LIHEAP Illinois 2026-27: Dates, Income Limits, Apply

Applying is free. LIHEAP in Illinois pays your utility or, if heat is in your rent, pays you once; it's never a "grant" offered by text or social media. DCEO warns on its utility bill assistance page (opens in a new tab) that fraudulent "notice of award" letters claiming to come from the department have circulated.

Illinois LIHEAP 2026-27 Dates: Priority Groups First, Everyone Else November 1

Illinois opens LIHEAP in two waves, and the first wave started 28 days before everyone else. According to DCEO's How to Apply page (opens in a new tab), the Program Year 2027 application period is October 1, 2026 to August 13, 2027, or until funding is exhausted.

Two small differences between DCEO documents are worth knowing. The FY2027 state plan, written before the season opened, says the program runs to August 15, 2027 and describes the young-child priority as "under age 6"; the How to Apply page and the governor's release say August 13 and "age 5 and under." Those describe the same children. For the closing date, go by the How to Apply page, and don't plan on the last week anyway: the program can close early when money runs out.

The common mistake: waiting for November when you already qualify for October. If anyone in your household is 60 or older, has a disability, or is 5 or younger, or if you have a shutoff date, you can apply now.

Illinois LIHEAP Income Limits for Program Year 2027

Illinois counts gross income for the 30 days before you apply, not last year's tax return, and the limit depends on which utility serves you. DCEO's How to Apply page publishes this table, headed "2026 300% Federal Poverty Guidelines for 2027 Program Year," for customers of Ameren Illinois, ComEd, Nicor Gas, North Shore Gas and Peoples Gas:

If your gas or electricity comes from another vendor, such as a municipal utility, an electric cooperative or a propane dealer, the same page says you must be at or below 60% of state median income. That's the limit Illinois sets for heating and crisis help in its FY2027 LIHEAP plan (opens in a new tab), with 150% of the poverty guidelines used for households of 12 or more. DCEO's apply page doesn't print a dollar table for the 60% figure, so ask your local agency or call 1-833-711-0374 for your household size. DCEO also says these levels may be adjusted based on federal appropriations.

Documents to gather, per DCEO, for each household member:

• Proof of income for the past 30 days: pay stubs, checks, or fixed-income statements such as Social Security, VA or Illinois Department of Human Services benefits. Workers paid in cash fill out an income affidavit.
• Your most recent heating bill (gas, propane or electric) and electric bill from the last 30 days, if you pay them directly
• A Social Security card or ITIN if available; DCEO says you can still apply without either
• If you rent and heat is included, a rental agreement showing that, with the monthly rent and landlord contact information
• Proof of TANF, SNAP or medical benefits from IDHS, if you get them

The ICC's December 2025 winter rule release adds that LIHEAP benefits are available regardless of immigration status.

How to Apply for LIHEAP in Illinois, Step by Step

Illinois has one intake route with two doors. According to DCEO's How to Apply page:

1. Online: submit a Request for Services at helpillinoisfamilies.com during your application month (October for the priority group, November or later for everyone else).
2. Through your local agency: apply directly with the agency for your county (table below).
3. Phone help: call 1-833-711-0374 if you need help completing the form. The governor's September 24, 2026 release says help is available in 30 languages.
4. Wait for the agency: the local agency contacts you by email or phone. If you haven't heard in 3 weeks, call the county agency directly.
5. Shutoff or no heat: if you have a disconnect notice with a date, or you're already disconnected from heat-related gas or electric service, skip the online form and call your county agency.
6. Check status: you need the seven-digit Application ID that starts with 8, through DCEO's status page or the call center.

DCEO's FAQ says LIHEAP gives one regular benefit per program year. The exception is Reconnection Assistance, which you can return for if you get a disconnect notice later in the year.

Where to Apply: Illinois LIHEAP Local Agencies by County

DCEO's community action agency directory (opens in a new tab) lists 36 agencies, and the FY2027 state plan refers to 32 LIHEAP Local Administering Agencies under grant agreement. Here's who serves the largest counties, per the directory:

Cook County is split in two, which trips up a lot of first-time applicants. One agency in Cook County, CEDA, serves suburban Cook, while a Chicago address goes to the city's Department of Family and Support Services. Kankakee County is also new this year: the governor's release says Will County Center for Community Concerns took over LIHEAP and home weatherization for Kankakee County starting October 1, 2026.

