Texas Utility Assistance Programs and How to Apply

Texas offers two main utility assistance programs for households struggling with electric, gas, or propane costs: the Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP), which pays your provider directly, and the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), which pays for permanent efficiency upgrades to your home. Both are run by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) and delivered through local nonprofit and community action agencies. Separately, state utility rules protect you from disconnection during extreme weather and require your provider to offer a payment plan before shutting off service, whether or not you qualify for any assistance program.¹

Who Qualifies for CEAP in 2026

To qualify for CEAP, your household income has to be at or below 150% of the federal poverty level when you apply.² Using the 2026 federal poverty guidelines, the limits are:³

1 person: $23,940
2 people: $32,460
3 people: $40,980
4 people: $49,500
5 people: $58,020
6 people: $66,540
7 people: $75,060
8 people: $83,580

For each additional person beyond eight, add $8,520.

You can skip the income calculation entirely if anyone in your household already receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI), means-tested Veterans benefits, SNAP, or TANF. Any of those benefits qualifies you automatically.²

Local agencies are required to prioritize three kinds of households: those with a senior, someone with a disability, or a child under six; those with high energy consumption; and those with a high energy burden, which generally means spending more than about 11% of gross income on energy. High energy burden carries the most weight in agency scoring.²

Applicants generally need to be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or qualified aliens. A mixed-status household is not disqualified because one member is undocumented, as long as that person isn’t the only member.²

What CEAP Actually Pays For

CEAP payments go directly to your utility company, not to you. The program is funded through the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and covers electric, gas, and propane bills.⁴ The dollar amount depends on your household size, income, energy costs, and whether anyone in the home is elderly, disabled, or a young child.

Crisis Assistance

CEAP has a separate crisis component for households that have already lost service or are about to. A crisis exists when a disconnection notice has been issued, when someone in the home faces a health or safety threat from losing heating or cooling, or when a delivered fuel like propane drops below a ten-day supply. Crisis help is available during extreme weather months (June through September for heat, November through February for cold), during a declared disaster, or year-round if a life-threatening situation exists.

Crisis assistance also covers heating and cooling system repairs. Local agencies can authorize HVAC repairs up to $9,000 for non-vulnerable households when a system breaks down during a qualifying crisis, and the cap may be higher for households with vulnerable members. This is the largest single benefit in the program, and most applicants don’t learn about it until their equipment fails.

Weatherization Assistance for Longer-Term Savings

WAP addresses the reason bills run high in the first place by paying for permanent improvements to your home.⁴ Income eligibility is set at 200% of the federal poverty level, so more households qualify for WAP than for CEAP.

The work starts with an energy audit that identifies where your home is losing energy. From there, a crew can install caulking and weather stripping, add ceiling, wall, and floor insulation, seal holes in the building envelope, repair or replace ductwork, and tune up, repair, or replace inefficient heating and cooling equipment.⁵ Every measure has to meet an energy-savings threshold, so priority goes to the upgrades that will save the most for your specific home.

How to Apply

TDHCA does not take applications. Every application goes through a local subrecipient agency assigned to your county.¹ To find yours, go to TDHCA’s Help for Texans page, enter your county, and select “utility assistance.” The tool returns contact information for the nonprofit or community action agency in your area.⁶

Some agencies accept applications through an online portal, some require a mailed packet, and some handle everything in person by appointment. If you already have a disconnection notice, say so on first contact. Crisis applications move faster than routine ones.

Documents to Gather First

Requirements vary a little by agency, but most ask for the same core paperwork:

Proof of income for the last 30 days for every household member 18 or older who works or receives benefits. Pay stubs, award letters for Social Security, SSI, SSDI, Veterans benefits, TANF, unemployment, child support, or pension income all count. A signed declaration is accepted when no formal record exists.⁷
State-issued ID for each adult. For children, agencies generally accept two of the following: birth certificate, Social Security card, school ID, immunization records, or health insurance card.
Social Security numbers for household members. Texas is permitted to require these under federal LIHEAP guidance, and agencies enforcing the rule can deny assistance to households that refuse. Enforcement varies by agency, so ask.⁸
Proof of residency, such as a current lease or mortgage statement.
Your most recent electric, gas, or propane bill showing the account number, balance, and usage.

