Mississippi LIHEAP 2026: Income Limits and Benefits

For federal rules and every state's limits side by side, start with our LIHEAP income limits guide. Below is Mississippi's program in detail.

Mississippi LIHEAP pays your energy company, and you see a credit on the next bill. A text promising a cash "Mississippi energy grant" isn't MDHS.

Mississippi LIHEAP 2026-27 at a Glance: 3 Components

Mississippi runs 3 LIHEAP components in FY2027: heating, cooling and the year-round Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP). The final plan puts 40% of funds into heating (up from 30%), 37% into cooling, 5% into year-round crisis, 8% into weatherization and 10% into administration.

Source: MDHS final FY2027 LIHEAP State Plan, sections 1.1, 1.2, 4 and 5.

The 10-point jump in heating money is the biggest change this year. It came mostly out of weatherization, which fell from 10% to 8%, and the cooling share barely moved (36% to 37%).

Mississippi LIHEAP Income Limits for 2026-27 (60% of State Median Income)

Mississippi's limit is 60% of state median income for heating, cooling and crisis, according to the final FY2027 plan, and MDHS's 2027 matrix uses ACF's FY2027 figures. For a family of four, the line is $54,015 a year.

Sources: ACF FY2027 SMI table (opens in a new tab) for Mississippi (four-person median $90,025), mandatory for LIHEAP from October 1, 2026; MDHS 2027 benefit matrix, which rounds a few lines up by $1 (for example $28,088 for one person). The monthly column divides each Mississippi limit by 12. New limits arrive with the FY2028 plan on October 1, 2027.

How MDHS counts income. The 2026 policy manual has caseworkers take your monthly income (from pay stubs within a 30-day period, award letters or tax forms) and multiply by 12 to get the yearly figure they compare with the matrix. Bring proof for everyone in the home.

A small typo to know about. The 2027 matrix lists the seven-person top band as running to $72,920 but labels the cutoff "Over $72,290.49." ACF's figure is $72,920, so a seven-person household between those two numbers should ask the agency to use $72,920.

For health coverage on similar income, see our Mississippi Medicaid income limits guide, and for groceries, our Mississippi SNAP guide.

How Much Mississippi LIHEAP Pays: The $1,500 Matrix

Mississippi's 2027 matrix caps LIHEAP at $1,500 per household per program year, and each household also has a cap for each fuel. Rule 7.8 of the policy manual explains the setup: a total-electric home can get up to the "Total Electric" amount for the year; every other home can get its main-heating-fuel cap plus the electric cap.

Here's the 2027 matrix for a three-person household:

Source: MDHS 2027 LIHEAP Benefit Matrix (Fuel Types), revision 1, October 6, 2026, in the final FY2027 State Plan. The yearly maximum equals the propane cap plus the electric cap. Bands for other household sizes follow the same dollar steps.

Worked example. For example, a family of three in Jackson earning $3,000 a month ($36,000 a year) with Atmos gas heat and Entergy electric lands in the $34,151 to $45,372 band. Over FY2027 it could get up to $450 toward Atmos and up to $450 toward Entergy, $900 in all. If the same family lived in a total-electric apartment, the yearly cap would be $1,000 on the electric bill alone.

A widower, 74, living alone in rural Mississippi on $1,500 a month in Social Security ($18,000 a year) heats with propane. His one-person band is $15,961 to $19,950, where the matrix sets $600 for propane and $500 for electric, $1,100 for the year. Rule 7.4 of the manual says propane households get 100 gallons per request (plus fees), up to that cap. At $3.00 a gallon, the manual's own example, that's about $300 a delivery, so he'd have room for two fills.

What doesn't count against the cap. The FY2027 plan says the cost of a heating or cooling unit isn't included in the $1,500 maximum. MDHS's manual lists blankets, coats, furnaces, vented space heaters, water heaters, air conditioners and fans as extra benefits agencies can provide.

What the cap covers. Past-due amounts, transfer fees, late fees, reconnect fees and deposits can be paid, but not appliance purchases, tampering fees, returned check fees or the water and sewer part of a combined city bill.

Season Dates, Funding and Deadlines for 2026-27

Mississippi's LIHEAP year runs 12 months, and the final FY2027 plan sets the heating season at 7 months (October 1 to April 30) and cooling at 5 months (May 1 to September 30). ECIP runs the whole year.

Federal funding status. Mississippi's share of the first FY2027 release is $31,855,822, according to the ACF allotment data in its October 9, 2026 state table (opens in a new tab). ACF calls the $3.63 billion release 90% of the money available under the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 (Public Law 119-103), a stopgap signed September 2, 2026. MDHS's LIHEAP page warns that funding is limited. Any further FY2027 money depends on Congress passing a full-year bill, which hadn't happened as of November 3, 2026.