What Illinois LIHEAP Pays: Direct Vendor Payment, Reconnection and Furnace Help

Illinois' FY2027 state plan lists a minimum heating benefit of $58 and a maximum of $2,564, figured from a benefit matrix based on income, household size, fuel type and region. Illinois doesn't run a separate summer cooling program this year, according to the plan.

According to the FY2027 plan, Illinois splits its federal LIHEAP money this way: 50% heating, 15% winter crisis, 15% weatherization, 10% carried over to the next federal fiscal year, and 10% administration.

Reconnection Assistance is the minimum needed. The plan says the payment is the smallest amount that restores service, not an automatic $2,000. If a later notice arrives and you haven't used the full $2,000, you can return for more.

Furnace Assistance is for homeowners only. The plan says renters aren't eligible because Illinois landlords are legally responsible for providing heat in winter. If you rent and the furnace is out, put the request to your landlord in writing. Some agencies run a furnace voucher program where you pick a contractor from a pre-qualified list; if the bill goes over the allowed amount, you may owe the difference.

How DCEO actually spent the money in the last completed report year is instructive. According to DCEO's Program Year 2025 results report (opens in a new tab), Illinois issued $234.2 million in LIHEAP and PIPP benefits from July 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025:

The same report says that total was 17% below PY2024's $281.2 million, and that DCEO estimates the new low-income gas discounts cut LIHEAP clients' gas bills by another $125 million. For the season that ended in August 2026, the governor's office reported 360,500 households helped at an average of $676 each, and it announced $240 million for 2026-27.

PIPP and Illinois' Low-Income Discount Rates

The Percentage of Income Payment Plan was Illinois' best-known add-on to LIHEAP, and it's closed to newcomers. The Illinois Commerce Commission's energy assistance page (opens in a new tab) says PIPP "is not currently accepting new applications due to limited funds." DCEO's FAQ says currently enrolled customers of Ameren Illinois, ComEd, Nicor Gas and Peoples Gas/North Shore Gas can still recertify and keep getting a monthly state benefit on their bills, along with reduced overdue balances for on-time payments.

What replaced it for most households is the low-income discount rate, a monthly bill credit applied by the utility itself:

• Gas: the ICC says the discount runs from 5% to 84% of the monthly bill, depending on household size and income, for Ameren Illinois, Nicor Gas, North Shore Gas and Peoples Gas customers.
• ComEd electric: available since January 1, 2026, according to the FY2027 state plan.
• Ameren Illinois electric: starting October 1, 2026, the plan describes a PIPP-type program designed so eligible Ameren electric customers pay no more than 3% of income for electricity, or 6% for all-electric homes.

The ICC says customers already enrolled in LIHEAP automatically qualify for the discounts, and the ICC's December 2025 release says customers of those utilities with incomes at or below 300% of the federal poverty level are eligible. DCEO's How to Apply page adds that households that don't qualify for LIHEAP may still qualify for a discount, so call your gas utility or ComEd if you're denied.

Why it matters: a one-time LIHEAP payment of a few hundred dollars helps one month. A discount of 5% to 84% applies every month for the year. If you're approved for LIHEAP and don't see a discount on your next gas bill, call the utility and ask.

Illinois Shutoff Rules: The ICC Winter Rule and Hot-Weather Rule

Illinois' winter rule runs December 1 through March 31 every year. According to the ICC's December 9, 2025 release (opens in a new tab), it works in three layers:

The FY2027 LIHEAP plan states the same December 1 to March 31 rule for electric and gas public utilities. In summer, the ICC page says Illinois law bars disconnection when temperatures are forecast above 90 degrees for utilities that are the sole source of a home's cooling.

Three things these rules don't do:

• They don't cancel the bill. The balance keeps growing, so a deferred payment agreement plus a LIHEAP payment is the realistic way out.
• They don't cover theft, tampering or safety shutoffs, per the ICC release.
• They're written for electric and gas public utilities. That's the wording in the state plan. If a municipal utility, an electric co-op or a propane dealer serves you, ask it about its own winter policy, and use Illinois' propane priority (less than 25% in the tank) to apply early.

