Indiana LIHEAP: Eligibility, Crisis Aid, and Winter Protection

Indiana’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known in the state as the Energy Assistance Program (EAP), pays $100 to $625 per year directly to your utility company to help cover heating and cooling costs. LIHEAP in Indiana is administered by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) and delivered through a network of Local Service Providers that cover all 92 counties.¹ You apply once per program year, and if you qualify, the money shows up as a credit on your utility account rather than as a check to you.

Who Qualifies

Indiana sets its income ceiling at 60 percent of the State Median Income, the maximum allowed under federal law.² For the 2025–2026 program year, the monthly gross income limits are:¹

1 person: $2,796/month ($33,556/year)
2 people: $3,656/month ($43,882/year)
3 people: $4,517/month ($54,207/year)
4 people: $5,377/month ($64,533/year)
5 people: $6,238/month ($74,857/year)
6 people: $7,098/month ($85,183/year)

Larger households get higher limits in smaller increments. One detail that matters: eligibility is based on gross household income from the three months before you apply, not your annual total. If you earned well earlier in the year but recently lost hours or a job, that recent window is what the agency looks at.¹

If anyone in your household already receives SNAP, TANF, or SSI, you are categorically eligible and can skip the income verification step, though you still complete the rest of the application.³

Homeowners qualify, and so do renters who pay utilities directly. Renters whose utilities are included in rent can also apply, as long as the rent is not 100 percent subsidized.⁴

Federal law limits LIHEAP to U.S. citizens and qualified non-citizens, including green card holders, refugees, asylees, and people paroled into the country for at least one year. Citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau became eligible in March 2024.⁵

Priority goes to households with the highest energy burden and to those with young children, older adults, or members with disabilities.⁶ Priority affects how quickly your application gets processed, not whether you qualify.

When to Apply

EAP runs on an annual cycle. The 2025–2026 season closed on April 20, 2026 at 5:00 PM Eastern, and the portal is scheduled to reopen in Fall 2026 for the next program year.¹ Applications historically open around November, with the exact date tied to when federal funding is allocated.

Crisis assistance has its own start date. For the 2025–2026 season, crisis benefits began November 1, 2025. Apply early if you can. If you wait until a shutoff notice arrives, you need the crisis component, which is handled on a tighter clock.

Documents You’ll Need

Having everything ready before you start cuts down on back-and-forth with the agency. Gather:

Social Security numbers for everyone in the household
Proof of income covering the three months before your application date, for every adult: pay stubs, Social Security award letters, pension or veteran benefit statements, and the like¹
Zero-income verification if any adult has no income, which typically means a signed statement and a Department of Workforce Development printout confirming they are not drawing unemployment⁷
Recent heating and electric bills showing account numbers and the provider’s name
Your heating fuel type (natural gas, electricity, propane, kerosene, or other)

Confirm the address on your utility bills matches the address on your application, and check whose name is on the utility account. If the account is in someone else’s name, call your Local Service Provider before you apply and ask what extra documentation they want. Mismatches are the fastest way to get your file flagged.

How to Apply

You have two options. Apply online at ihcda.rhsconnect.com, where you can upload documents and complete the whole application electronically.⁸ Or work directly with the Local Service Provider assigned to your county. The LSP processes the application and makes the eligibility decision either way.

To find your LSP, use the county dropdown on the IHCDA website, dial 2-1-1, or contact IHCDA at 317-232-7777 or eap@ihcda.in.gov.¹

Once submitted, the LSP has up to 55 days to review and issue a decision. You’ll get the result by mail or email. If something’s missing, the agency sends a request for the missing document, and you need to respond by the deadline they give, or the application closes.¹

How Much You Get and How It’s Paid

The standard heating benefit for 2025–2026 ranges from $100 to $625.⁹ The exact amount depends on your household income, size, and heating fuel. Lower-income households with higher energy costs tend to land toward the top of the range.

Payment never comes to you. EAP pays the utility company directly, and the benefit posts as a credit on your account.¹ For deliverable fuels like propane or heating oil, the payment goes to your fuel supplier. This is a federal rule.

