New Mexico LIHEAP 2026-27: Income Limits, Benefits, Apply

Wondering how New Mexico's limit stacks up? Our LIHEAP income limits guide compares every state; the rest of this guide stays with New Mexico.

LIHEAP pays the utility or fuel vendor you choose on the form. A caller offering New Mexico "energy cash" for a fee isn't HCA.

New Mexico LIHEAP 2026-27 at a Glance: 14 Points, $560 Top Benefit

New Mexico's FFY2027 LIHEAP benefit tops out at 14 points, or $560. The FFY2027 state plan spreads the federal money this way: 45% heating, 25% cooling, 4% summer crisis, 2% winter crisis, 4% year-round crisis, 12% weatherization and 8% administration, with nothing set aside for carryover.

Sources: New Mexico FFY2027 LIHEAP state plan, sections 1.1, 1.2, 2.6, 3.6 and 4.12; 17.5.410.30 NMAC.

What changed for FFY2027. HCA's FFY2026 guide paid $35 a point, and the LIHEAP Clearinghouse lists FY2026 benefits of $70 to $490. The FFY2027 guide pays $40 a point, so every household's benefit rises by $5 per point, or $70 at the top.

New Mexico LIHEAP Income Limits for FFY2027

New Mexico sets its LIHEAP line at 150% of the federal poverty guidelines (FPG), based on total gross household income before taxes. The guide also lists a 110% line, because households at or below it earn an extra income point.

Source: HCA, LIHEAP FFY2027 Income Guidelines, Points and Benefit Amount (monthly gross income). Annual equivalents are monthly limits times 12. Effective for federal fiscal year 2027, October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027.

When the figures change next. HCA publishes a new point and income guide for each federal fiscal year, so expect FFY2028 figures around October 1, 2027.

What HCA asks you to prove. The LIHEAP application asks you to check every source of income and benefits for all household members and attach proof for the last 30 days. Only members applying for help need to give citizenship and Social Security information, according to the application. For food help on the same income papers, see our New Mexico SNAP guide, and for health coverage, our New Mexico Medicaid income limits guide.

How Much New Mexico LIHEAP Pays: The Points Chart

New Mexico adds points from 3 categories and multiplies the total by $40. A household gets at least 2 points by qualifying on income, so the floor is $80.

Source: HCA FFY2027 point and income guidelines. Odd point totals pay $40 more than the even total below them (for example, 7 points is $280). The guide also lists a Standard Utility Allowance of $298.

Worked example. For example, a family of three in Albuquerque earning $2,400 a month, with PNM and New Mexico Gas Company bills of $300 a month and a 4-year-old at home, is under the $2,504 line at 110% of FPG (3 points). Their $300 bill is 12.5% of income (2 points), and the child adds 2 points. That's 7 points, or $280.

Rural propane homes score higher. Specifically, a 72-year-old man in Gallup living alone on $1,350 a month in Social Security, with propane running $250 a month in winter, gets 3 income points (under $1,463), 3 burden points (18.5%), 2 propane points and 2 points for his age: 10 points, or $400 toward his propane dealer.

Choose your bill carefully. The application asks you to pick one heating or cooling bill you want help with. If your main heat isn't electric, the FFY2027 guide says HCA still needs your electric account information when you have one.

Year-Round Dates, Deadlines and Funding

New Mexico runs all LIHEAP components for 12 months, October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027, so there's no single deadline. The dates that matter most are the moratorium window and federal funding.

Where New Mexico's federal money stands. New Mexico's first FY2027 LIHEAP payment is $17,530,537, per the ACF state allotment table (opens in a new tab) for October 9, 2026. ACF's release notice (opens in a new tab) says that national release is 90% of the funds available under Public Law 119-103, the stopgap Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 signed September 2, 2026, and that funds are restricted for any grantee without an approved FY2027 plan. The FFY2027 plan copy on HCA's site was marked "Saved" rather than accepted when Grantsights checked it on November 3, 2026. Final FY2027 funding depends on Congress.

How to Apply for New Mexico LIHEAP: 4 Ways

HCA takes LIHEAP applications 4 ways, all listed on the LHP-602 application form.