If your utility won't follow the rules, call the ICC Consumer Services Division at 1-800-524-0795. If you've already been cut off, the ICC tells customers to ask the utility whether they qualify for reconnection at less than the full amount owed.

Illinois LIHEAP Funding Compared With Other States

Illinois' federal LIHEAP obligations for FY2025 totaled $213,096,461 (Assistance Listing 93.568), according to USAspending.gov FY2025 data in the award search (opens in a new tab). Grantsights analysis of USAspending.gov FY2025 obligations found that works out to $16.75 per Illinois resident using the Census Bureau's 2025 population estimate of 12,719,141, compared with $11.94 per resident across the 50 states and D.C. That's about 1.4 times the national figure and ranks Illinois 21st of 51.

Source: USAspending.gov (opens in a new tab) FY2025 obligations for 93.568 by recipient state; Census Bureau Vintage 2025 state population estimates (July 1, 2025).

Illinois received the fourth-largest LIHEAP total of any state in FY2025, behind New York, California and Pennsylvania. Illinois also adds state money: DCEO's PY2025 report lists $57.1 million in state LIHEAP funds and $22.7 million in state PIPP funds budgeted alongside the federal grants. For weatherization, USAspending.gov (opens in a new tab) FY2025 data show $97,785,454 in DOE Weatherization Assistance obligations (81.042) to Illinois, or $7.69 per resident.

How to read this: more federal money per resident doesn't raise your individual benefit above the matrix. It does mean Illinois has historically been able to keep its program open from fall into the following summer, which many states can't.

What DCEO's LIHEAP Pages Don't Tell You

DCEO's pages tell you the dates and forms. Here's what they leave out or bury:

1. The FAQ page is a year behind. As of October 28, 2026, DCEO's FAQ still describes 2025-26 dates and says PIPP isn't accepting applications through August 15, 2026. Use the How to Apply page and the FY2027 plan for current dates, and the ICC page for PIPP status.
2. Your utility changes your income limit. A four-person household on ComEd or Nicor can qualify at $8,250 a month under the 300% table. The same household served by a municipal utility or co-op faces the lower 60% of state median income test. Ask before assuming you're over.
3. The discount is worth more than the payment for many households. DCEO's own report estimates the gas discounts saved LIHEAP clients $125 million in PY2025, more than half of the $234.2 million DCEO issued directly.
4. Renters with heat in the rent get cash, not a bill credit, and no furnace help. Bring a lease that shows heat is included, and send heating repair requests to your landlord.
5. Crisis help has a clock. The plan says Reconnection and Furnace Assistance are provided within 48 hours of a complete application, or 18 hours in a life-threatening situation, which includes temperatures at or below 32 degrees. Say "disconnected" or "no heat" when you call.
6. Apply even if you got help last year. Benefits don't roll over, and the plan lets agencies auto-enroll some older adults and people with disabilities on fixed incomes, but that isn't guaranteed. Watch for a call or letter in October, and apply if none comes.

Avoid Illinois LIHEAP and Utility Scams

The red flags are the same ones the FTC lists nationally, with an Illinois twist: DCEO has warned about fake "notice of award" letters that claim to come from the department and tells recipients to report them to the FTC or the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.

• No one can charge you to apply. The ICC says enrollment in LIHEAP and the discount programs is free.
• No "LIHEAP grant" arrives by text or social media. The FTC's government grant scams page (opens in a new tab) says offers of free government grants for personal bills are scams.
• Utilities don't demand gift cards or crypto. The FTC's page on scammers who pretend to be your utility company (opens in a new tab) says a demand for same-day payment by gift card, wire, cryptocurrency or payment app is a red flag. Hang up and call the number on your bill.

Report LIHEAP fraud through DCEO's fraud page or the HHS fraud hotline at 1-800-447-8477, and report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (opens in a new tab).

