Michigan grants
& benefits: Healthy Michigan, MiBridges and credits.

State Emergency Relief can pay to restore or keep heat or electric service for at least 30 days, or cover delivery of a 30-day supply of a deliverable fuel. You pay a set share first, and MDHHS may cover the amount above it.

Your share depends on household size. For heat it is $40 for one person, $53 for two and $78 for four. For electric service it is $22 for one, $29 for two and $42 for four.

MDHHS says emergency help is meant for households that usually make ends meet, not for ongoing money trouble. For lasting cuts to energy costs it points to the Weatherization Assistance Program.

SER reaches past utility bills. Relocation assistance can cover rent arrears, security deposits or moving costs in certain situations, and home repair help fixes unsafe conditions and restores essential services.

Homeowners at risk of losing a home can ask about Home Ownership Services. Burial payment help may be available when the estate and required copayments do not cover the cost.

Applications for the 2025 Home Heating Credit had to be received by September 30, 2026, and Treasury says it reopens in the 2027 tax filing season early next year. It is aimed at older residents, low- to moderate-income households, people who are deaf, disabled or blind, and disabled veterans.

You can file the claim without a state income tax return. Approved credits arrive as a State of Michigan Energy Draft that pays energy bills only, and drafts from this round must be redeemed by December 15, 2026. Last year the average household got $171.

If you get food assistance, MDHHS warns that the Home Heating Credit may change the amount you receive.

Public Act 4 of 2023 raised the Michigan EITC from 6% to 30% of the federal credit, retroactive to tax year 2022. The largest Michigan credit for tax year 2025 is $2,414.

If you qualify for the federal EITC and live in Michigan for all or part of the year, you qualify for Michigan's. You still have to file a federal return and an MI-1040 and claim the credit on both, even if you owe no tax.

The Healthy Michigan Plan is Michigan's Medicaid expansion, which took effect April 1, 2014. It covers residents 19 to 64 with income at or below 133% of the federal poverty level who are not pregnant when they apply and do not qualify for Medicare or other Medicaid.

Work requirements begin January 1, 2027. To apply, use MI Bridges, call the Michigan Health Care Helpline at 1-855-789-5610, or visit your local MDHHS county office.

Food assistance in Michigan is paid on the Michigan Bridge Card. Upgraded chip and tap-enabled cards are coming later in 2026, so make sure your mailing address is current in MI Bridges.

Federal SNAP work rules changed March 1, 2026, and some adults 18 to 64 must now show proof of work. People on SSI may get food benefits through the Michigan Combined Application Project, and some recipients can use the card at participating restaurants.