to work because of illness or injury; or lost income after a household member’s death ⁠¹.

DHHS can also approve an “unspecified” crisis tied to lost income or inability to pay, at its discretion ⁠². Crisis help pays only what it takes to end the crisis, up to $500 per program year, and it can cover deposits and reconnect fees ⁠¹⁠³. DHHS can go above $500 or approve a second crisis payment in extenuating circumstances ⁠².

First, LIHEAP cannot pay water, sewer or trash charges. If your provider bills several utilities together, you must pay 25% of the amount needed before DHHS pays the rest. For Metropolitan Utilities District (MUD) customers in the Omaha area, your share is 50% ⁠³. Second, DHHS must act within 18 hours if the crisis is life-threatening and within 48 hours otherwise ⁠³. A crisis counts as life-threatening when you have lost heat or cooling and someone in the home is 60 or older, is under 6, receives a disability payment, has a doctor-verified condition worsened by heat or cold, or uses an electric medical device ⁠³.

Applying through iServe Nebraska or ACCESSNebraska

1. Check whether you already have an open DHHS case

   If you have a pending or active SNAP, ADC, child care or other economic assistance case, ask for LIHEAP by phone or in iServe. You do not need a new application ⁠¹.

2. Otherwise apply once, statewide

   Apply online at iServe Nebraska, at a DHHS public assistance office, or by phone with ACCESSNebraska: (800) 383-4278, (402) 323-3900 in Lincoln or (402) 595-1258 in Omaha ⁠¹. DHHS can also mail you a paper application ⁠².

3. Upload proof of income and your energy bill

   Have pay stubs and benefit letters for everyone in the home, your current energy bill and any shutoff notice. You can create an iServe account and upload documents from a phone ⁠².

4. Flag an emergency

   Say right away if service is off, a shutoff date is set, you are out of propane or fuel oil, or someone relies on electric medical equipment. That starts the 48-hour or 18-hour clock ⁠³.

5. Ask for the extras separately

   For a broken furnace or central air conditioner, get repair or replacement estimates. DHHS pays up to $750 if you are heating- or cooling-eligible and had no such help in the past 60 months ⁠¹. For bigger jobs, DHHS refers you to the local weatherization agency for HCRRA ⁠².

6. Watch for your notice

   DHHS decides within 30 days, sends the payment to your vendor and mails a notice of action ⁠²⁠³. You still owe any part of the bill the benefit does not cover ⁠¹.

7. Appeal in writing within 90 days

   If you are denied or DHHS does not act, request a fair hearing in writing (DHHS uses form DA-6) within 90 days of the action or inaction ⁠².

DWEE weatherization and the $5,000 HCRRA repair program

LIHEAP-funded weatherization and HCRRA are run by DWEE, under an agreement with DHHS, through eight local nonprofit providers. DWEE lists them by region: Blue Valley, Central Nebraska, Northeast Nebraska, Lancaster and Saunders Counties, Mid-Nebraska, Northwest Nebraska, Southeast Nebraska and United Way of the Midlands ⁠²⁠⁴. The provider checks your eligibility, performs a computerized energy audit and schedules the work ⁠⁴. Typical measures are insulation, blower-door-tested air sealing, weatherstripping and furnace and water heater safety checks; roofs, siding and replacement windows are not covered ⁠⁴. Its average job is worth $7,500, and a home can be weatherized again only after 15 years ⁠⁴.

The income ceiling is 200% of poverty, and any household with someone receiving ADC or SSI qualifies automatically ⁠²⁠⁴. As of October 2026, DWEE’s page still showed its 2025 chart, effective January 1, 2025: $64,300 a year for four ⁠⁴. Weatherization is not an entitlement: funding is set by Congress each year, and waiting lists are common ⁠⁴. Priority goes to people over 60, people with disabilities, families with children under 6 and high energy users ⁠²⁠⁴. Renters need the landlord’s written permission ⁠⁴. On LIHEAP-funded jobs, the landlord must also agree not to raise the rent or sell the property for 12 months ⁠². HCRRA, a separate program from the DHHS $750 grant, can repair, or buy and install, a heating or cooling system for up to $5,000 ⁠¹.

Nebraska’s shutoff rules, which have no statewide winter ban

Nebraska has no statewide low-income utility discount and no statewide winter disconnection ban. The State Plan says many utilities follow their own disconnection guidelines based on temperature, time of year and emergencies ⁠². Instead, state law sets procedural protections for residential customers of public and private water, natural gas and electric utilities. Utilities owned by villages follow separate sections ⁠⁵⁠⁷:

• Seven days’ notice. Service cannot be cut for nonpayment until at least seven days, excluding weekends and holidays, after notice. Disconnection and reconnection fees are limited to reasonable cost ⁠⁵.
• Medical certificate. A certificate from a physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse stating that disconnection would cause an immediate and serious health hazard postpones shutoff for at least 30 days. You must file it within five business days of the notice. It works once per incidence of nonpayment ⁠⁶.
• Conference and payment plan. You can request a conference before the shutoff date, service stays on until it ends, and you can ask for an installment plan ⁠⁶. Sections 70-1608 to 70-1614 set the dispute and appeal steps ⁠⁷.

Natural gas customers can file complaints with the Nebraska Public Service Commission ⁠⁴.

See also the Nebraska hub, the Nebraska homebuyer guide and the 50-state energy assistance comparison.