Utility Assistance in Indiana: Income Limits, Shutoff Ban, and How to Apply

If you are behind on a heating or electric bill in Indiana, the main source of utility assistance in Indiana is the Energy Assistance Program (EAP), which pays a one-time annual benefit directly to your utility company for households whose gross income over the past three months is at or below 60% of the Indiana State Median Income.¹ Beyond that benefit, Indiana layers on a winter disconnection ban, free weatherization upgrades, and natural gas hardship programs run by individual utilities.

What the Energy Assistance Program Pays

EAP is Indiana’s version of the federal LIHEAP block grant. The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) runs it through a network of Local Service Providers, usually community action agencies, in every county.² The benefit goes straight to your utility as a credit on your account. You do not receive cash.

Applications are seasonal. For the 2025–2026 program year, the final day to apply was April 20, 2026, and the portal is scheduled to reopen in fall 2026.¹ If you need help during the off-season, call your county’s Local Service Provider anyway; they often know about local resources that run year-round.

Income Limits

Your household’s total gross income for the three months before you apply must sit at or below 60% of Indiana’s State Median Income for a household your size.² Gross income is everything before taxes, counted for every household member 18 or older: wages, Social Security, pensions, and so on. For the 2025–2026 program year, the three-month limits are approximately:

1 person: $8,389
2 people: $10,970
3 people: $13,551
4 people: $16,133
5 people: $18,714
6 people: $21,295
7 people: $21,779
8 people: $22,263

These numbers change each program year, so confirm the current figures with IHCDA or your Local Service Provider before applying. You also have to be an Indiana resident.

If You Rent or Your Utilities Are Included

Renters qualify on the same terms as homeowners, but you have to show you carry some energy cost yourself. If your utilities are bundled into your rent, you can still apply by submitting a Tenant Verification Statement or your current lease, which has to show that your rent is not 100% subsidized.¹ The utility account can be in your name, a household member’s name, your landlord’s name, or another resident’s name.²

Documents to Gather Before You Apply

Incomplete applications are the top reason benefits get delayed. Pull everything together first:

Social Security numbers for every person living in your home. Anyone without an SSN is not eligible for EAP benefits.²
Your most recent heating and electric bills or account statements.
Three months of income proof for every household member 18 or older: pay stubs, Social Security award letters, pension statements, or equivalent.
A lease or Tenant Verification Statement if your utilities are included in rent.

List every person who lives in the home, and report gross income before any deductions. Leaving someone off or lowballing income will slow your application or get it denied.

How to Apply and How Long It Takes

Your application goes to the Local Service Provider for your county. IHCDA’s website has a map and dropdown that will point you to the right office.¹ You can submit three ways:

Online at eap.ihcda.in.gov
In person at your Local Service Provider’s office
By mail to the local office

Once your packet is in, your Local Service Provider has up to 55 days to decide whether you qualify. If approved, the utility can take another 30 days to apply the payment to your account.¹ From application to a credit on your bill, plan for close to three months in the worst case.

If You Are Already Facing Shutoff

Part of EAP’s funding is held back for emergencies, and crisis applications move faster. The program treats any of the following as a crisis:²

You have received a disconnection notice.
Your heat or electric has already been shut off.
Your propane, fuel oil, or other bulk fuel tank is below 10% capacity.
Your furnace or primary heating equipment is broken, unsafe, or not operating.
Your prepaid utility account has less than $50 on it.

Tell your Local Service Provider the situation up front. Indiana requires life-threatening crises, such as no heat during freezing weather, to be handled within 18 hours of the agency learning about them, and other crises within 48 hours.³

The Winter Shutoff Ban

Indiana law blocks utility shutoffs during the coldest months for households that have applied for EAP. Under Indiana Code 8-1-2-121, no electric or gas utility in the state can disconnect residential service between December 1 and March 15 for a customer who has applied for energy assistance and is either receiving benefits or waiting on an eligibility decision.⁴ The protection covers municipally owned, investor-owned, and cooperatively owned utilities.⁵

The moratorium does not erase what you owe. A utility can still disconnect during the protected period if there is a dangerous condition, if a court or the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission orders it, or if the utility finds fraud or meter tampering.⁶

What Happens When the Moratorium Lifts

On March 16, the balance is still owed, and utilities can start disconnection procedures again. Call your utility before that date and set up a payment plan. Indiana law requires utilities to offer any residential customer with a delinquent account a reasonable amortization agreement, which is a structured repayment plan, and you can request an amendment later if your finances change.⁶ Customers who stick to their plan are far less likely to face a spring shutoff.⁵

If someone in your home has a medical condition that makes disconnection dangerous, a statement from a licensed physician can delay a shutoff by an extra 10 days.

Free Weatherization for Your Home

Weatherization is the long-term fix: free energy-efficiency work on your home, such as insulation, air sealing, and furnace repairs. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and run by IHCDA through the same Local Service Providers that handle EAP.⁷

The income cutoff is more generous than EAP: up to 200% of the federal poverty level. For 2026, that is about $31,920 for a single person and $66,000 for a family of four.⁷ If you qualify for EAP, you are automatically income-eligible. Priority goes to older residents, families with a member who has a disability, families with children, and households with high energy costs.⁸ One limit worth knowing: if your home has already been weatherized through this program, you generally cannot get the work done again. Ask your Local Service Provider before applying.

Help From Your Natural Gas Utility

If you heat with natural gas from NIPSCO or Citizens Energy Group, you may qualify for additional help through a Universal Service Program. These utility-specific programs have been running in Indiana since 2004 and sit on top of federal LIHEAP funding.⁹

NIPSCO’s program, for example, helps two groups: low-income customers who already qualify for LIHEAP, and hardship customers who earn up to 250% of the federal poverty guidelines, along with veterans and seniors 60 and older, who may get help with past-due bills.¹⁰ Grant amounts and application windows shift with each heating season, so call your gas utility directly to see what is open.

If Your Application Is Denied

A denial is not the last word. Federal LIHEAP rules require every state to offer a fair administrative hearing.¹¹ In Indiana, you start by sending a written appeal to your Local Service Provider’s EAP manager within 30 days of the denial. If that goes against you, the next level is IHCDA’s Community Program Manager, and the final level is IHCDA’s Director of Community Programs, whose decision is binding. Each stage has its own 30-day window, so act on a denial letter quickly.

Water Bill Help

Indiana’s Low Income Household Water Assistance Program is no longer taking applications. It was a temporary program funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, and the federal money has run out.¹² If you are behind on water or sewer, ask your Local Service Provider or your city water utility about locally funded hardship programs that may still be running.

1
Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. Energy Assistance Program (EAP)
2
Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. Indiana Energy Assistance Program Intake and Operations Program Manual 2025-2026
3
The LIHEAP Clearinghouse. LIHEAP Crisis: States and Territories
4
The LIHEAP Clearinghouse. Indiana Code 8-1-2-121 – Termination of Residential Electric or Gas Services
5
Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor. Winter Disconnection Moratorium: Frequently Asked Questions
6
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 8 Utilities and Transportation 8-1-2-121
7
Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. Weatherization (Wx)
8
Department of Energy. How to Apply for Weatherization Assistance
9
Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor. Natural Gas Universal Service Programs
10
Northern Indiana Public Service Company. Rider 373 Universal Service Program (USP) Rider
11
Administration for Children and Families. LIHEAP Requirements
12
Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP)Low Income Household Water Assistance Program