Other Help With Illinois Utility Bills

If LIHEAP and the discount rates don't cover the gap, these are the next routes:

• Deferred payment agreement: ask your utility for one before a shutoff date. In winter the ICC rule caps the down payment at 10% for heating customers.
• Illinois Home Weatherization Assistance Program: run by the same local agencies, with a 200% of poverty limit for LIHEAP weatherization and priority for older adults, people with disabilities, high energy users and young children. See our home repair and weatherization grants guide.
• 211: dial 211 or visit 211.org (opens in a new tab) for local emergency funds and fuel funds.
• SNAP and cash help: SNAP benefits free up money for bills; see our SNAP guide and our guide to TANF cash assistance. For older adults, our help for seniors guide collects other programs.
• Rent: if the utility bill is part of a bigger housing problem, see our rental assistance programs guide.
• Other states: if you're helping someone in Texas, see Texas energy assistance (CEAP).

If you aren't sure what else your household qualifies for, Grantsights' free eligibility checker starts by asking who you are. Pick "Individual" and then "Personal financial help" (or "Student") and it won't show you grants. It sends you to official routes instead: the USA.gov benefit finder, rental help, help with bills, food help and studentaid.gov, along with the 211 line. That's the honest answer for an Illinois household: the money comes through programs like LIHEAP, not personal grants.

FAQ: Illinois LIHEAP Questions

When can I apply for LIHEAP in Illinois for 2026-27?

Priority households (60 and older, disability, a child 5 or under, a shutoff within 7 days, or less than 25% propane) could apply starting October 1, 2026. Everyone else can apply starting November 1, 2026. DCEO says applications close August 13, 2027, or earlier if money runs out.

What are the Illinois LIHEAP income limits?

For Ameren, ComEd, Nicor, North Shore and Peoples Gas customers, the 30-day gross income limit is $3,990 for one person and $8,250 for four. Customers of other vendors must be at or below 60% of state median income.

How do I apply for LIHEAP in Illinois?

Submit a Request for Services at helpillinoisfamilies.com or apply through your county's local agency. Call 1-833-711-0374 for help. With a shutoff date or no heat, call the county agency directly.

How much does Illinois LIHEAP pay?

The FY2027 plan lists heating benefits from $58 to $2,564, plus up to $2,000 in Reconnection Assistance per year. Last season's average was $676 per household, according to the governor's office.

Is the Illinois PIPP program taking new applications?

No. The ICC says PIPP isn't accepting new applications due to limited funds. Ameren Illinois began a PIPP-type electric program on October 1, 2026, and gas and ComEd customers can get low-income discount rates.

Can Illinois LIHEAP fix or replace my furnace?

Homeowners who qualify for LIHEAP and have no working furnace or safe heat can apply for Furnace Assistance through their local agency until late May 2027 or until funds run out. Renters aren't eligible.

Can my Illinois utility shut off my heat in winter?

From December 1 to March 31, regulated utilities can't disconnect heating customers on freezing days, and LIHEAP and PIPP participants, electric heat customers, and military personnel and veterans are protected for the whole period. Call the ICC at 1-800-524-0795 with a complaint.

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Sources

1. DCEO Utility Bill Assistance (LIHEAP) (opens in a new tab) - program overview, call center, scam warning
2. DCEO How to Apply (opens in a new tab) - Program Year 2027 dates, priority groups, income table, documents
3. DCEO LIHEAP FAQ (opens in a new tab) - one benefit per year, renters, PIPP recertification
4. Illinois FY2027 LIHEAP State Plan (opens in a new tab) - benefit range, Reconnection and Furnace Assistance, allocation, moratorium
5. DCEO community action agency directory (opens in a new tab) - local agencies by county
6. DCEO Program Year 2025 results report (opens in a new tab) - benefits by use and source
7. Governor Pritzker, September 24, 2026 LIHEAP announcement (opens in a new tab) - $240 million, 360,500 households, $676 average
8. ICC Utility Energy Assistance (opens in a new tab) - PIPP status, discount rates, winter and heat rules
9. ICC winter disconnection rule release, December 9, 2025 (opens in a new tab) - protected groups and payment-plan conditions
10. FTC: Government Grant Scams (opens in a new tab) and FTC: Scammers Pretend To Be Your Utility Company (opens in a new tab)
11. USAspending.gov award search (opens in a new tab) - FY2025 obligations for Assistance Listings 93.568 and 81.042