Virginia Fuel Assistance Applications Close November 13. 5 Rules That Decide Who Gets Help

Virginia’s Fuel Assistance applications close Friday, Nov. 13, just four days away.

If your household needs help with heating bills, a missed detail can cost you this year’s help.

Here are the rules that decide who gets Virginia Fuel Assistance, so you can apply before the deadline.

Note: This is general information, not financial or legal advice. Income limits, dates, and program rules are subject to change, so confirm the current details with the Virginia Department of Social Services.

Virginia Fuel Assistance Application Deadline

Virginia sets the deadline by rule, not by date: Fuel Assistance applications run from the second Tuesday in October through the second Friday in November.

In 2026, that window opened October 13 and closes November 13.

You’ll hear back in late December, when DSS sends eligibility notices.

Then you wait.

How to Apply for Virginia Fuel Assistance

You can file a Fuel Assistance application online, by phone, or in person.

Online, you apply through CommonHelp, the state’s benefits website.

By phone, you call 855-635-4370 on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.

In person, you visit your local department of social services.

You have to live in the locality where you apply.

DSS also posts paper forms in English and Spanish.

1. 150% Poverty Income Limit

Fuel Assistance sets its income cap at 150% of the federal poverty level, measured in gross monthly income.

Gross means before taxes, so DSS counts each person’s earnings before anything comes out of the paycheck.

For 2026, the federal poverty guideline for one person is $15,960 a year.

At 150%, that works out to $1,995 a month, by our math.

DSS’s printed chart, revised in May 2025, lists $1,956 for one person, so confirm your household’s exact limit with your local office.

2. Household Members Who Count

Fuel Assistance treats a household as the people who buy energy together.

Generally, everyone living in your home counts as part of your household.

DSS counts the gross income of each member, not only yours.

Each extra person raises the monthly cap by $710, by our math.

Some income doesn’t count toward the limit.

The value of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and income tax refunds are exempt.

So are one-time payments such as gifts or insurance payments, and the earnings of dependent children under 18.

3. Your Heating Expense

Your household needs a heating expense to qualify for Fuel Assistance.

That can be the bill for your primary fuel, or heat that’s included in your rent.

If your rent includes heat, you can still apply.

Subsidized housing is the exception, but only when your total heating cost is included in rent.

Residents of institutions don’t qualify, and neither do people who live in only one room of a larger home.

Temporary shelters and group homes are out when you have no heating expense or pay only a nominal fee.

No heating expense, no help.

4. $50 Deduction for Older or Disabled Members

For Fuel Assistance, DSS subtracts $50 from your household's gross income for each member who's 60 or older or disabled.

DSS calls it a medical deduction and applies it when it works out your countable income.

Say two people live together, one of them 60 or older, and the household brings in $2,730 a month.

The cap is $2,705, so that's $25 over, but the deduction cuts countable income to $2,680.

You count as disabled if you receive Social Security disability, Railroad Retirement disability, or Supplemental Security Income as disabled.

The same goes for people with 100% Veterans Administration disability or a Medicaid certification of permanent and total disability.

Fuel Assistance assigns a household points for vulnerability, which means someone 60 or older, someone with a disability, or a child under six.

Those points help set the size of your benefit, while the income limit decides whether you qualify.

Benefit levels depend on income in relation to household size, fuel type, and geographic area.

Curious how those limits compare with what retirees bring in? See our look at retirement income in Virginia.

5. Filing and Proof

An application counts as on time if you drop it off, postmark it, submit it online, or fax it anytime on deadline day.

An application you start in CommonHelp before the deadline but submit after it doesn't count as on time.

The one exception is a documented technical problem that kept you from submitting.

After that, your local office sends a written request for any proof it needs, such as pay stubs for earnings or an award letter for benefits.

You get a deadline of 10 calendar days or less to respond.

If you miss it, DSS denies the application.

DSS takes your word for some details, including where you live, your age, and whether heat is included in your rent.

DSS mails an approval notice in October to some eligible SNAP households that got Fuel Assistance last year.

With an approval notice, you don't need to file an application.

What Happens If You Miss the Deadline

Crisis Assistance keeps taking applications after the Fuel Assistance window closes.

Applications for heating equipment and security deposits open November 1, before the Fuel Assistance window closes.

Requests for heating fuel and heat utility bills open in January.

Crisis Assistance applications run through March 15, unless funds are depleted earlier.

You need a heating emergency, such as no heat, a cut-off notice, or unsafe equipment.

You have to meet the Fuel Assistance eligibility criteria, including the income limit.

FAQ

When is the Virginia fuel assistance application deadline?

Applications run from the second Tuesday in October through the second Friday in November. You can apply online, by phone, or at your local department of social services.

What is the income limit for Virginia fuel assistance?

Your gross monthly income has to be at or below 150% of the federal poverty level for your household size. By our math from the 2026 guideline, that's $1,995 for one person and $4,125 for four.

Who qualifies for Virginia fuel assistance?

A household qualifies when it pays for heat, including through its rent, and has gross monthly income at or below the limit for its size. Subsidized households whose total heating costs are included in their rent don't qualify.

Can I still get help if I miss the deadline?

Crisis Assistance stays open for heating emergencies. It takes applications for equipment and security deposits from November 1 through March 15, and for fuel and utility bills from January through March 15, unless funds are depleted earlier.

How do I apply for Virginia fuel assistance?