Crisis Assistance for Shutoffs

Crisis benefits are available if you’ve received a disconnection notice, have already been disconnected, are running low on deliverable fuel, or have a dangerously low pre-paid meter balance. Standard crisis cases must be addressed within 48 hours of the LSP confirming the crisis. Life-threatening cases, meaning your utility is already off or your tank is empty combined with a vulnerable household member, a documented medical need, or a required tank safety inspection, must be addressed within 18 hours.¹⁰

One trap to know: crisis benefits are based on your situation at the time you apply. If you file a regular application and a disconnect notice arrives while it’s being processed, the crisis funds are not added automatically. Call your LSP right away so they can address the new crisis.

Winter Disconnection Protection

Between December 1 and March 15, electric and natural gas utilities cannot disconnect your service if you are receiving EAP or have applied and given your utility written proof of the application.¹¹ The moratorium only covers households connected to EAP; it is not automatic for all low-income customers.

Your balance still accrues. The utility can resume disconnection proceedings after March 15. A statement from a licensed doctor can postpone a shutoff for 10 days on medical grounds whether or not you are enrolled in EAP.¹¹ Applying for EAP early in the season is the surest way to have this protection in place before the first cold snap.

If You’re Denied

You have 30 days from the date of your denial letter to file a written appeal with your Local Service Provider, which must respond within 14 business days. If that doesn’t resolve it, you can escalate to IHCDA’s Community Programs Manager within 30 days, and then to the Director of Community Programs for a final decision. All appeals must be in writing, by mail or to liheap@ihcda.in.gov. Denials often come from paperwork problems rather than true ineligibility, so if you were denied, read the letter carefully before deciding whether to appeal or reapply with corrected documents.

Taxes and Other Benefits

EAP benefits are not taxable. Federal law bars LIHEAP payments from being counted as income or resources under any federal or state program, including taxes, SNAP, SSI, and public assistance.² You don’t report it on your tax return, and it will not reduce other benefits.

In fact, getting a LIHEAP payment above $20 per year can trigger the Standard Utility Allowance for SNAP, which may increase your SNAP benefit through a larger shelter deduction.²

Weatherization for Longer-Term Help

EAP covers this year’s bills. If you want to lower them going forward, Indiana’s Weatherization Assistance Program pays for insulation, air sealing, heating system repair or replacement, efficient lighting, and smoke and carbon monoxide detector installation at no cost to the household. It’s run through IHCDA and delivered by the same Local Service Providers.¹²

Weatherization is not a general home repair program; roofing, siding, and window replacement generally aren’t covered. The income ceiling is 200 percent of the federal poverty level, and if you qualify for EAP you automatically qualify for Weatherization. For 2026, that works out to $2,660/month ($31,920/year) for one person and $5,500/month ($66,000/year) for a family of four.¹² Renters and homeowners both qualify, your home needs to pass a safety assessment, and homes previously weatherized through the program may not be eligible again. Contact your LSP to apply and expect a wait list.

1
Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. Energy Assistance Program (EAP)
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 8624 – Applications and Requirements
3
The LIHEAP Clearinghouse. LIHEAP Categorical Eligibility – States and Territories
4
The LIHEAP Clearinghouse. Subsidized and Rental Household LIHEAP Eligibility and Benefits – States and Territories
5
Administration for Children and Families. Changes to LIHEAP Eligibility for Citizens of Countries Governed by the Compacts of Free Association (COFA)
6
LIHEAP Clearinghouse. Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981
7
The LIHEAP Clearinghouse. LIHEAP Income Verification Examples from States
8
RHSconnect. Welcome to Indiana’s Energy Assistance
9
The LIHEAP Clearinghouse. LIHEAP Benefit Levels for Heating, Cooling, and Crisis – States and Territories
10
HSI-Indiana. Energy Assistance Program (EAP) 2025-2026 Application
11
Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor. Winter Disconnection Moratorium – Frequently Asked Questions
12
Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. Weatherization (Wx)