Utility Bills
Utility bill assistance programs help households with low incomes pay for heat, electricity, water, phone, and internet. LIHEAP (the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) helps with heating and cooling bills and can step in during a shutoff emergency. The Lifeline program lowers monthly phone or internet bills for qualifying households. Weatherization assistance pays for home improvements, like insulation, that cut energy costs over time, and LIHWAP has helped some households with water bills. These programs are run by states, so income limits and application seasons differ depending on where you live. None of them charge a fee to apply — anyone who asks for money to process your application is not the real program. Our guides cover who qualifies for each utility bill program, how to apply, and the official application links.
- Ohio PIPP Plus Income Limits 2026 & What You'll Pay
Ohio PIPP Plus bills you 5% of income for gas and 5% for electric — but joining cuts your HEAP benefit by 75%
- California CARE Program 2026: Income Limits & How to Apply
CARE takes 30-35% off a California electric bill — and a one-person household gets the same $43,280 income limit as a two-person household
- Help Paying Bills for Veterans 2026: VFW vs American Legion
The VFW's $2,500 bill grant is for active-duty members only — and it made 13 grants in fiscal year 2025
- Can They Shut Off My Heat in Winter? 2026–27 State Rules
28 states limit winter shutoffs by date — but the bill keeps growing. Minnesota's season started October 1
- PCs for People 2026: Low-Cost Laptops, $15 Internet & Rules
Its income limit is 80% of your area's median income — $105,200 for a family of four in the St. Paul area, more than double Lifeline's $44,550
- LIHEAP vs Weatherization for Seniors 2026: Can You Get Both?
One helps with this winter's bill; the other lowers every bill after it but starts with a waitlist. Federal rules put people 60 and older first for only one — and you can get both
- Help Paying Bills: What 211 Can Do for You (2026)
One call connects you to local help with bills, food, and housing
- Firewood Bank Near Me: Firewood Help for Winter 2026–27
326 U.S. firewood programs on the national map in 44 states — but 88 more pins sit in a layer the map itself labels "may be defunct"
- Home Insulation & Energy Repairs 2026: Weatherization (WAP)
Insulation and air sealing for income-eligible homes — average savings $372 or more a year
- Utility Bill Grants 2026: Dollar Energy Fund & How to Apply
Hardship grants paid straight to your utility account, not to you
- Help Paying Your Water Bill 2026: What Exists After LIHWAP
HHS still sends water-bill searches toward LIHEAP — but 42 U.S.C. 8622 defines "home energy" as heating or cooling only, so LIHEAP cannot pay a water bill
- LIHEAP Denied? How to Appeal or Reapply (2026)
Federal law gives you a fair hearing when LIHEAP says no — or never answers. State appeal windows we read run from 10 working days to 90 days
- Help Paying Your Electric & Heating Bills: LIHEAP Guide 2026
Help paying heating, cooling, and shutoff emergencies
- LIHEAP Income Limits by State 2026: What Yours Actually Uses
On October 1, 2026, most LIHEAP programs switch tables — 150% of poverty for a family of four rises from $48,225 to $49,500, and every 60%-of-median state gets a new ceiling
- Community Action Agency Near You 2026: What They Help With
Two federal agencies still send you to a "Find Your CAA" locator that would not load on September 5, 2026 — the route that does work is your state CSBG office
- Low-Income Phone & Internet Discount 2026: Lifeline Program
Up to $9.25 off your phone or internet bill every month
- Low-Cost Internet & Laptops 2026: Nonprofits vs Lifeline
Lifeline's income line is 135% of poverty; nonprofit Human-I-T's is 200% and it accepts WIC and school lunch — but it does not accept pay stubs
- Help With Electric Bills Beyond LIHEAP: Fuel Funds 2026
A free state-by-state directory of the nonprofit funds that pay utility bills — separate from LIHEAP