If you’ve received a utility shut-off notice in Pennsylvania, you almost certainly still have time to stop the disconnection. State law gives you several ways to delay or prevent it: a winter moratorium for lower-income households, a medical certificate for anyone in the home with a serious condition, and the right to a payment arrangement that spreads your balance over months or years. Alongside those protections, LIHEAP grants and utility-run assistance programs can cover part or all of what you owe. Help with shut-off notices in PA is built around acting before the scheduled termination date on your notice, so the first thing to do is find that date and work backward from it.
What to Do First When a Notice Arrives
Pull out the notice and check the proposed shut-off date. A written termination notice is valid for 60 days from issuance, and the earliest the utility can disconnect is 10 days after sending it.1Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 66 – Section 1406 Termination of Utility Service If the notice in your hand is older than 60 days, the company has to issue a new one before cutting service.
Call the utility before that date and ask for a payment arrangement. If the conversation goes nowhere, your next call is to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission at (800) 692-7380 to file an informal complaint. A complaint filed before the scheduled termination can halt the shut-off while the PUC’s Bureau of Consumer Services works out a resolution.2Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. Informal Complaints Waiting until after your service is off eliminates that leverage.
At the same time, start a LIHEAP application. A shut-off notice qualifies you for a crisis grant with faster processing, so attach it to your application.
Winter Shut-Off Protections
Between December 1 and March 31, electric and natural gas utilities generally cannot terminate heat-related service to households at or below 250% of the federal poverty level.3Pennsylvania Code and Bulletin. Pennsylvania Code 52 – Section 56.100 Winter Termination Procedures For 2026, that threshold is roughly $39,900 for a one-person household and $82,500 for a family of four.4U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines Most Pennsylvania households fall within it.
If your utility questions whether you qualify, you may need to verify income with recent pay stubs or benefit letters. Households above the 250% line can still be shut off during winter, but the notice requirements continue to apply.
Medical Certificates
If anyone in the household has a serious illness or medical condition that would get worse without utility service, a medical certificate from a licensed physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner stops the termination.5Legal Information Institute. Pennsylvania Code 52 – Section 56.111 General Provision The certificate must state that losing service would aggravate the condition. Once the utility receives it, service stays on for the time period the certificate specifies, up to 30 days; if no period is listed, the default is 30 days.6Pennsylvania Code and Bulletin. Pennsylvania Code 52 – Section 56.114 Length of Postponement and Renewals
You can renew the certificate for additional 30-day periods if you’ve been making good-faith payments. If you haven’t, renewals for the same unpaid balance are limited to two more 30-day certificates before the utility can proceed.6Pennsylvania Code and Bulletin. Pennsylvania Code 52 – Section 56.114 Length of Postponement and Renewals A certificate buys time to arrange payment or secure assistance; it isn’t itself a solution.
Payment Arrangements With Your Utility
You have the right to ask the utility for a payment arrangement before termination. If the two of you can’t agree, the PUC can set one. How long the PUC can give you to pay off the balance depends on household income:7Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 66 – Section 1405 Payment Arrangements
- At or below 150% of the federal poverty level: up to 5 years
- Between 150% and 250%: up to 3 years
- Between 250% and 300%: up to 1 year
- Above 300%: up to 6 months
The PUC will usually establish only one payment arrangement for you. If you default on a PUC-arranged plan, the commission typically won’t set up a second one unless your income has changed or you’ve had a major life event such as the onset of a serious illness, catastrophic home damage, or loss of your residence.8Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. Responsible Utility Customer Protection Act A utility can voluntarily offer more arrangements but isn’t required to, and after two or more defaulted arrangements it can demand full payment before restoring service.7Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 66 – Section 1405 Payment Arrangements Because of that, take the first arrangement seriously and ask for terms you can realistically meet.
