LIHEAP Eligibility Calculator

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps low-income households cover heating and cooling bills, a federal lifeline that keeps the lights and heat on when budgets run short. This tool checks whether you're likely to qualify for the 2026 program year and gives you an estimated benefit amount. Having that picture in hand makes it easier to plan your household budget and tap into the support you may be entitled to.

Eligibility turns on your household's gross monthly income and household size, measured against either the federal poverty guidelines or your state's median income thresholds, whichever sits higher in your state. For 2026, the federal poverty guideline for a one-person household is projected at about $15,100 a year, or $1,258 a month, rising roughly $5,300 annually for each additional person. The benefit estimate then comes from a tiered system that weighs your income against the poverty line, your household size, and your energy burden, using an average state-level distribution model for 2026.

Final eligibility and benefit amounts rest with your state's LIHEAP agency, which may factor in local energy costs or specific household vulnerabilities, so treat this as an estimate rather than a decision. Leaving out household members or underreporting income tends to throw the assessment off, so double-check every entry. Be aware, too, that individual state programs can impose extra requirements or set their own income thresholds.