The Erie County HEAP program is accepting applications through April 10, 2026, and pays heating costs directly to your utility or fuel supplier if your household income falls within this season’s limits. Regular benefits for 2025–2026 start at $400 for natural gas and electric customers and reach $900 for households heating with oil, kerosene, or propane. The program is federally funded and run locally by the Erie County Department of Social Services.
Who Qualifies This Season
Eligibility comes down to gross monthly income and household size. For the 2025–2026 season, the Erie County limits are:
- 1 person: $3,473
- 2 people: $4,542
- 3 people: $5,611
- 4 people: $6,680
- 5 people: $7,749
- 6 people: $8,818
For households larger than six, the limit increases by roughly $200 for a seventh person. These are gross figures, meaning income before taxes and deductions, and you count every source for every household member: wages, Social Security, pensions, child support, and so on. You also need to live in Erie County and be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or qualified non-citizen. The application asks for status for every household member.
Automatic Eligibility Through SNAP, SSI, or Public Assistance
If someone in your household already receives SNAP, federally funded Public Assistance, or Code A Supplemental Security Income, you’re categorically income-eligible and skip the income verification step.1LIHEAP Clearinghouse. LIHEAP Categorical Eligibility: States and Territories You still submit an application and utility information, but the county pulls your financial data from files it already has.
How Much You’ll Get
The size of your regular benefit turns mostly on what you heat with. Erie County’s base amounts for 2025–2026:2Erie County. Regular Benefits
- Oil, kerosene, or propane: $900 plus add-ons
- Wood, wood pellets, coal, or corn: $635 plus add-ons
- Electricity or natural gas: $400 plus add-ons
- Heat included in rent (unsubsidized): $45 or $50
- Heat included in rent (subsidized housing): $21
Deliverable-fuel customers get the highest base because they typically pay in large lump sums for a tank fill rather than in monthly utility bills. The “add-ons” adjust the amount up based on household income and size. HEAP pays your energy vendor directly, not you. If the payment leaves a credit on your account, it stays there for future bills.
If your landlord pays for heat and rolls it into your rent, you can still apply, but the benefit is small and generally comes to you rather than a vendor, because there’s no separate heating account to credit.
How to Apply
Erie County takes applications three ways:3Erie County. HEAP (Home Energy Assistance Program)
- In person at the Erie County HEAP office, 460 Main Street, Buffalo, NY
- By mail or fax to the same office
- Online through New York State’s myBenefits portal at mybenefits.ny.gov, with documents uploaded through the free NYDocSubmit app
The paper form is LDSS-3421. Before you sit down to fill it out, pull together:
- Social Security numbers for everyone in the household
- Proof of income for the most recent four weeks (pay stubs, an SSA award letter, pension statements)
- Proof of address such as a mortgage statement, lease, or rent receipt
- A recent utility bill showing your account number, vendor, and fuel type
- Photo ID for the applicant
Get the fuel type right on the application. Oil and propane customers receive higher base payments than gas or electric customers, and a mismatch between your form and your attached documents will hold up the file while a caseworker calls to sort it out. Processing generally runs several weeks, and you’ll get a written decision by mail or through the portal.
Emergency HEAP for Shutoffs and Low Fuel
Emergency HEAP is a separate, faster payment for a heating crisis. You may qualify if your utility has been shut off or is scheduled for disconnection, if the electric service that runs your heating system has been terminated, or if you have less than a quarter tank of oil, kerosene, or propane (or less than a ten-day supply of other fuels).4Erie County. Emergency Benefits
One rule trips people up: if you haven’t spent your regular benefit yet, the county applies that first. The emergency benefit only kicks in when your regular benefit is exhausted or won’t solve the crisis on its own. Each household gets one emergency benefit per program year, and you’ll need proof of the crisis, like a shutoff notice or a fuel gauge reading.
If Your Furnace Breaks
The Heating Equipment Repair or Replacement (HERR) benefit covers a broken furnace, boiler, or other primary heating equipment. It pays up to $4,000 for a repair or up to $8,000 for a full replacement, based on the actual cost of the work.5New York State. Apply for Heating Equipment Repair or Replacement Homeowners and renters can both apply, though renters usually need their landlord’s cooperation because the equipment belongs to the property. You apply through the same Erie County HEAP office.
Cooling Assistance in Summer
HEAP isn’t only a winter program. Erie County’s Cooling Assistance Benefit helps eligible households buy and install an air conditioner or fan when someone in the home has a documented heat-sensitive medical condition, is over 60, or is under 6.6Erie County. Cooling Benefits The medical route needs physician documentation; the vulnerable-member route needs proof of age. The benefit covers one unit per household, up to $800 for a window or portable unit (installation included) and up to $1,000 for a wall-sleeve unit.7New York State. Apply for Cooling Assistance The season usually opens in late spring, runs first-come first-served, and closes when the money runs out. Apply the day it opens if you can.
If You’re Denied or the County Doesn’t Respond
You can request a fair hearing if your application is denied, your benefit looks too low, or the county hasn’t acted on your application within 30 business days.8Cornell Law Institute. New York Codes 18 NYCRR 393.5 – Notices and Fair Hearings You have 60 days from the date the denial notice was mailed to file. Requests go to the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance and can be submitted online, by mail, by fax, by phone, or in person.
One caveat: HEAP can only pay a benefit while federal funds are still available. That funding stays open through the end of the federal fiscal year following the program year, so an appeal filed within the deadline usually still has money behind it, but filing promptly protects your benefit.