LIHEAP Cash and Crisis Grants
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program is the main source of government help for heating costs in Pennsylvania. Cash grants go directly to your utility to reduce your balance and generally run from $500 to $1,500 depending on household size, income, and fuel type.9Pennsylvania State Senate. Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Crisis grants are available if you’ve received a termination notice, had service shut off, or face an immediate heating emergency, and crisis applications are processed within 10 business days, or faster for life-threatening situations.10Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Apply for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
Eligibility is set at 150% of the federal poverty level. For the 2025–2026 season, the maximum annual income limits are:10Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Apply for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
- 1 person: $23,940
- 2 people: $32,460
- 3 people: $40,980
- 4 people: $49,500
- 5 people: $58,020
Add $8,520 for each additional member. The current LIHEAP season opened December 3, 2025 and is scheduled to close May 8, 2026.11Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. COMPASS
Apply online through the Pennsylvania COMPASS portal, by mail, or in person at your local County Assistance Office.10Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Apply for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program You’ll need a recent bill from your main heating source and proof of income for every household member. Pay stubs and benefit award letters work; you can submit either the prior month’s income (converted to annual) or 12 months of earnings. Social Security numbers are requested, but any member who prefers not to provide one can sign an affidavit instead.12Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. LIHEAP Handbook 678.3 – Acceptable Forms of Verification Upload the shut-off notice with your application; that’s what qualifies you for the crisis track and triggers faster processing.
Customer Assistance Programs and the Dollar Energy Fund
Customer Assistance Programs, or CAPs, are run by the utilities themselves. Instead of billing based on usage, a CAP sets your monthly bill based on what you can afford given your household income. Consistent on-time payments on a CAP gradually forgive a portion of past-due balance. Eligibility and details vary by company, but CAPs generally serve households at or below 150% to 200% of the federal poverty level. Call your utility to ask whether you qualify and how to enroll.
The Dollar Energy Fund provides additional grants for households that still need help after government programs. Income generally must be at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, and you’ll need to show a good-faith effort to pay by providing proof of recent payments. These grants, funded by voluntary customer and corporate contributions, often fill the gap when LIHEAP runs out or doesn’t cover the full balance.
Filing a Complaint With the PUC
If the utility refuses a reasonable payment arrangement, skipped notice steps, or is moving to terminate improperly, file an informal complaint with the PUC’s Bureau of Consumer Services. A BCS investigator works to facilitate a resolution and can establish a payment plan the utility must honor.2Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. Informal Complaints File by phone at (800) 692-7380 or through the PUC website. File before the scheduled shut-off date; a complaint lodged in time can delay disconnection while the investigation proceeds.
If Your Service Has Already Been Shut Off
Reconnection rules depend on income and the season. During winter (December 1 through March 31), the utility must restore service within 24 hours of your meeting the payment requirements. From April through November, the standard is three calendar days, or up to seven if the work requires digging up a sidewalk or street.13Legal Information Institute. Pennsylvania Code 52 – Section 56.191 Payment and Timing
What you have to pay to get reconnected is tied to income:
- At or below 150% FPL: reconnection fees plus the outstanding balance spread over 24 months, with the first payment capped at one-twelfth of the balance.
- Between 150% and 300% FPL: reconnection fees plus the balance over 12 months, first payment capped at one-twelfth of the balance.
- Above 300% FPL: the utility can require the full balance plus reconnection fees upfront. A major life event may get you up to three months to pay.
These income tiers mean that lower-income households should not face an impossible lump-sum demand to restore service.13Legal Information Institute. Pennsylvania Code 52 – Section 56.191 Payment and Timing If the utility skipped notice steps or personal-contact requirements before cutting service, that affects reconnection and can support a PUC complaint. Immediately before termination, a utility employee must try personal contact with a responsible adult at your home, and cannot proceed if you show proof of payment, a pending dispute, or a serious medical condition at that moment.14Pennsylvania Code and Bulletin. Pennsylvania Code 52 – Section 56.94 Procedures Immediately Prior to Termination
Bankruptcy as a Last Resort
Filing for bankruptcy triggers a federal protection: a utility cannot disconnect or refuse to serve you based on bills that existed before the filing. You do have to provide “adequate assurance of payment” for future service within 20 days, which can take the form of a cash deposit, letter of credit, certificate of deposit, surety bond, or prepayment.15Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 366 – Utility Service A bankruptcy judge can modify the deposit amount if you can’t afford it, but failing to provide any assurance in that 20-day window lets the utility disconnect. Bankruptcy isn’t a step to take over a utility bill alone; if you’re already weighing it for other debts, this protection comes with it.