Priority order. MDHS says vulnerable households (with someone elderly, disabled or a child 5 or under) get the greatest priority, and their appointments should come within 30 business days of the pre-application, against 45 days for everyone else.

How to Apply for Mississippi LIHEAP in 5 Steps

Mississippi requires an in-person appointment for every applicant, according to section 1.12 of the final FY2027 plan, but it starts online. Here's the route from MDHS's LIHEAP page:

1. Pre-apply on Access MS. Go to the Common Web Portal (opens in a new tab) and check "Community Services" in the list of programs.
2. Wait for the appointment notice. It comes by mail or email with a date, time and document list. Call your agency if you need to reschedule.
3. Gather documents (list below). MDHS says not to skip the appointment if you're missing something; you can bring more later.
4. Finish the application in person with a caseworker. Homebound applicants can ask about a home visit.
5. Get the decision letter. If approved, the agency pays your energy company and you see a credit.

Documents MDHS lists:

• Photo ID for every household member over 18 (driver's license, passport, state ID, employment, school, military or tribal ID, or a permanent residence card)
• Social Security numbers for everyone, regardless of age (originals or copies)
• Income proof: award letters, W-2s, pay stubs from a 30-day period, 1099s, tax forms or an unemployment letter
• Proof of residence: a utility bill, lease or deed
• Copies of your energy bills, in the name of the head of household or spouse (or a notarized landlord statement or lease if the bill is in the landlord's name)

Community Action Agencies for the largest counties, from MDHS's contact list:

Other counties are on MDHS's contact page (opens in a new tab), under Community Action Agencies.

Shutoff Protection and ECIP Crisis Help: Mississippi's 6 Key Rules

Mississippi's Public Service Commission gives residential customers at least 6 protections that matter in a LIHEAP case, all listed in its Ratepayers' Bill of Rights (opens in a new tab):

MDHS's FY2027 plan confirms the weather rule from the LIHEAP side: section 4.17 says scheduled non-pay disconnects are suspended when a freeze warning or excessive heat warning is in effect for the county at 8:00 a.m. The mid-winter rule only protects customers who are enrolled in it, so ask your utility in November how to sign up. You also have the right to negotiate a delayed payment plan with any electric or gas company (Right 4).

ECIP crisis help. MDHS's manual (Rule 7.10) runs ECIP year-round for households with a crisis in the last 30 days:

• Life-threatening (relieved within 18 hours of an approved application): a fire, gas leak or similar disaster; someone on life support or electric medical equipment; domestic violence; or abuse or neglect of a child, elderly or disabled person. A household facing a cutoff that would stop life-sustaining equipment should be interviewed the same day.
• Not life-threatening (relieved within 48 hours): a death or funeral, high medical bills, income lost in the last 30 days, a disconnect or threatened cutoff, theft, or a child displaced because bills couldn't be paid.

MDHS's manual also says agencies must never tell you that you need a disconnect notice to apply. Regular LIHEAP is meant to keep you out of crisis in the first place.

Mississippi's FY2027 LIHEAP Money Per Resident

Mississippi's first FY2027 LIHEAP release is $31,855,822. Grantsights analysis of ACF's October 9, 2026 allotment table and Census Bureau July 1, 2025 population estimates found Mississippi received $10.78 per resident, just above the $10.44 average for the 50 states and D.C.

Mississippi figures from ACF's first-release allotment table for FY2027 (opens in a new tab) and the Census Bureau's 2025 state totals file (opens in a new tab); territories excluded from the rank.

Specifically, Mississippi's $10.78 leads every neighbor, $2.35 per resident ahead of Tennessee, according to the Census population data and ACF's table. Applying the plan's split to this release, about $12.7 million (40%) is set aside for heating, about $11.8 million (37%) for cooling and about $1.6 million (5%) for ECIP. That small crisis slice is why regular help in the fall is your best bet: crisis money is the tightest pot. Neighbors can compare our Alabama LIHEAP guide, Tennessee LIHEAP guide and Louisiana LIHEAP guide.

What MDHS's LIHEAP Page Doesn't Tell You

MDHS's page explains the pre-application well, but 6 things that affect your money aren't on it.

