Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Pennsylvania program

Help with the heating bill (LIHEAP)

Seasonal help with home heating costs. LIHEAP can also help with a heating crisis such as a shutoff, empty tank or broken furnace.

What it is

Seasonal help with home heating costs. LIHEAP can also help with a heating crisis such as a shutoff, empty tank or broken furnace.

LIHEAP pays a heating grant to the utility or fuel supplier for eligible households. Crisis help addresses urgent heating problems. Applications depend on the funded season, so a medical shutoff certificate may be a separate conversation between seasons.

Eligibility rules
  • The 2026–27 income table uses 150% of poverty, effective February 1, 2026.
  • The line is about $3,415 a month for three people and $4,125 for four.
  • Pennsylvania’s final 2026–27 plan schedules the season for November 2, 2026 through April 23, 2027, subject to available funding. A published plan does not guarantee a grant or that funds will last all season.
  • The income period is not automatically this month’s pay. The program can use the preceding 12 months or the calendar month before the application, annualized; DHS has a records-based method for household members already receiving certain benefits. Your social worker can help the county identify the permitted period and exclusions.
What you get
  • Heating grants of $200–$1,000 for eligible households during the 2026–27 season, subject to funds.
  • Crisis help for a shutoff, empty fuel tank or broken furnace.
  • Approved grants go to the utility or supplier.
What the help includes
  • The regular grant reduces a heating balance. Crisis help can address loss of heat, fuel or functioning heating equipment.
  • The Emergency Services Cooling Program provides targeted equipment help under separate conditions.
  • For 2026–27, crisis grants range from $25 to $1,000, subject to eligibility, need and funds. The 20% wage deduction used to calculate a grant does not reduce income for the eligibility screen. Targeted cooling equipment generally has a once-in-ten-years limit. The county confirms the equipment and cost allowed for your household.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the County Assistance Office about the open LIHEAP season and any heating crisis route.
  2. If you decide to apply, use COMPASS with your heating account, income records and household IDs.
  3. Share a shutoff notice or furnace problem with the worker reviewing crisis help.

Pennsylvania LIHEAP helpline: 1-866-857-7095; your County Assistance Office can review the current season and your household’s heating costs. · Official page ↗

After you ask
  • The county processes the request during the season and pays an approved grant to the utility or supplier.
  • A regular grant is decided within 30 days. A heating crisis has to be dealt with within 48 hours, or 18 hours if life is at risk.
Good to know

The heating season is limited, and funds may run out. Your County Assistance Office confirms when applications are being accepted. Cooling help has separate equipment and household rules.

Other details
  • A medical certificate can postpone an eligible utility shutoff under separate rules. It does not erase the unpaid heating bill.
  • The county looks at the last 12 months of income, or the month before your application, rather than only this month's pay.

Federal background: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could heating assistance or crisis help fit our bill, and when is that help available? Could you help us compare it with a medical shutoff certificate?”

Why I’m asking: I want to keep heat available while we work out how to pay the balance.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Apply on COMPASS in season with the heating bill and this month's income.

Your social worker

The social worker adds it to the discharge checklist for a low-income family.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The County Assistance Office (the county benefits office)
Ask the agency
“Is the LIHEAP season open, and does our household income fit the 150% limit for our size?”

How to apply

First step: Apply at compass.dhs.pa.gov when the season opens; bring the heating bill.

  1. Apply on COMPASS when the season opens.
  2. Use the crisis component for a shutoff notice.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: COMPASS in season.

What to gather

  • Heating bill or account number
  • This month's income
  • ID for household members

How long: County processing in season; crisis grants are faster.

What a yes looks like

A grant paid to the utility or supplier.

What a no looks like, and the next move

Income over 150% of the poverty line, or the season closed. The medical certificate still holds off a shutoff.

Watch out

  • The final plan schedules November 2, 2026 through April 23, 2027. The plan is not proof that all federal funding is awarded or that funds last the whole season.
  • Cooling help is for equipment only, not a summer bill grant.

Dates that change this

2026-11-02: The 2027 state plan schedules the heating and crisis season for November 2, 2026 to April 23, 2027, if the money comes through. (not yet confirmed against the final rule)

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 9, 2026.

What it is worth

Heating and crisis grants at up to 150% of the poverty line: $23,940 a year for one person up to $66,540 for six ($49,500 for four). Final-plan season, subject to funding: November 2, 2026 to April 23, 2027.

  • $23,940/year — Income limit, household of 1 (150% FPL, annual, 2026-27)
  • $32,460/year — Income limit, household of 2
  • $40,980/year — Income limit, household of 3
  • $49,500/year — Income limit, household of 4
  • $58,020/year — Income limit, household of 5
  • $66,540/year — Income limit, household of 6

Covers: Cash (heating) grant toward the bill · Crisis grant for a shutoff, empty tank or broken furnace · Emergency Services Cooling Program (equipment; targeted)

What it costs the family: None.

The eligibility facts, as published

Income
150% FPL (2026-27 table effective February 1, 2026)
Season
The final 2026–27 plan schedules 2026-11-02 through 2027-04-23, subject to available funding and administrative changes; prior season closed 2026-05-08.

The trap: The April 2026 press release printed $48,500 for four; the dated income table says $49,500. Use the table. Cooling help is for equipment only, not a summer bill grant.

Where I read this

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