Hawaii LIHEAP (H-HEAP) 2026-27: Limits and How to Apply

Our LIHEAP income limits guide lists federal ceilings for every state. The details below are Hawaii's alone.

H-HEAP is a one-time payment to your utility. Nobody from the program will ask you to pay a fee or wire money.

H-HEAP 2026-27: 2 Payments, Pick One

Hawaii offers 2 kinds of H-HEAP payment, and a household can receive only one of them per program year. Both are one-time payments to the electric or gas company.

Sources: DHS H-HEAP page (opens in a new tab) and 2026 application packet; Hawaii LIHEAP plan, sections 1.1, 2.6, 4.9 and 4.12.

Hawaii is a cooling state. Its filed plan puts 50% of LIHEAP money into cooling assistance and just 5% into heating, with 15% for year-round crisis help, 10% for weatherization, 10% carried over and 10% for administration. That's the reverse of the mainland's cold states. The Energy Credit is the cooling-season benefit in practice: the plan's timeline has heating and cooling help running from March 1 to September 30, with public applications taken in June.

H-HEAP Income Limits (60% of State Median Income)

Hawaii's filed plan sets eligibility at 60% of state median income for households of 1 to 10 people, which for a family of four is $83,077 under ACF's FY2027 table. Households of 11 to 15 use 150% of the federal poverty guidelines instead, according to the plan.

Sources: ACF FY2027 state median income table (opens in a new tab), Hawaii rows, mandatory for LIHEAP from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027; Hawaii LIHEAP plan section 2.1 for the 60% threshold. Monthly figures are annual divided by 12. The added-person figure is ACF's 3% method. DHS's H-HEAP page and packet don't print a dollar chart, so confirm the number your CAA is using.

Which month counts. The packet asks for all earned and unearned income received in the month before you apply: pay stubs, Social Security, child support, unemployment and self-employment records. For H-HEAP, "household" means everyone living at the service address on the bill, related or not.

SNAP, SSI and TANF. Hawaii treats households as categorically eligible when members get SSI or are on SNAP or TANF in DHS's files on the first day of the month you apply, according to the plan. Tell the CAA on the application; it can speed things up. Our Hawaii SNAP guide covers food help, and our Hawaii Medicaid income limits guide covers health coverage.

When the figures change next. ACF's state median income tables change each federal fiscal year starting October 1, so the FY2028 figures will apply from October 1, 2027.

How Much H-HEAP Pays: The 5-Category Points System

Hawaii's Energy Credit runs from $375 to $1,400 in the filed plan, and the amount comes from points in 5 categories. More points mean a bigger credit.

Source: Hawaii LIHEAP plan, section 2.5. The plan's text doesn't show the point value for the vulnerable-member category.

Two groups get a flat amount instead, set each year by household size (1 to 2, 3 to 5, or 6 or more): households in public or subsidized housing, and households whose rooftop solar produces less power than they use, according to the plan.

Crisis payments. ECI pays the past-due amount and any current charges needed to resolve the shutoff, up to $700. If the bill is bigger than that, the plan says you must meet with the utility to set up a payment plan, and the utility has to sign an agreement before ECI is approved.

Worked example. For example, a family of three in Hilo earning $4,500 a month is under the $5,815 monthly line for three people. Say Hawaii Electric Light sends a disconnection notice in January for $950. They'd apply for ECI with HCEOC, attaching the notice. ECI could pay $700, and the family would need a utility-signed payment plan for the other $250 before approval. Because they used ECI in program year 2027, they couldn't apply for the June 2027 Energy Credit.

2026-27 Dates and Deadlines

Hawaii's H-HEAP year runs 12 months, October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, but the Energy Credit window is just 30 days.

The June 2026 Energy Credit window has closed. If you're not in crisis now, the next Energy Credit chance is June 2027. DHS posted the 2026 packet in June 2026, so watch its page in late May.

