The Pennsylvania Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) offers financial help to households suffering from heating crises. This federal program helps such low-income households to pay their heating bills. LIHEAP offers assistance through cash, which is paid directly to utility company. Those looking to receive this assistance don't need to show any unpaid bills. Households not receiving any welfare services can also receive cash aid through LIHEAP if they meet program criteria.

There are number of situations that can count as emergency in which households may have to live without any heating at all. Such situations may include but are not limited to

• Heating equipment not functional due to damage

• Heating equipment needing replacement

• Heating equipment needing repairing

• Household running out of fuel to heat their home

• Loss of utility services due to unpaid bills

In addition to these situations, households in danger of losing utility service can also qualify for the program. Households facing the danger of running out of fuel and not having capacity to afford more of it will also be considered facing emergency.

Households facing a heating crisis may also receive additional benefits in addition to regular LIHEAP assistance. The crises grant can be issued to households that have lost their main or secondary heating source or are at the edge of losing out their supplies of heating fuel. Households facing such crisis may ask for help any time. The help is available 24/7.

LIHEAP has served roughly 540,000 households last year. The program pays up to $1000 for heating assistance. The minimum amount a household will receive is $100. In case of crisis, the minimum cash assistance is $25 while the maximum is $400. The program assists low-income families for heating problems from November 1 to March 29. The cash aid for crises can be received from January 2 to March 29. The exact amount of cash aid depends on the type of fuel being used for heating as well as the county where applicant is living. To check the exact amount that you may get through the program, use this link. You will have to select your county, and fuel type, to find the maximum benefit you can get through LIHEAP in Pennsylvania.

Eligibility Requirements

In order to receive aid from LIHEAP, one has to meet certain eligibility criteria.

• Be a resident of state of Pennsylvania

• Must need income assistance to meet heating costs

• Must meet income eligibility

Income eligibility

Households will have to meet income criteria to receive cash aid through LIHEAP in Pennsylvania. Households with income below 150% of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) will be able to receive cash aid through LIHEAP.

Here is income chart with number of household members to know if you qualify for the program or not.

Number of people in household Annual income limit

1. $16,755

2. $22.695

3. $28,635

4. $34,575

5. $40,515

6. $46,455

7. $52,395

8. $58,335

9. $64,275

10. $70,215

If more people live in your household, then add $5,940 for each additional person.

You can view complete income chart here.

LIHEAP Application Instructions

You can apply for LIHEAP in three different ways

Apply online: To apply online, you can visit COMPASS (http://www.compass.state.pa.us/) website and fill an online application.

Apply in person: In order to apply for the program in person, you just have to visit your nearest country assistance office. You can find address and contact information for your local country office here.

Apply through mail/fax: You can apply for LIHEAP through fax or mail. In order to do that, you will have to download an application and complete it. Once completed, you will have to send it to local country office. You can download the application here (http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/documents/form/.pdf).

When you apply for LIHEAP assistance, make sure that you have all the necessary documents with you. You will need to enter information about all the members in your household. Such information includes name, social security number, and date of birth. You will also have to provide proof of your household income and a recent heating bill along with information about members in your household.