Make sure your name and address match exactly across your ID, your utility account, and the application. Small mismatches stall applications more often than eligibility problems do.

If You’re Denied

Every state that receives LIHEAP funds must give applicants a fair administrative hearing when a claim is denied or ignored for an unreasonable time, and Texas has to follow that rule.⁹ Your denial letter should explain how to request a review.

Before filing for a hearing, call the local agency and ask what triggered the denial. A large share of denials come from paperwork issues rather than real ineligibility, and fixing a document or a miscounted income figure and reapplying is usually faster than an appeal. If the denial was substantively wrong, request the hearing.

Protections If You Don’t Qualify

State utility rules apply to every residential customer, not just program recipients. If you’re behind on your bill, these give you time and options even without CEAP.

No Disconnection During Extreme Weather

Your electric provider cannot disconnect you on any day when the previous day’s high was 32°F or below and the forecast keeps temperatures at or below freezing for the next 24 hours. Nor can it disconnect on any day when the National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory anywhere in the provider’s service territory, or on either of the two calendar days after such an advisory.¹⁰

Written Notice Before Shutoff

Before disconnecting for nonpayment, your provider must send a separate written disconnection notice with a stated shutoff date at least ten days out. That date can’t fall on a weekend, a holiday, or any day when the provider’s staff isn’t available to take payments and restore service. The notice also has to tell you that assistance or a deferred payment plan may be available.¹⁰

Medical Condition Protections

If someone in your home has a medical condition that would worsen without electricity, disconnection is blocked for 63 days from the date of the unpaid bill, as long as you take three steps before the shutoff date: have the person’s physician contact the utility to confirm the medical need, submit a written physician’s statement, and enter a deferred payment plan. The definition of “physician” includes nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and other public health officials.¹⁰

Deferred Payment Plans

Your utility must offer a deferred payment plan before disconnecting if you’ve received no more than two disconnection notices in the past 12 months. The plan has to spread the past-due balance over at least three billing cycles in equal installments, and the provider has to give you a signed written copy showing the total, the installment amount, and the length of the plan.¹¹

A deferred plan can carry a late-payment penalty of up to 5% but no finance charge. Customers with fewer than three months of service and insufficient credit history aren’t guaranteed a plan. Once you’re on one, missing an installment lets the provider disconnect, so treat every date on the schedule as firm.¹¹

Texas law also flat-out prohibits disconnection for certain reasons regardless of weather or medical status, including debts left by a prior occupant, non-electric charges bundled onto your bill, underbilling more than six months old (absent meter tampering), and disputed charges while a formal complaint is pending. If a provider tries to disconnect for any of those, you can file a complaint with the Public Utility Commission of Texas.¹⁰

Renters

Renters qualify for both CEAP and WAP. If you pay your own utility bill, you apply the same way a homeowner does using your bill as proof of energy cost. If utilities are included in your rent, you may still qualify, but you’ll likely need a lease or a written statement from your landlord showing that a portion of the rent covers energy or that your rent rises with utility rates.

Weatherization is different, because the work is done to the building. Some agencies require a landlord agreement before performing work on a rental unit. If your landlord is hesitant, the local agency can walk them through the arrangement; the upgrades are free to the property owner.

1
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Help for Texans
2
Cornell Law Institute. Texas Administrative Code 10-6.307 – Subrecipient Requirements for Customer Eligibility
3
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
4
Cornell Law Institute. Texas Administrative Code Title 10 Part 1 Chapter 6 – Community Affairs Programs
5
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Weatherization Assistance Program
6
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program
7
Community Council of South Central Texas. Utility Assistance – Apply For Services
8
Administration for Children and Families. LIHEAP IM 2010-6 States are Encouraged to Require Social Security Numbers in Determining Eligibility
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 8624 – Applications and Requirements
10
Cornell Law Institute. Texas Administrative Code 16-25.29 – Disconnection of Service
11
Cornell Law Institute. Texas Administrative Code 16-25.28 – Bill Payment and Adjustments