Tennessee LIHEAP 2026: Income Limits and Benefits

For federal rules and every state's limits side by side, see our LIHEAP income limits guide. The rest of this guide covers Tennessee only.

THDA pays the utility or fuel company, never the applicant. A text offering a cash "Tennessee energy grant" isn't LIHEAP.

Tennessee LIHEAP 2026-27 at a Glance: 4 Kinds of Help

THDA's draft 2027 manual lists 4 kinds of LIHEAP help, all handled through one application. You can get one regular or crisis benefit per program year (October 1 to September 30), plus disaster help when a federal disaster is declared, a weatherization referral, and one HVAC repair or replacement if you qualify.

Source: THDA draft 2027 LIHEAP Policy Manual, sections 1, 2.1, 2.8 and 2.21.

Tennessee's LIHEAP covers heating or cooling, whichever is your main energy cost. That matters in a state where summer power bills can top winter ones: the benefit goes to one utility, the household's primary heating or cooling source, according to section 2.1 of the draft manual.

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

Tennessee's limit for households of 1 to 8 is 60% of state median income, according to section 2.10 of THDA's draft 2027 manual, and the FY2027 matrix uses ACF's figures exactly. Households of 9 to 16 use 150% of the federal poverty level instead, because that gives larger families a higher line.

Sources: THDA FY2027 benefit matrix (opens in a new tab), top income for groups 1 through 16; ACF FY2027 SMI table (opens in a new tab) for Tennessee (four-person median $105,327). Monthly figures are the annual limit divided by 12. Effective for the program year October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027; THDA posts a new matrix each year.

How THDA counts income. Section 2.14 of the draft manual defines current income as everything the household received in the 30 days before the application date. SmartSimple turns that into a monthly and yearly figure. Social Security, SSI and SSDI are counted net; other income is gross. Any adult (18 or older and out of high school) claiming zero income must sign a Verification of Income and Expenses form.

Social Security numbers decide household size. A household member is counted only if their Social Security number is verified. Babies under 1 can use a U.S. birth certificate or the mother's copy instead.

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

How Much Tennessee LIHEAP Pays: The 9-Column Energy Burden Matrix

Tennessee's FY2027 matrix pays $300 to $800, and the single biggest factor is energy burden: the share of your income that goes to energy. Section 2.18 of the draft manual says burden is your energy cost divided by your income, using bills from the most recent 12 months, including late fees and reconnection fees but not deposits, appliance contracts, water or trash.

Here's the FY2027 matrix for a three-person household, straight from THDA's chart:

Source: THDA FY2027 LIHEAP Benefit Matrix. The matrix has a ninth burden column (100% or more) that also pays $800. One- and two-person households start at $300; households of 6 to 8 start at $409 to $427.

What the matrix tells you. Burden moves your benefit far more than income does. A three-person household in the lowest income group with a 4% burden gets $357; a household in the highest income group with a 16% burden gets $757. If you heat with propane or have a drafty mobile home with big bills, you'll land in the right-hand columns.

Worked example. For example, a family of three in Nashville earning $3,000 a month ($36,000 a year) with Nashville Electric Service power and Piedmont gas is under the $53,084 limit and lands in income group D. If the family's bills for the past 12 months totaled $3,000, its burden is $3,000 ÷ $36,000, or 8.33%, which falls in the 8.28% to 9.97% column. THDA's matrix pays $488, sent to whichever utility the family names as its primary heating or cooling source. Had the same family paid $4,500 in energy over the year (12.5%), the payment would rise to $618.

A woman, 72, living alone in rural Tennessee on $1,500 a month in Social Security ($18,000 a year) heats with propane and paid $1,800 for fuel over the last 12 months. Her burden is 10%, and her income puts her in group C for one person ($13,885.51 to $18,673.50). The matrix pays $535 to her propane dealer.

The $100 leftover rule. Section 2.9 of the draft manual says you can't get a new benefit while more than $100 of an earlier LIHEAP credit is still sitting on the account. Prepaid-meter customers must bring usage and cost records so the agency can calculate burden.

Season Dates, Funding and Deadlines for 2026-27

Tennessee's LIHEAP program year runs 12 months, October 1 to September 30, and THDA's draft 2027 manual says regular and crisis applications must be accepted continuously through that period. The catch is money: agencies can keep waitlists, and anyone still waiting on September 30 has to reapply on October 1.

Last year's delay is a warning. In the 2025-26 program, the East Tennessee Human Resource Agency (ETHRA) told applicants that because of the federal shutdown, Tennessee hadn't been awarded its 2026 LIHEAP funds, so approved households went onto a waiting list and crisis applications got priority for carryover money. Apply as soon as your agency opens anyway; waitlist order goes by priority group and date.

Federal funding status. Tennessee's share of the first FY2027 release is $61,629,663, according to the ACF allotment data in its October 9, 2026 state table (opens in a new tab). That's part of $3.63 billion that ACF calls 90% of the money available under the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 (Public Law 119-103), a stopgap signed September 2, 2026. The remainder hinges on a full-year appropriation that Congress hadn't passed as of November 3, 2026.

