Wyoming energy and heating bill assistance: LIEAP and weatherization (2026-27)

One portal, one phone line: how DFS centralizes LIEAP

Most states send LIHEAP applicants to a county office or community action agency. Wyoming does not. DFS contracts with one nonprofit agency that receives and processes every application statewide, chosen through a competitive state bid, plus two weatherization contractors with locations across the state ⁠³. That nonprofit decides eligibility, and DFS itself pays the gas, electric and bulk fuel vendors ⁠³. The State Plan explains the choice: many applicants live in remote areas with little or no internet, so the state takes applications online, by phone and by mail instead of at walk-in sites ⁠³.

For you, that means there is no local office to find. You apply at MYLIEAPWYO.ORG, which opens the DFS Utility Assistance Online Portal, or by calling (800) 246-4221 ⁠¹. If you cannot apply online, the LIEAP team will take the application over the phone ⁠¹. Paper forms are mailed on request and returned to LIEAP, PO Box 827, Cheyenne, WY 82003 ⁠³. DFS warns that call volumes are high in the fall, so expect waits on the phone line ⁠¹.

The 60% state median income limit for 2026-27

Wyoming sets every LIEAP component, including heating, crisis and LIHEAP-funded weatherization, at 60% of Wyoming’s state median income (SMI) for all household sizes ⁠³. Federal law allows the greater of 150% of poverty or 60% of SMI. In Wyoming the SMI figure is the higher one: 150% of the 2026 poverty guidelines for four people is $49,500, while the LIEAP limit is $68,959 ⁠²⁠¹⁰. Count the total gross income of everyone in the household, and include homeowners, renters and people living in a permanently parked RV or camper ⁠².

Source: DFS About LIEAP handout, updated September 24, 2026 ⁠². DFS does not print limits for six or more people; it tells larger households to check MYLIEAPWYO.ORG or call (800) 246-4221.

One eligibility rule is unusual for an energy program. Unemployed household members aged 18 to 49 must register as job seekers with the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services at hire.wyo.gov, post an active resume, and return a Work Registration Agreement signed by a Workforce Services caseworker, and they must do this again every season ⁠⁶. Exemptions cover people in POWER/TANF, people receiving unemployment or workers’ compensation, single parents of a child aged 5 or under, one adult in a two-adult household with a young child, anyone 50 or older, pregnant women, full-time students (12 or more credit hours), high school students aged 18 or over, non-citizens, and people on Social Security Disability ⁠⁶. Someone whose disability keeps them from working can file a Statement of Incapacity signed by a licensed physician or psychologist instead ⁠⁶.

What a seasonal LIEAP benefit pays, and what it never covers

DFS does not publish a 2026-27 benefit chart. The amount depends on your main heating costs, household income and size, and how much funding the program has, and the largest awards go to households with the highest primary heating fuel costs ⁠¹. The FFY 2026 State Plan, the most recent posted, estimated seasonal benefits from $48 to $1,901 ⁠³. Natural gas, electricity, propane, coal, wood and other fuels all qualify ⁠¹.

Your approval notice states the total benefit and which vendor will receive it. Your vendor then invoices LIEAP each month, and LIEAP pays the vendor, who credits your account ⁠². The benefit is applied monthly until it runs out or the program year ends ⁠³. For 2026-27 you can use it through May 31, 2027, but it will not pay any bill from before October 1, 2026 ⁠¹. LIEAP does not pay disconnect or reconnect fees, late fees, collection charges, appliance protection plans, winter protection fees, utility payment plans, equipment repairs, security or yard lights, returned-check fees or line extension charges ⁠¹.

Crisis help in Wyoming: the new 60-day payment test

LIEAP calls its crisis help “Crisis Intervention and Prevention Assistance,” and the State Plan calls crises “Special Situations” ⁠¹⁠³. Covered situations include deposits to restore or start service, past-due bills to prevent or end a disconnection, an emergency fill of propane or other delivered fuel, propane tank setting and rental, and a heating system that has failed or is about to fail ⁠³. Only households approved for seasonal LIEAP qualify, and each gets one crisis benefit per season ⁠¹⁠².

Three rules decide whether you get it:

• Recent payment. Since October 1, 2026, you must have made at least one verifiable payment toward your primary utility, secondary utility or both in the past 60 days. If LIEAP cannot verify a payment, you are not eligible for crisis help ⁠¹.
• Recent notice. For unpaid bills, the disconnect notice must be dated within the last 30 days. LIEAP can help with up to two utilities, with one payment each per season ⁠¹.
• Amount. The FFY 2026 State Plan set the winter crisis maximum at $1,100, double the $550 maximum in FFY 2025. A sliding scale sets most crisis amounts, but there is no cap for a “No Heat Broken Furnace” crisis ⁠³.

The State Plan commits to resolving a crisis within 48 hours, or 18 hours when life is threatened ⁠³. DFS’s own page says heat loss emergencies are handled within 18 business hours of the request ⁠¹. Renters with a broken furnace are normally referred to their landlord. LIEAP reviews these cases one at a time only when the landlord is also low-income and cannot pay for the repair ⁠³. You can request crisis help on the original application, through the portal, or by calling after you are approved ⁠³.

