Utilities and phone
Shutoff notices when there are young children at home
Many states restrict disconnection for households with infants or a medical need. The utility will not ask — you have to raise it.
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Utilities and phone
Utility help is the most time-sensitive category here, because most of the money is seasonal and finite. Programs open when funding arrives and close when it runs out, often months before the season ends. Applying in October instead of January is frequently the whole difference between getting help and being told the funds are gone.
Programs in this category
Each of these is a separate program with its own application and its own agency. Being enrolled in one does not enroll you in any of the others.
LIHEAP
Help with heating and cooling bills, plus a separate crisis component for households facing or already in disconnection.
Run by · State agencies and local community action agencies
Weatherization
Free home energy improvements that lower bills permanently rather than once.
Run by · State weatherization agencies
Lifeline
A monthly discount on phone or internet service for qualifying households.
Run by · The federal Lifeline program, through participating providers
Utility hardship funds
Assistance funded by the utility itself, separate from any government program and rarely advertised.
Run by · Individual utility companies
Shutoff protections
State rules restricting disconnection during extreme weather or for households with young children or medical needs.
Run by · State utility commissions
Say “crisis” when you call
LIHEAP has two parts and most families only know about one. The regular component helps with ordinary heating or cooling bills on a seasonal schedule. The crisis component is separate, serves households facing imminent disconnection or already disconnected, and moves in days rather than weeks.
The intake path for crisis assistance is sometimes different from the standard one. If you have a shutoff notice in hand, ask specifically for “energy crisis assistance” rather than asking about LIHEAP generally.
Apply early, which is the opposite of what feels natural
LIHEAP is a block grant. Each state receives a fixed amount, distributes it, and closes for the year when it is committed — regardless of how many families still need help. In high-demand states the money can run out well before winter ends.
Most families apply when the bill becomes unmanageable, which is mid-season. Applying at the start of the season, before there is a crisis, is materially more likely to succeed. It is an unnatural thing to do and it is the right thing to do.
Protections your household may already have
Many states restrict disconnections during extreme cold or heat, and a number extend protections specifically to households with infants or young children, older adults, or someone with a serious medical condition. A medical certification from a physician can delay a shutoff in many states.
These are set by state utility commissions and vary. Your utility’s customer service line can tell you what applies to your account — and it is worth mentioning the ages of children in the home when you call, because the representative will not ask.
Arrangements are not assistance, but they buy time
Essentially every regulated utility offers payment arrangements, and many offer budget billing that spreads annual cost across twelve months to flatten seasonal spikes. Neither reduces what you owe; both change the timeline, which is often the actual problem.
A call before the due date reliably produces a better arrangement than a call after disconnection, because utilities have more discretion earlier in the process.
Many utilities also run hardship funds separate from any government program, often funded by customer donations. These are rarely promoted. Ask whether one exists.
Renters are eligible
Families whose heat is included in rent are frequently eligible, though the mechanics differ and the benefit may be smaller. Families who pay utilities directly are treated much like homeowners. Being a renter is not a disqualifier, and a great many renters assume otherwise and never apply.
Phone and internet are prerequisites, not luxuries
Nearly every program on this site involves a phone interview at some stage, and an unreachable applicant is treated as an unresponsive one. Losing phone service in the middle of a pending application can cost you the application.
Lifeline provides a monthly discount on phone or internet for qualifying households, generally based on income or participation in a program like SNAP or Medicaid. Separately, many internet providers run low-cost plans tied to programs like free school meals — these are rarely promoted, and asking directly works better than browsing.
Public libraries provide free internet, computers, printing, and scanning, and many lend mobile hotspots. For uploading documents to an application portal, that is often the whole solution.
Where to confirm
Application windows, income limits, shutoff protections, and Lifeline rules vary by state and utility and change annually. Confirm with your state LIHEAP office, your community action agency, or your utility directly.
FamilyHelper is a private educational resource. We are not a government agency or a utility and we do not administer assistance.