1. Online at YES-NM (opens in a new tab).
2. In person at your local Income Support Division (ISD) office. HCA lists offices on its field office page (opens in a new tab).
3. By mail to Central ASPEN Scanning Area (CASA), PO Box 830, Bernalillo, NM 87004.
4. By fax to 1-855-804-8960.

Questions go to HCA's Customer Service Center at 1-800-283-4465.

What to attach:

• Proof of all income for every household member for the last 30 days
• The heating or cooling bill you want help with
• Your electric account information, if your main heat isn't electric
• Citizenship and Social Security information for household members applying for help
• Proof of age or disability if you're claiming vulnerable-member points

Crisis timing. The FFY2027 plan says HCA will contact the utility vendor no later than 48 hours after receiving a crisis application, and no later than 18 hours for a life-threatening emergency, such as a disconnection or a lack of heat in extreme cold, especially for vulnerable members.

Shutoff Protection: New Mexico's November 15 Moratorium

New Mexico's winter moratorium runs 4 months, November 15 to March 15, under 17.5.410.30 NMAC. No utility may disconnect a residential customer for nonpayment in that window if the utility gets notice that the customer meets LIHEAP qualifications for the current heating season, and either:

1. The customer had no past-due charges on November 15, or
2. The customer has a settlement or installment agreement with the utility and keeps making the payments.

You can join mid-season: the rule says a customer becomes protected once the utility gets proof of LIHEAP qualification and the customer pays the amount due as of November 15 or signs a payment agreement for it. If you were already disconnected, the utility must reconnect once it gets that proof and the payment terms are met.

Other PRC protections in 17.5.410 NMAC:

Source: 17.5.410 NMAC (opens in a new tab), New Mexico State Records Center and Archives, checked November 3, 2026.

The moratorium covers PRC-regulated gas and electric utilities, not propane or wood dealers. For a complaint, call the PRC's consumer relations line at 888-427-5772, as listed by the LIHEAP Clearinghouse.

Utility Funds That Stack With LIHEAP: 3 in New Mexico

Three utility-linked charity funds help New Mexicans after LIHEAP, according to the LIHEAP Clearinghouse's New Mexico profile (opens in a new tab):

Weatherization. The New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority runs the weatherization program; the LIHEAP application lists 1-800-444-6880. The FFY2027 plan puts 12% of LIHEAP money into it. New Mexico homeowners who also need roof, plumbing or electrical repairs can look at our home repair grants guide.

New Mexico's FY2027 LIHEAP Money Per Resident

New Mexico's first FY2027 LIHEAP allotment is $17,530,537, according to ACF's October 9, 2026 table. Grantsights analysis of that table and Census Bureau July 1, 2025 population estimates found New Mexico received $8.25 per resident, below the $10.44 average across the 50 states and D.C., and 40th of 51.

New Mexico figures from ACF's first-release state table and the Census Bureau Vintage 2025 state population estimates (opens in a new tab), with territories left out of the ranking.

This first payment is 87% of the $20,080,797 the LIHEAP Clearinghouse lists for New Mexico's full FY2026 award. Per the LIHEAP Clearinghouse, New Mexico served 21,672 heating households, 9,492 cooling households and 15,041 crisis households in FY2024. Neighbors can compare with our Colorado LEAP guide, our Arizona LIHEAP guide, our Utah HEAT guide or our Texas CEAP guide.

What HCA's LIHEAP Guide Doesn't Tell You

HCA's one-page guide is clear, but 6 things aren't on it.

1. The moratorium has a payment condition. LIHEAP eligibility alone doesn't protect you. You need either a clean November 15 balance or a payment agreement you keep. If you're behind, sign the agreement before November 15.
2. The 110% line is worth 1 point, or $40. A family of four earning $3,000 a month gets 3 income points; at $3,100 they get 2. If your income dipped recently, apply in the lower month.
3. Propane households get 2 extra points. That's $80, on top of the higher burden points propane bills usually earn.
4. The guide lists a $298 Standard Utility Allowance without explaining it. HCA's one-page guide doesn't say when that figure replaces your actual bill, so ask your ISD worker how it's used in your case.
5. You only get one bill paid. The application asks you to choose one heating or cooling bill. Your best bet is the one with the shutoff risk or the biggest balance.
6. Over the limit isn't always over. For crisis help, HCA can use net income if you had a hardship in the last 30 days.

