Help Paying Your Electric Bill: When Your State Opens

There is a federal programme that pays your power company directly, and most people who qualify never claim it — partly because it is called LIHEAP and nobody searches for that. The catch is timing: it is not open all year, and states stop when the money runs out. We read all 51 of them.

If you have a shut-off notice, do not wait for the season. Nearly every state runs a separate crisis programme that jumps the queue, and it is often open when the regular one is not. Your state page has its number. Or dial 2-1-1 free from any phone.

✓ 51 states checked, 51 on the state's own siteLast review: Sep 10, 2026
take applications all year
3
do not publish when they open
8
describe a crisis track for shut-offs
50
states and DC, each read on its own site
51

Find your state

The local name of the programme — the word that finds the real page — and when it takes applications, where the state publishes it.

8 states do not publish when they open

Which is the single thing someone with a bill in their hand needs to know. Texas, Florida, California, Alabama, Oregon, New Hampshire, New Mexico, South Dakota leave it out, so their pages here lead with the phone number instead of a date we would be guessing at.

How we check this

  1. State by state, on the state's own site — not the federal one.
  2. The application window first, because it is the thing that decides whether any of the rest matters this week.
  3. The crisis programme separately, because it runs on different dates from the regular season and it is what you need when the notice is already on the door.
  4. The shut-off moratorium comes from that state's utility commission — a different office from the energy assistance programme, and the only one that publishes it.
  5. Income limits only from the state that sets them. States choose between 150% of the federal poverty level and 60% of state median income; a neighbour's figure is meaningless.
  6. What a state does not publish is written as "Not stated", with the number to ask.
  7. The pages themselves are assembled automatically from what we recorded for each one; the reading and checking is done by people against the official source, and every page shows its check date.

Frequently asked questions

What is LIHEAP, and why have I never heard of it?

It is the federal programme that helps you pay your heating and cooling bill, and it pays the utility directly. Almost nobody searches for it by that name — people search "help with my light bill" — which is part of why billions of dollars in it go unclaimed every year. Every state runs it under its own name: HEAP, LIEAP, EAP, Energy Assistance. Your state page here leads with the local name.

Is it open right now?

That depends entirely on your state, and it is the thing to check first. Most states open a heating season around October or November and close it in spring — but they also stop taking applications when the money runs out, whatever the closing date says. A few run all year. Some do not publish their dates at all, and where that is the case we say so instead of pretending.

They are cutting my power this week. Is it too late?

No. Nearly every state runs a separate crisis programme that moves shut-off cases to the front, and it is often open when the regular season is not. Each state page has that programme and its phone number in the second box. Say the words "shut-off notice" when you call. You can also dial 2-1-1 free from any US phone.

Do I have to be unemployed?

No. States use either 150% of the federal poverty level or 60% of state median income, and the second one is high enough that plenty of working households qualify without realising. Because states pick different rules, a limit from a neighbouring state tells you nothing about yours.

How do you know this is right?

State by state, we read the state's own site and record when you can apply, the crisis programme and its number, who qualifies, how much it pays and what to bring. The shut-off moratorium comes from that state's utility commission, which is a different office and the only one that publishes it. What a state does not publish is written as "Not stated" — never filled in from another state. Last review 2026-09-10.

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