Pennsylvania's Heating Help Opens Nov. 2 With Grants Up to $1,000. 5 LIHEAP Rules Pennsylvanians Get Wrong

If heat comes with your rent, you might figure LIHEAP isn’t meant for you.

That’s not always the case. There are other rules that also trip up homeowners.

Here are the LIHEAP rules many Pennsylvanians get wrong before they apply.

Note: This is general information, not financial advice. Eligibility rules and grant amounts are subject to change, so confirm the current details with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

1. Falling Behind on Your Bill

LIHEAP isn’t reserved for households that have fallen behind on a heating bill.

A paid-up household with no other public assistance can still get a cash grant of $200 to $1,000, depending on household size, income, fuel type and region.

You do have to be the one responsible for paying for your heat, through a utility bill or a fuel delivery.

2. Renting Your Home

LIHEAP covers renters as well as homeowners.

If your rent includes heat with no separate heating charge, you can get the full cash grant you qualify for.

The state pays that grant to you instead of a vendor.

Rent that covers heat doesn’t qualify you if it’s a fixed share of your income or tied to your source of income.

That can happen in subsidized housing.

But if you start paying a utility or fuel dealer directly for heat, you can become eligible if you otherwise qualify.

3. Everyone in Your Household

LIHEAP counts everyone who lives in your home as part of your household.

That includes children, adults, relatives who room with you and unrelated roommates who share household expenses.

The program adds up the gross income of those household members and compares the total with a limit set by household size.

Gross means before taxes.

Social Security benefits, Supplemental Security Income and pensions count, along with wages and other earnings.

Pennsylvania sets the limit at 150% of the federal poverty guidelines.

LIHEAP’s 2026-27 Income Limits

For the season that opens Nov. 2, LIHEAP’s income limit is $23,940 a year for a one-person household.

Two people can have an income of up to $32,460, three up to $40,980 and four up to $49,500.

Each additional person adds $8,520 to the limit.

That puts a household of six at $66,540, which is $49,500 plus $8,520 for each of two extra people.

Picture a family of four where one adult earns $30,000, another earns $18,000 and the household has $1,200 in other income.

Their gross total is $49,200, which is $300 under the limit.

These limits took effect Feb. 1, 2026.

4. Applying Again Each Year

LIHEAP doesn’t enroll you automatically.

You have to apply every year, even as a returning applicant.

If you received LIHEAP last season, you’ll receive an application or a COMPASS postcard with a registration number.

That registration number lets you apply before the season starts.

Applying online through COMPASS, the state’s benefits website, can make the process easier for returning applicants.

5. Cash and Crisis Grants

LIHEAP has two separate grants, a cash grant and a crisis grant.

Getting a cash grant doesn’t block a crisis grant, and you can receive crisis help without ever getting cash.

A crisis grant is for a heating emergency, such as broken heating equipment or fuel that will last less than 15 days.

A complete loss of heat counts as an emergency too, as long as you meet LIHEAP’s income limit.

Crisis grants range from $25 to $1,000.

If you haven’t received a cash grant this season, start by applying for LIHEAP, and if you already have one, contact your County Assistance Office to report the emergency.

Help with a heating emergency is available 24 hours a day.

If you’re on automatic delivery, you may still get crisis help if you contact your County Assistance Office before a delivery resolves the emergency.

Extra Payments for Some Households

LIHEAP can add a supplemental payment for households that include someone age 60 or older, someone with a disability or a child age five or under.

Those payments are $50 for age 60 or older, $50 for a disability and $75 for a young child, up to $175 for a household that meets all three.

The catch?

Supplements depend on available funds, according to the state plan, and the state doesn’t commit to issuing them this season.

If anyone in your home is in one of those groups, your cash grant may come with an extra amount.

Other Bill Help

LIHEAP’s state page points to two other funds that could help you pay a utility bill.

If you live outside Philadelphia, that’s the $1 Energy Fund.

If you live in Philadelphia, it’s the Utility Emergency Services Fund.

Both are additional resources.

Psst! How much do you know about LIHEAP? Tap each card and see how many you get right.

How to Apply

If you’re new to LIHEAP, you can apply on COMPASS starting Nov. 2, visit a County Assistance Office or call the helpline at 1-866-857-7095.

The helpline is open Monday through Friday.

Last season’s applications didn’t open until Dec. 3, 2025, so this season starts about a month earlier.

LIHEAP runs through Friday, April 23, 2027, though the state may extend or shorten the season depending on funding.

Apply early.

After you apply, you can check your application status at trackmybenefits.pa.gov.

If you apply for crisis help and qualify, you’ll receive benefits within 10 business days of applying, or sooner if you’re facing a time-sensitive, life-threatening crisis.