Applying through MYLIEAPWYO.ORG

1. Gather documents first

   You need ID for every household member, such as a driver’s license, birth certificate or passport. Bring the three most recent consecutive pay stubs for each worker (or an Employer Statement), a current Social Security award letter if anyone receives benefits, and your most recent heating and electric bills showing your name, service address and account number ⁠⁵.

2. Download the forms that fit your situation

   Depending on your household, DFS may ask for a Self Employment Statement, Self Declaration of Zero Income, Work Registration Agreement, Rental Verification and Agreement, Statement of Incapacity, permanently parked RV declaration, or Authorized Representative Release, all posted on the LIEAP page ⁠¹.

3. Register on the portal

   Go to MYLIEAPWYO.ORG and create an account with your name and email; your email becomes your username ⁠². If you already have an account from Wyoming’s HAF or ERAP programs, use it ⁠¹.

4. Fill in every household member and check boxes for each service

   List everyone in the home with income sources and amounts. Select seasonal heating, crisis or weatherization ⁠⁵. To apply only for weatherization, check just the WAP box ⁠¹.

5. Upload files and submit

   Files must be PDF, PNG or JPG and under 8 MB, and you can photograph documents with a phone ⁠⁵. Draft applications are never reviewed, so you must click “Submit” ⁠².

6. Track the decision

   Non-emergency applications are processed within 45 days ⁠¹. The intake contractor is held to a 30-day determination deadline ⁠³. Missing information is the most common cause of delay ⁠². The notice arrives by email, text or mail ⁠².

7. Reapply or appeal if denied

   If you were denied for missing documents or your income has dropped, reopen the denied application in the portal and resubmit ⁠¹. To dispute a decision, send a written request for a local conference to [email protected] or the PO Box within ten days of the notice ⁠¹. If that does not resolve it, you can request an administrative hearing under Wyoming’s contested case rules ⁠³.

DFS opened the FFY 2026 application early, on September 2, 2025, to returning households with a member aged 60 or older, a disabled member, a child aged 5 or under, or a high energy burden ⁠³. Watch for a similar notice if your household qualified last season.

Weatherization: 200% of poverty, a 3% chance per year

The Wyoming Weatherization Assistance Program, funded by the U.S. Departments of Energy and Health and Human Services, uses a different income test from LIEAP: up to 200% of the federal poverty level, and anyone receiving SNAP, SSI or TANF meets the income rule automatically ⁠⁴. Under the 2026 guidelines, 200% of poverty works out to $43,280 for two people and $66,000 for four ⁠¹⁰. That four-person figure is lower than LIEAP’s $68,959, so some LIEAP households will not qualify for DOE-funded weatherization. The FFY 2026 State Plan sets LIHEAP-funded weatherization at 60% of SMI ⁠³.

Approved LIEAP applicants are considered automatically, but only up to 3% receive services each year ⁠². Homes are ranked on a priority point system that favors older adults, people with disabilities, children under five, high energy use and high energy burden ⁠³⁠⁴. A weatherization agency contacts you to schedule an energy audit. Typical work includes insulation, caulking and weather-stripping, furnace testing and replacement, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and refrigerator replacement. Most jobs take five to seven days ⁠⁴. LIHEAP-funded work was capped at $15,000 per home in FFY 2026 ⁠³. A home weatherized before can be done again only after 15 years ⁠⁴.

Renters qualify but need written permission from the landlord ⁠⁴. On DFS’s Rental Verification and Agreement form, the landlord agrees not to raise rent because of the work for 12 months after completion ⁠⁷. Complaints go first to the weatherization agency’s manager, then to the State WAP Program Manager at DFS ⁠⁴.

Wyoming’s shutoff rules and the absence of a state rate discount

Wyoming has no statewide low-income utility discount. The DFS housing and energy page lists only LIEAP, weatherization, homeless services and the Homeowner Assistance Fund, which stopped taking new applications on October 31, 2024 ⁠⁹. The protection that does exist comes from the Public Service Commission’s rule for regulated electric and gas utilities ⁠⁸:

• Notice. A residential customer must get at least seven calendar days’ written notice before disconnection ⁠⁸.
• Freezing weather. A utility may not cut off a residential customer when the National Weather Service or another reliable source forecasts temperatures below 32°F within the next 48 hours, or when conditions are otherwise especially dangerous to health ⁠⁸.
• Cold-weather contact. From November 1 through April 30, the utility must try to reach you in person or by phone before disconnecting ⁠⁸.
• Medical certificate. A written statement from a health care provider, delivered before the shutoff date, extends the deadline by 15 days (22 days total) ⁠⁸.
• Timing. Shutoffs are allowed only from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, never on holidays or the day before, and never from December 24 through January 2 ⁠⁸.
• Payment plan. A utility cannot disconnect you while you keep to an agreement to pay the past-due balance over time ⁠⁸.

The State Plan also notes that one of the state’s natural gas providers does not shut off LIEAP clients, though it does not name the company ⁠³. These rules do not reach propane, heating oil, coal or wood dealers. If one of those vendors treats you unfairly, LIEAP may advocate for you or refer you to another supplier ⁠¹. For a regulated utility, file with the Public Service Commission at 307-777-7427 ⁠¹.

For other help in the state, see the Wyoming assistance hub or compare programs nationwide on the energy and utility assistance page.