Common Mistakes and Scam Red Flags

These 5 mistakes cost New Mexico households the most, based on HCA's application and the PRC rule:

• Sending an incomplete 30 days. HCA asks for proof of all income for the last 30 days for every member. A common mistake is leaving out child support or a part-time job.
• Forgetting the electric account. If you heat with gas or propane, HCA still wants your electric account information.
• Assuming the moratorium is automatic. The utility has to get notice of your LIHEAP qualification, and you have to meet the balance or agreement condition.
• Breaking the payment agreement. Protection depends on keeping the agreed payments.
• Not claiming vulnerable members. Each category is worth 2 points, or $80. List the toddler, the grandparent and anyone with a disability.

Scam red flags in New Mexico. A shutoff threat lands hardest on a freezing January night, and impostors know it. The FTC's guidance on utility impostors (opens in a new tab) says a real utility doesn't demand instant payment or ask for gift cards, wire transfers, crypto or payment apps. New Mexico-specific warning signs:

• A shutoff threat between November 15 and March 15 from someone who won't let you call the utility back on the number on your bill
• Anyone charging a fee to file a LIHEAP application; HCA's form and YES-NM are free
• A "LIHEAP site" that isn't yes.nm.gov or hca.nm.gov
• A promise that LIHEAP money will be paid to you directly; HCA pays vendors

If a call doesn't feel right, hang up and use the number printed on your PNM or New Mexico Gas Company bill. New Mexicans can report impostors at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (opens in a new tab) and to the New Mexico Attorney General's consumer protection division.

Denied by New Mexico LIHEAP or Out of Funds: 4 Next Steps

New Mexico gives you 90 days from the adverse action to request a fair hearing, according to HCA's LIHEAP application.

1. Request the hearing. Fill out the form on the back of your notice and mail or fax it to the HCA Fair Hearings Bureau, P.O. Box 2348, Santa Fe, NM 87504-2348, fax (505) 476-6215. Hearings are held by phone, and you can bring a friend or family member.
2. Get free legal help. Law Access New Mexico takes calls at (800) 340-9771.
3. Ask about net income. If a recent medical bill or emergency repair pushed you over, ask HCA to review crisis eligibility on net income.
4. Look past LIHEAP. New Mexico 211 lists local bill, rent and food help. A New Mexico household behind on rent and utilities can start with our rental assistance guide or our emergency cash assistance guide. New Mexicans 60 and older can see our help for seniors guide, and a discounted phone is in our Lifeline guide.

New Mexico's program is one piece of the federal LIHEAP system; our national LIHEAP guide covers how and when the rest of the federal money usually arrives.

For bills beyond the utility, the Grantsights free eligibility checker can help. Select "Individual" and then "Personal financial help" for official New Mexico-relevant routes for bills, rent, food and benefits screening. It isn't a grant, and for a New Mexico energy bill it leads back to HCA's LIHEAP.

Sources

1. New Mexico HCA: LIHEAP FFY2027 Point and Income Guidelines (opens in a new tab) - New Mexico income limits, points, $40 per point
2. New Mexico HCA: Income eligibility and LIHEAP guideline index (opens in a new tab) - current and prior New Mexico LIHEAP guides
3. New Mexico HCA: LIHEAP application, form LHP-602 (May 1, 2026) (opens in a new tab) - New Mexico submission options, documents, fair hearing rights
4. New Mexico HCA: FFY2027 LIHEAP Detailed Model Plan (opens in a new tab) - New Mexico fund split, benefit range, crisis rules
5. New Mexico HCA: Income Support Division field offices (opens in a new tab)
6. New Mexico State Records Center and Archives: 17.5.410 NMAC (PRC utility service rules) (opens in a new tab) - New Mexico winter moratorium and notice rules
7. ACF notice of the first FY2027 LIHEAP release that funds New Mexico LIHEAP (opens in a new tab) - October 9, 2026, 90% under Public Law 119-103
8. ACF: FY2027 first release, state allotments (opens in a new tab) - New Mexico $17,530,537
9. LIHEAP Clearinghouse (ACF-funded): New Mexico state profile (opens in a new tab) - New Mexico FY2026 funding and benefits, households served, utility funds
10. Census Bureau: Vintage 2025 state population estimates (opens in a new tab)
11. FTC warning on utility impostors, relevant to New Mexico utility customers (opens in a new tab)