Federal funding status. Hawaii's share of ACF's October 9, 2026 release is $7,784,253, according to ACF's state allotment table (opens in a new tab). ACF released $3,631,860,000 nationally, describing it as 90% of the money available under the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 (Public Law 119-103), signed September 2, 2026, and it restricts funds for grantees without an approved FY2027 plan. The packet warns you may not qualify if H-HEAP runs out of funds. Whether more federal money arrives before June depends on Congress.

How to Apply: Go to Your Island's Community Action Agency

Hawaii's DHS doesn't take H-HEAP applications at all; 4 Community Action Agencies do. DHS's page says sending forms to a DHS office may cause delays.

HCAP lists one more O'ahu district office, (808) 732-7755, in the 2026 packet.

Documents on the packet's checklist:

• Signed application, plus the signed Rights and Obligations form
• Picture ID for the primary applicant and the utility account holder
• Citizenship or immigration documents for non-citizen members
• Proof of Social Security number for everyone over 1 year old
• Proof of residence: lease, rent subsidy letter, another utility bill, or mortgage or property tax record
• The entire current utility bill; for gas help, also your latest electric bill
• For ECI, the disconnection notice
• Proof of all income from the month before you apply
• The L-3 consent form, signed by the account holder if the account is in someone else's name

If you can't get to an office, the plan says you can mail or email the application and interview by phone. DHS's Public Assistance Information Line is 855-643-1643.

Shutoff Notices and Utility Protections in Hawaii

Hawaii has 0 weather-based shutoff protections, according to the LIHEAP Clearinghouse, an ACF-funded resource: no date-based or temperature-based rules for hot or cold weather, and no special protections for vulnerable households. The disconnection notice is what opens ECI, so act on it the day it arrives.

What helps:

• ECI within 48 hours. The plan sets 48 hours to act on an energy crisis and 18 hours for a life-threatening one.
• The Tier Waiver Provision. Per the 2026 packet, Hawaiian Electric and DHS agreed that approved H-HEAP households on Schedule R automatically get the utility's Tier Waiver Provision for 12 months, starting in January for Energy Credit households and on approval for crisis households.
• Medical devices. The application asks whether anyone depends on oxygen, CPAP, dialysis, a nebulizer or refrigerated medicine like insulin. Answer it; the CAA needs to know.
• Utility programs. DHS's H-HEAP page links to bill-help pages from Hawaii Gas, Hawaiian Electric and Kaua'i Island Utility Cooperative.

Complaints. The Public Utilities Commission says to contact your utility first, then file an informal complaint (opens in a new tab) if it isn't resolved. The PUC's main line is (808) 586-2020. The PUC doesn't regulate county water departments.

Hawaii's FY2027 LIHEAP Money Per Resident

Hawaii's first FY2027 release is $7,784,253, according to ACF's state table, and the state had 1,432,820 residents on July 1, 2025, according to the Census Bureau population data. Grantsights analysis of those figures found Hawaii received $5.43 per resident, about half the $10.44 national average and 47th of the 50 states and D.C.

Hawaii comparison sources: ACF FY2027 first release state table (opens in a new tab); Census Bureau Vintage 2025 state population estimates (opens in a new tab). Rank excludes territories.

Specifically, Hawaii's $5.43 per resident is $8.64 less than Alaska's $14.07, the other non-contiguous state. That's a big part of why H-HEAP is a once-a-year payment with a 30-day window and capped monthly crisis slots. If DHS kept its last plan's split, about $3.9 million of this release (50%) would go to cooling help and about $1.2 million (15%) to crisis help, for a state of 1.4 million people.

What DHS's H-HEAP Page Doesn't Tell You

DHS's page explains the two payments, but 6 things are easy to miss.

1. Crisis help now costs you the June credit. Because a household gets only one payment type per October-to-September year, taking ECI in the fall rules out the larger Energy Credit the next June. If you can hold off safely, waiting can be worth it: the June credit pays up to $1,400 versus $700.
2. Monthly ECI slots fill early. DHS says approvals are limited each month. Ask your CAA when its monthly slots open and have every document ready before you call.
3. The income chart isn't on the page. DHS's page and packet don't print dollar limits. The plan's 60% SMI rule and ACF's FY2027 table give $83,077 for four, but confirm with your CAA.
4. Neighbor islands score higher. Living on Hawai'i Island, Maui, Lana'i, Moloka'i or Kaua'i earns 2 region points instead of O'ahu's 1.
5. Solar homes and public housing get a flat rate. If your rooftop solar doesn't cover your use, or you live in public or subsidized housing, the points don't apply.
6. Misstating your household has a long penalty. The packet says misrepresentation disqualifies you for one federal fiscal year per infraction.