Waitlist priority. When money is short, section 2.1 of the draft manual says agencies serve waitlisted households in this order: someone 60 or older; someone with SSI disability coding, SSDI or a verified disability; a child 5 or under; active military or veterans; then the highest energy burden.

How to Apply for Tennessee LIHEAP in 5 Steps

Tennessee moved LIHEAP online, and section 2.1 of THDA's draft 2027 manual says applicants must apply through the SmartSimple portal; paper applications are accepted only when an accommodation is requested and warranted. Your county agency can walk you through it.

1. Get an email address. The draft manual says every applicant needs a unique, valid email; applications without one are treated as incomplete and denied.
2. Gather 30 days of income and 12 months of bills. See the list below.
3. Apply in SmartSimple at the link on THDA's LIHEAP page (opens in a new tab).
4. Answer revision requests within 14 days. If something is missing, you get a revision request and 14 calendar days to fix it. On day 15 the application is denied and you start over.
5. Watch for the decision. For regular help, the agency must decide within 45 calendar days of the end of the month you applied and pay the vendor within 45 days of the end of the month of approval.

Documents to upload, from the draft 2027 manual and THDA's agency contact sheet:

• A government-issued photo ID for the applicant
• Social Security number verification for every household member, or a birth certificate for a child under 1
• Proof of gross income for the past 30 days (4 weeks) for every member 18 or older, or the zero-income form
• A 12-month history of every home energy bill, or as long as you've lived there
• Your most recent utility bill, and the termination notice if you have one
• Proof of disability (SSI or SSDI letter, or THDA's Verification of Disability form signed by a medical professional) if it applies

Local agencies for the largest counties, from THDA's 2026 contact sheet:

If your county isn't listed, THDA's contact sheet covers all 95. THDA also takes questions at LIHEAP@thda.org.

Shutoff Notices and Crisis Help in Tennessee: 48 Hours

Tennessee crisis help must reach eligible households within 48 hours of applying, excluding weekends and holidays, according to section 2.8.2 of the draft 2027 manual. When someone in the home relies on medical equipment that needs continuous power, the limit drops to 18 hours. The agency's notice to the utility is meant to hold off the disconnection until the payment arrives.

How SmartSimple flags a crisis. Your application is marked as crisis automatically if you answer yes to one question from each group:

Shutoff rules. Honest answer: Tennessee has no statewide winter disconnection ban. For gas utilities regulated by the Tennessee Public Utility Commission (opens in a new tab), rule 1220-04-05-.18 (opens in a new tab) requires a mailed notice at least 7 days before the shutoff date, naming the reason and the commission's contact details, and bars a shutoff on any day, or the day before any day, when the utility isn't open to reconnect service. It also makes the utility postpone a residential shutoff for 30 days when a physician, public health officer or social services official certifies that losing service would worsen a medical emergency. Piedmont posts a Tennessee medical certification page (opens in a new tab) for its customers.

Electricity is different. Most Tennessee homes buy power from a local power company that distributes TVA power, such as Memphis Light, Gas and Water, Nashville Electric Service or the Knoxville Utilities Board. Those utilities set their own cutoff and payment-plan policies, so call the number on your bill and ask about extensions and medical holds the day a notice arrives.

Tennessee's FY2027 LIHEAP Money Per Resident

Tennessee's first FY2027 LIHEAP release is $61,629,663. Grantsights analysis of ACF's October 9, 2026 allotment table and Census Bureau July 1, 2025 population estimates found Tennessee received $8.43 per resident, about 19% below the $10.44 average for the 50 states and D.C.

Tennessee comparison built from ACF's allotment table for the first FY2027 release (opens in a new tab) and the Census Bureau's 2025 state population file (opens in a new tab); territories left out of the ranking.

Specifically, Tennessee's $8.43 is $2.53 per resident behind Kentucky and $1.71 behind Alabama, according to the Census population data and ACF's table. Tennessee's matrix also pays cooling-season bills from the same pot. That's why the waitlist exists and why the crisis reserve matters: there's less money per person here than in most of the country. Neighbors can compare our Kentucky LIHEAP guide, North Carolina LIHEAP guide and Georgia LIHEAP guide.

What THDA's LIHEAP Page Doesn't Tell You

THDA's applicant page is short, and on November 3, 2026, 6 useful facts weren't on it.