1. The $1,500 is a yearly total, not a per-visit amount. Utility costs from heating, cooling and crisis visits all count against it. Equipment doesn't.
2. Your main heating fuel is locked in. Rule 7.8 says the main heating fuel can't be changed unless you move, so describe how you actually heat the home, not which bill you want paid.
3. LIHEAP approval itself is a shutoff shield. Under PSC Right 9, an approval covering the past-due amount stops a disconnection if the utility is notified. Ask the caseworker to notify the utility right away.
4. The mid-winter rule isn't automatic. You have to be enrolled in it with your utility.
5. Expect case management questions. The FY2027 plan describes the appointment as a case management approach and says elderly and disabled applicants don't have to take part; its crisis section says case management isn't a requirement for LIHEAP. If a caseworker makes it a condition, ask which rule applies.
6. Missing the 10-day deadline can't be appealed. The manual says an agency-level appeal is automatically denied if the denial was for not returning requested information within 10 calendar days.

Programs That Stack With Mississippi LIHEAP

At least 3 extra kinds of help sit alongside the matrix payment in Mississippi, and none of them count against the $1,500 cap except crisis bill payments.

If the house itself needs work beyond weatherization, our home repair grants guide covers other routes Mississippi homeowners can use.

Common Mistakes and Scam Red Flags

These 5 mistakes cost Mississippi households LIHEAP help, based on MDHS's manual and plan:

• Skipping the appointment because a document is missing. MDHS says to go anyway. A common mistake is rescheduling and losing weeks.
• Not returning requested papers within 10 days. That denial can't be appealed at the agency level.
• Using a bill in someone else's name. The bill must be in the head of household's or spouse's name, or backed by a notarized landlord statement or lease.
• Naming the wrong main heating fuel. It can't be changed mid-year unless you move.
• Waiting for a disconnect notice. Regular LIHEAP doesn't need one, and ECIP money is the smallest pot.

Scam red flags. The FTC's notice on scammers posing as the power company (opens in a new tab) says real utilities don't demand gift cards, wire transfers, crypto or payment apps. In Mississippi, it's a red flag if a caller threatens to cut your Entergy or Mississippi Power service today without the 5-day written notice the PSC requires, or on a freeze-warning or heat-warning day. Anyone charging a fee to submit your Access MS pre-application is also a scam. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (opens in a new tab).

Mississippi LIHEAP Denials and Waitlists: 4 Next Steps

Mississippi gives you 30 calendar days to request an agency-level appeal, according to Rule 9.8 of the 2026 policy manual.

1. File the appeal in Virtual ROMA. Include the agency's name, your name and address, the date and stated reason of the denial, and why you disagree. The agency's executive director and board chair have 15 days to schedule it and 15 more to decide.
2. Ask MDHS for a fair hearing. If the agency upholds the denial, call 601-359-4921 or send MDHS's Programmatic Appeal Request form to admin.hearings@mdhs.ms.gov. Hearings are usually by phone.
3. Ask about ECIP or the cooling season. A household turned away in winter may qualify again for cooling help from May 1, as long as it hasn't reached the $1,500 yearly cap.
4. Look past LIHEAP. Dial 211, ask your utility for a payment plan, and check our emergency cash assistance guide, rental assistance guide and help for seniors guide. Our Lifeline guide covers discounted phone service.

The federal side of the program is explained in our national LIHEAP guide.

Behind on more than the Entergy bill? In about two minutes, Grantsights' free eligibility checker (choose "Individual," then "Personal financial help") lists official Mississippi routes for rent, food and benefits screening too. It doesn't hand out money; for energy it routes you to your county's Community Action Agency.

Sources

1. MDHS: Mississippi Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (opens in a new tab) - Mississippi eligibility, Access MS pre-application, documents, appointment timing
2. MDHS: Final FY2027 Mississippi LIHEAP State Plan, with 2027 benefit matrix (opens in a new tab) - Mississippi dates, fund split, $1,500 cap, weather moratorium
3. MDHS: 2026 Mississippi LIHEAP Policy Manual (opens in a new tab)_-_Mark_up.pdf) - Mississippi matrix rules, propane, ECIP, appeals
4. MDHS: Mississippi Community Action Agency contacts (opens in a new tab)
5. Mississippi PSC: Ratepayers' Bill of Rights (opens in a new tab) - Mississippi freeze, heat, medical, mid-winter and LIHEAP protections
6. Access MS: Mississippi Common Web Portal (opens in a new tab)
7. ACF: Mississippi and all-state SMI table for LIHEAP, FY2027 (opens in a new tab)
8. ACF: FY2027 first LIHEAP block grant release, which funds Mississippi's program (opens in a new tab)
9. ACF: FY2027 first-release state allotments, Mississippi $31,855,822 (opens in a new tab)
10. Census Bureau: 2025 population estimates for Mississippi and other states (opens in a new tab)
11. FTC: utility impostor scams, for Mississippi Entergy, Mississippi Power and Atmos customers (opens in a new tab)