In Texas, LIHEAP is delivered as the Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program, or CEAP, which helps low-income households pay electric, gas, and propane bills, restore disconnected service, and repair or replace broken heating and cooling equipment. You qualify if your household’s gross income is at or below 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines — $23,940 a year for one person, $49,500 for a family of four in 2026.1Texas Law Help. Federal Poverty Guidelines Applications go through a local subrecipient agency that serves your county, not through the state directly.2Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP)
Who Qualifies
The main test is income. Your household’s gross income at the time you apply must sit at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level.3Legal Information Institute. 10 Texas Administrative Code 6.307 – Eligibility For 2026, that works out to:1Texas Law Help. Federal Poverty Guidelines
- 1 person: $23,940
- 2 people: $32,220
- 4 people: $49,500
The ceiling rises for each additional person in a household larger than four. You can also qualify automatically if someone in the home receives TANF, SSI, SNAP, or certain veterans’ pension payments.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 8624 – Applications and Requirements
You must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or legal permanent resident to receive assistance.
Who Gets Served First
Help is not strictly first-come, first-served. Each local agency has written procedures giving priority to households facing a high energy burden — where utility costs eat up a disproportionate share of income — and that factor must rank highest.3Legal Information Institute. 10 Texas Administrative Code 6.307 – Eligibility Vulnerable households also get priority: those including anyone 60 or older, a person with a disability, or young children.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 8624 – Applications and Requirements If your household fits any of those categories, mention it when you apply.
What CEAP Will Pay For
The program has two sides. Regular utility assistance covers your current electric, natural gas, or propane bill, with payment sent directly from the agency to your utility company or fuel vendor. Benefit amounts depend on household size, income, and energy burden.
Crisis assistance is the bigger lever, and it kicks in when something has already gone wrong — a disconnection, a shutoff notice, a broken furnace in January, no cooling in August. Under the crisis component, CEAP can cover:5Legal Information Institute. 10 Texas Administrative Code 6.310 – Crisis Assistance Component
- Past-due balances, deposits to restore service, and current bills needed to keep heating or cooling running.
- Emergency fuel delivery up to 250 gallons per crisis at the prevailing price, including tank pressure testing.
- Repair of a broken heating or cooling system, or replacement equipment costing up to $9,000 when the system cannot be repaired or the home has none.
- Portable window units, evaporative coolers, or mini-split systems in life-threatening situations; units must be Energy Star certified when available, and more than two per household requires written approval from TDHCA.
- Fans and blankets to resolve immediate safety concerns, and generators when the household faces a life-threatening crisis.
If you are in a crisis right now, say so when you first contact the local agency. Crisis applications move on a faster track than routine requests.
How to Apply
TDHCA does not take applications directly. Find the subrecipient that serves your county through the “Help for Texans” search on the TDHCA website, or call 2-1-1 and ask to be connected to CEAP intake.2Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) Most agencies take applications in person; some also accept mail or online submissions.
Before you go, pull these documents together. Missing paperwork is the single most common reason applications stall.
- Proof of income for every adult in the household covering the most recent 30 days — pay stubs, Social Security award letters, pension statements, or similar.
- Front and back copies of your current electric and gas bills, showing the service address, account number, and meter number.
- Proof of citizenship or legal residency for each household member: birth certificate, U.S. passport, certificate of citizenship, naturalization certificate, or permanent resident card.
- A valid government-issued photo ID for the applicant.
Check that the name and address on your utility bill match your ID. If the account is in someone else’s name, bring extra proof that you live at that address. Double-check the account and meter numbers you provide, because errors there delay payment even after you’re approved.
There is no single annual enrollment window. Applications are taken on a rolling basis when the local agency has funds, but demand climbs during summer cooling and winter heating months, and agencies can run out before the program year ends. Applying earlier helps.
After You Apply
The agency reviews your documents to verify income, household size, and utility details, and will contact you if anything is missing. Processing typically takes several weeks from the date a complete application lands, depending on local caseload.
You will get the decision in writing by mail. If approved, the agency pays your utility company or fuel vendor directly, and the credit shows up on your next billing statement. For reconnections, the agency usually coordinates with the utility to get service back on.
If you are denied, offered less than you expected, or stuck waiting an unreasonable time, you have the right to request a hearing. The denial notice explains how. The appeal window is short, so act on it right away; letting the deadline pass ends your right to challenge the decision.
Lowering Future Bills Through Weatherization
The same local agencies that handle CEAP also run the Weatherization Assistance Program, which pays for insulation, air sealing, duct repairs, and tune-ups or replacement of inefficient heating and cooling equipment in eligible homes.6Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Weatherization Assistance Program Eligibility overlaps heavily with CEAP, so if you qualify for bill help, ask the intake worker whether you also qualify for weatherization. CEAP covers this month’s bill; weatherization reduces what that bill will be next year.