LIHEAP Income Limits: How the Federal Band Works
What income qualifies a household for help with heating and cooling bills?
LIHEAP, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, has no single national cutoff. Federal law gives every state a band: a state may not exclude a household on income alone below 110 percent of the poverty guidelines, and it may serve households up to the greater of 150 percent of poverty or 60 percent of its own median income. For a family of four in most states, the federal ceiling for fiscal 2027 is $49,500 a year. Your state's published limit, somewhere inside that band, is the number that decides your application.
Of all the programs in this hub, LIHEAP is the one that frustrates people most, because the honest answer to "what is the limit" is "it depends on your state, twice over." Your state picks the test (poverty guidelines or median income) and then picks its number inside the federal band. What this page can do is show you the band itself, with real dollars, so you can see whether your household is anywhere near it before you call your local agency.
The federal band in dollars, by household size
| Household size | 110% of poverty (the floor) | 150% of poverty (the poverty ceiling) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $17,556 | $23,940 |
| 2 | $23,804 | $32,460 |
| 3 | $30,052 | $40,980 |
| 4 | $36,300 | $49,500 |
| 5 | $42,548 | $58,020 |
| 6 | $48,796 | $66,540 |
| 7 | $55,044 | $75,060 |
| 8 | $61,292 | $83,580 |
| Each additional person | + $6,248 | + $8,520 |
48 contiguous states and DC, fiscal 2027 (from October 1, 2026), computed from the 2026 poverty guidelines. States using the median income test can have higher ceilings than the 150% column; states may also set their limit below the ceiling. See where your income falls in the benefits eligibility screener.
Alaska and Hawaii bands
| Household size | Alaska 110% | Alaska 150% | Hawaii 110% | Hawaii 150% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $21,945 | $29,925 | $20,196 | $27,540 |
| 2 | $29,755 | $40,575 | $27,379 | $37,335 |
| 3 | $37,565 | $51,225 | $34,562 | $47,130 |
| 4 | $45,375 | $61,875 | $41,745 | $56,925 |
| 5 | $53,185 | $72,525 | $48,928 | $66,720 |
| 6 | $60,995 | $83,175 | $56,111 | $76,515 |
| 7 | $68,805 | $93,825 | $63,294 | $86,310 |
| 8 | $76,615 | $104,475 | $70,477 | $96,105 |
Both states use their own, higher poverty guidelines, so every rung of the band sits higher.
The second test: 60 percent of state median income
For many states the poverty ceiling is not the real one. The law lets a state use 60 percent of its own median income instead, and in a higher income state that figure beats 150 percent of poverty by thousands of dollars. In the federal tables for fiscal 2026, 32 states and DC used the median income test for heating assistance. That is why a family of four earning $58,000 can be over the poverty ceiling on this page and still inside their own state's LIHEAP limit. If your income lands above the 150% column, do not assume you are out; check your state energy office's published limit before you give up.
Two households inside and outside the band
Take a family of four earning $44,000. That is 133 percent of the poverty guideline: below the 150% ceiling of $49,500 and well above the 110% floor of $36,300. In a state using the poverty test at the ceiling, they clear the income rule. In a state that chose a tighter limit, say 130 percent, the same family would be compared with $42,900 and would miss by $1,100, which is why nobody honest can give you one national number. Now take a single person earning $25,000: the ceiling for one at 150 percent is $23,940, so they sit $1,060 over the poverty test, and their only route is a median income state or categorical eligibility through SNAP, SSI, or TANF.
More than one kind of help
LIHEAP is really four programs wearing one coat. Regular heating (and in southern states, cooling) assistance pays a benefit toward your bill once a season. Crisis assistance moves faster when you have a shutoff notice, a broken furnace, or an empty propane tank. Weatherization pays for insulation, air sealing, and furnace repair or replacement, done by local crews, and it is the piece that lowers every future bill instead of one. Low cost residential weatherization and the regular benefit have separate application windows in some states, so ask about both when you call.
How applying actually goes
You apply through a local agency, most often a Community Action Agency or a county office, not through a federal website. Bring ID, recent pay stubs or other income proof for everyone in the house, and your most recent heating and electric bills. The benefit, when approved, usually goes straight to your utility or fuel dealer as a credit. Heating season money is finite and first come, first served in most states, so the single most valuable move is applying in the first weeks your state opens, not in January when the tank is already empty.
Energy costs do not wait for a program calendar, either. While an application moves, the family budget planner can show what a winter utility spike does to the rest of your month, and if heating costs have pushed you behind, the LIHEAP crisis track is built for exactly that moment.
Frequently asked questions
What is the income limit for LIHEAP?
There is no single national limit. Federal law lets a state serve households up to the greater of 150 percent of the poverty guidelines or 60 percent of the state's median income, and no state may turn a household away on income alone below 110 percent of poverty. For a family of four in the 48 contiguous states, that band runs from $36,300 to $49,500 a year for fiscal 2027. Your state's energy office publishes the exact limit it uses.
When should I apply for heating help?
As early in the heating season as your state allows. Most states open regular heating applications in the fall, often October or November, and funds are first come, first served until they run out. Crisis help for a shutoff notice or an empty fuel tank runs on its own, faster track, usually all winter.
I rent. Can I still get LIHEAP?
Usually, yes, as long as you pay for home energy yourself, either directly to the utility or as part of your rent that includes heating costs. If your utilities are fully included and you pay nothing toward them, your state may treat you differently. Your lease and a utility bill in your name are the documents that settle it.
Does LIHEAP pay me or the utility?
Almost always the utility or fuel company, as a credit on your account. You should see the payment listed on a later bill. Weatherization help is different again: it pays for insulation, sealing, and furnace work through local agencies, not to you.
Is there a fee to apply for LIHEAP?
Never. LIHEAP is free to apply for, and no one legitimate will charge you to sign up or speed it up. If a website or a person asks for a fee or a gift card, it is a scam; find your real local agency through your state energy office or the National Energy Assistance Referral service at 1-866-674-6327.
We already get SNAP. Does that help with LIHEAP?
Yes. A household with a member receiving SNAP, SSI, or TANF is categorically eligible for LIHEAP, meaning the program treats the income question as answered, though benefit levels still depend on your energy costs and your state's rules.
Keep exploring
Programs: Benefits eligibility screener · WIC income limits · LIHEAP income limits · Medicaid and CHIP income limits · State earned income tax credits · Unemployment maximums by state
Already on Mami's Budget: SNAP maximum benefits by household size · USDA grocery costs by state · Childcare costs by state · Family budget planner
Sources: LIHEAP statute, 42 U.S.C. 8624(b)(2)(B) (income eligibility band: greater of 150 percent of the poverty level or 60 percent of state median income; no exclusion on income alone below 110 percent of poverty); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, LIHEAP Information Memorandum IM-2026-01 (April 24, 2026), making the 2026 Poverty Guidelines (91 FR 1797) mandatory for fiscal 2027 programs from October 1, 2026. Band dollars computed from those guidelines. Retrieved October 31, 2026. State limits inside the band vary and are published by each state energy office, which makes the final eligibility decision.