1. The page still shows last year. It lists the November 1, 2025 opening and a $174 to $750 range. The FY2027 matrix on THDA's administrator page pays $300 to $800.
2. No email, no application. The draft manual treats an application without a valid email as incomplete. If a parent doesn't have one, set one up before you start; it must be unique to the applicant.
3. The 14-day clock is strict. Miss a revision request and the application is denied on day 15. Check your email, including spam, every few days.
4. All your bills count, even ones LIHEAP won't pay. THDA wants every utility bill so it can calculate your full energy burden. Leaving off a gas or propane bill can drop you a column in the matrix.
5. Large families use a different line. Nine or more people? The limit is 150% of poverty ($92,100 for nine), which is higher than the median income line would give.
6. A funding denial can't be appealed. The draft manual says no hearing is required if you were denied because money ran out. That's one more reason to apply early in the season.

Programs That Stack With Tennessee LIHEAP

At least 3 other programs can stack with a LIHEAP payment in Tennessee, and the biggest one fixes the house rather than the bill.

TVA says Home Uplift participants save about $500 a year on average and cut home energy use by 25%. To qualify, you must be a customer of a local power company that offers it, meet the income rules, live in a single-family home or a manufactured home built after 1976 on a permanent foundation, and not have had a similar TVA-funded upgrade at the address in the last 20 years. Call 1-888-986-7262. If the roof or wiring is the real problem, our home repair grants guide covers Tennessee homeowners' other options.

Common Mistakes and Scam Red Flags

These 5 mistakes sink Tennessee LIHEAP applications most often, based on the rules in THDA's draft manual:

• Using a shared email. A common mistake is putting a grandchild's or a caseworker's email on the form. Each applicant needs a unique address.
• Missing a household member's Social Security proof. That person won't count toward household size, which can push you into a lower-paying matrix row.
• Sending one month of bills. THDA wants 12 months. One summer bill makes your burden look low.
• Ignoring the 14-day revision notice. The application dies on day 15.
• Waiting for the shutoff date. A disconnect notice plus a vulnerable household member already counts as a crisis.

Scam red flags. The FTC's guide on fake utility callers (opens in a new tab) says real utilities don't demand payment by gift card, wire, cryptocurrency or payment app. In Tennessee, be wary of a caller claiming MLGW, NES or KUB will cut you off in an hour, anyone charging to "file" your SmartSimple application, and any site other than THDA's portal asking for your Social Security number. Your local LIHEAP agency helps for free. Report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (opens in a new tab).

If You're Denied or Waitlisted: 4 Next Steps

Tennessee gives you 30 calendar days to appeal, using THDA's Administrative Fair Hearing form, according to section 2-22 of the draft 2027 manual.

1. Appeal to the agency. Fill in the fair hearing form explaining why the denial is wrong, or how the agency failed to act in time. The agency must decide within 14 days and copy THDA.
2. Appeal to THDA, then a hearing officer. THDA staff decide within 14 days. If THDA agrees with the agency, an independent hearing officer has 14 days to decide. After that, you have 14 days to ask for a hearing before a Tennessee administrative law judge.
3. If you're waitlisted, stay reachable. Approved waitlist applications stay valid through September 30, and the benefit follows you if you move.
4. Look beyond LIHEAP. Dial 211, ask your power company about extensions, and check our emergency cash assistance guide, rental assistance guide and help for seniors guide. For a cheaper phone bill, see our Lifeline guide.

Our national LIHEAP guide explains the federal side, including how the money reaches Tennessee.

If you aren't sure which programs fit, the free eligibility checker on Grantsights takes a couple of minutes: choose "Individual," then "Personal financial help," and it lists official routes for bills, rent, food and benefits screening. It isn't a grant program. For a Tennessee power or gas bill, the route ends at your county's LIHEAP agency.

Sources

1. THDA: Tennessee Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (applicant page) (opens in a new tab) - Tennessee SmartSimple portal, 19 agencies, 2025-26 notice
2. THDA: Fiscal Year 2027 Tennessee LIHEAP Benefit Matrix (opens in a new tab) - Tennessee income groups and $300 to $800 benefits
3. THDA: Draft 2027 Tennessee LIHEAP Policy Manual (revised July 12, 2026) (opens in a new tab) - Tennessee application, crisis, income, burden and appeal rules
4. THDA: Tennessee LIHEAP agency contacts, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
5. THDA: LIHEAP forms and administrator documents for Tennessee agencies (opens in a new tab)
6. ETHRA: Tennessee LIHEAP program updates for 2026 (opens in a new tab) - 2025-26 shutdown delay and waitlist
7. ACF: Tennessee and all-state LIHEAP SMI table, FY2027 (opens in a new tab)
8. ACF: first FY2027 LIHEAP block grant release, including Tennessee's share (opens in a new tab)
9. ACF: FY2027 first release by state (opens in a new tab) - Tennessee $61,629,663
10. Tennessee rule 1220-04-05-.18 (gas termination of service) (opens in a new tab)
11. Tennessee Public Utility Commission (opens in a new tab)
12. TVA EnergyRight: Home Uplift for Tennessee Valley households (opens in a new tab)
13. Census Bureau: 2025 state population estimates file (opens in a new tab)
14. FTC: utility impostor warning for Tennessee MLGW, NES and KUB customers (opens in a new tab)