Common Mistakes and Scam Red Flags

These 5 mistakes slow Hawaii applications the most, based on the DHS packet:

• Sending the application to DHS. A common mistake. Applications go to your island's CAA.
• A partial bill. The packet wants the entire current bill showing usage at your current address.
• Missing the account holder's signature. If the bill is in a spouse's or roommate's name, that person signs the L-3 consent and provides ID.
• No disconnection notice for ECI. Without it, ECI can't be approved.
• Closing the utility account. The packet says you must have an active account when the H-HEAP payment posts.

Scam red flags. The FTC's guidance on utility impostor calls (opens in a new tab) says real utilities won't demand payment by gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency or a payment app. In Hawaii, watch for:

• A caller saying Hawaiian Electric will cut power within the hour unless you pay by gift card
• A fee to "file" an H-HEAP application or reserve a June slot
• A website that isn't humanservices.hawaii.gov or your CAA's own site
• A promise to send H-HEAP money to you; it goes to the utility

Report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (opens in a new tab) and to the Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection.

Denied or Missed the Window: 4 Next Steps

The H-HEAP application gives you 90 days from the notice to appeal in writing, compared with 60 days for South Dakota's program and 10 for Wyoming's.

1. Appeal. Put it in writing within 90 days. You can see your case file first and bring a representative.
2. Ask about ECI if you missed June. If a disconnection notice arrives later in the year and you haven't received an H-HEAP payment, crisis help is still open.
3. Call 211 and your utility. Ask about payment arrangements and other local funds. Hawaiian Electric customers can also look at Hawaii Energy rebates and the state's GEM$ on-bill program (opens in a new tab), which the PUC lists as financing for low- and moderate-income customers' rooftop solar and solar water heating.
4. Look past H-HEAP. If rent is behind, our rental assistance guide covers the main routes, and our emergency cash assistance guide lists one-time help. Kupuna can check our help for seniors guide, and for a cheaper phone bill, our Lifeline guide.

Our national LIHEAP guide covers the federal block grant behind H-HEAP. For another warm-weather program, see our California LIHEAP guide.

Want to see what else your household might qualify for? The free eligibility checker on Grantsights asks a short set of questions: pick "Individual," then "Personal financial help," and it lists official routes for bills, rent, food and benefits screening. It doesn't hand out grants. For an electric or gas bill in Hawaii, it points to your island's CAA.

Sources

1. Hawaii DHS: Hawai'i Home Energy Assistance Program (H-HEAP) (opens in a new tab) - EC and ECI rules, application window, where to apply
2. Hawaii DHS: 2026 H-HEAP application packet (opens in a new tab) - CAA contacts, documents, appeal rights, Tier Waiver
3. Hawaii LIHEAP plan for October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026 (LIHEAP Clearinghouse) (opens in a new tab) - fund split, income thresholds, points, benefit range, crisis maximum
4. LIHEAP Clearinghouse: state disconnection policies, Hawaii entry (opens in a new tab)
5. Hawaii PUC: frequently asked questions and complaints (opens in a new tab)
6. Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority: GEM$ program (opens in a new tab)
7. ACF: LIHEAP state median income table for FY2027 (opens in a new tab) - Hawaii 60% SMI
8. ACF: First Block Grant Funding Release FFY 2027 (opens in a new tab) - the release that includes Hawaii's first FY2027 allotment
9. ACF: FY2027 first release by state (opens in a new tab) - Hawaii $7,784,253
10. Census Bureau: Vintage 2025 state population estimates (opens in a new tab)
11. FTC: utility company impostor scams (opens in a new tab)