Help with your
Illinois utility bills.

Applications opened October 1, 2026 for adults 60 and older, people with a disability, households with a child 5 or under, and homes that are disconnected, have a disconnect date within 7 days, or have less than 25% in a propane tank.

All other income eligible households can apply from November 1, 2026. If three weeks pass with no word after you submit, DCEO says to contact your county agency directly. With a disconnect date, call the agency right away.

Reconnection Assistance may help if you are disconnected, hold a disconnect notice within 7 days, or your fuel supplier will not deliver and your tank is at 25% or below. It can also help open new service in an adult household member's name.

Crisis help comes within 48 hours of a complete application, or 18 hours when it is below 32°F. Furnace Assistance is for homeowners who got LIHEAP or PIPP but have no working furnace; last season it ran October 1 to May 29.

Utility shutoff rules add a layer: the federal LIHEAP Clearinghouse lists Illinois winter protections from December 1 to March 31 and at 32°F or below. The Illinois Commerce Commission consumer line is 800-524-0795.

For customers of Ameren Illinois, ComEd, Nicor Gas, North Shore Gas and Peoples Gas, the 2027 program year limit is 300% of federal poverty guidelines over 30 days: $3,990 for one person and $8,250 for four.

Households served by federally funded utilities or energy vendors must be at or below 60% of state median income instead, so the 300% figures in the income table on this page do not apply to them. The state can adjust these levels based on federal funding.

The main benefit is a one-time Direct Vendor Payment to your utility. Renters with heat in the rent may get a cash payment instead, with a lease showing heat is included, the rent amount and the landlord's contact details.

Under the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP), you pay a share of income, get a monthly state benefit on your utility bill, and overdue balances shrink with each on-time payment.

DCEO closed PIPP to new applicants from October 1, 2025 to August 15, 2026, and has not posted whether it is open to new applicants now, so ask your local agency.

Income eligible LIHEAP customers of those five utilities get a monthly Low Income Discount on their bill, and households that miss LIHEAP may still qualify. Ameren's Electric Service Discount Program, starting October 1, 2026, bases payments on a percentage of income.

First comes an informal conference with a hearing officer at your Local Administering Agency. Ask within 30 days of getting the decision notice, or within 60 days if no notice came. Delays past about 30 days are also appealable.

If that fails, the agency explains how to request a state review. After it, you can ask for a formal hearing before a state appeals officer, with the right to a representative, evidence, cross-examination and an interpreter.