Home > Guides > LIHEAP and Utility Assistance: Help With Energy Bills
LIHEAP -- the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program -- helps eligible households with heating and sometimes cooling bills, and in some areas with weatherization or crisis aid. It is not a contest and not a prepaid card mailed because you entered an email on a landing page. The federal government funds states; you apply locally. Start with official energy help pages such as Energy.gov LIHEAP and your state human services or community action agency. GrantDept.com does not process LIHEAP applications.
Congress appropriates LIHEAP money. States set income limits (often a percentage of poverty or state median income), open and close dates, and whether they offer crisis components. That is why a neighbor in another state may have a different form and a different maximum benefit.
If you rent, you may still qualify, including in some cases when heat is included in rent -- ask the local office; do not assume.
Nobody needs your routing number to "deposit LIHEAP from Washington" after a Facebook quiz. Official workers will not demand gift cards. If a caller claims to be LIHEAP and asks for a fee, hang up and call the number on your state government site. See how to spot grant scams.
GrantDept.com is a private website. We are not affiliated with any government agency and we do not award funds. Always apply through official program sites.
Intake offices typically want photo ID, Social Security numbers for household members, a recent utility bill in a household member's name (or a letter if heat is included in rent), proof of address, and proof of income for a look-back period they specify. Crisis components may want a shutoff notice or a tank-empty letter from a fuel dealer. Ask the local office; do not mail originals to a random website.
Benefits may go to the utility, not to you. That is normal. If you have a payment arrangement with the company, tell the intake worker so they do not duplicate or confuse the account.
Ask about weatherization waitlists, utility hardship plans, charity fuel funds, and 211. Some states have summer cooling components; others do not. Neighboring counties can have different contractors. For rent overlapping with energy, see housing grants and emergency grants.
A caller who claims to be LIHEAP and asks for a gift card or remote access to your computer is not your state program. Hang up and use the phone number on your state .gov site. Scam warnings.
Some states still allow a LIHEAP benefit or a vendor payment in that situation; others do not. Bring the lease. If the landlord is the account holder, the agency may need a letter. Do not skip applying only because your name is not on the utility bill until the local office says you are ineligible.
Shared meters and roommates complicate income tests. Ask how they define household. Honesty about who lives in the unit avoids later overpayments you would have to return.
Weatherization is not the same visit as a crisis fuel pledge. It can take months and may require the owner's permission if you rent. Put your name on the list anyway if you are eligible; it is one of the few programs that can lower bills structurally. Related: green project grants for organizations, not household weatherization.
Housing cluster: Housing grants | Housing Choice Voucher | USDA Section 504 | Weatherization (WAP) | Rental assistance | LIHEAP
Last verified: September 5, 2026. GrantDept.com is not HUD, USDA, or DOE.
No. LIHEAP is a federal block grant to states and territories. You apply through your state or a local intake agency, not through a single nationwide "LIHEAP grant" form in an advertisement.
No. We explain programs. Your state LIHEAP office, 211, or a local community action agency handles applications.
Call your utility, ask about hardship plans, contact 211, and apply for LIHEAP as soon as intake is open. Funds can run out. Keep copies of shutoff notices.