Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) – Washington State Department of Commerce

Commerce’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) aims to help low-income households in Washington state receive affordable, dependable utility services and avoid disconnection.

LIHEAP provides energy assistance to households in Washington through a network of community action agencies and local partners. Through LIHEAP, you may be eligible for:

Eligibility is based on several factors, including:

Learn more about eligibility guidelines for LIHEAP energy assistance.

To apply for energy assistance, you must schedule an appointment with an organization that offers services in your area.

Use the LIHEAP public map tool to view and select the county you live in.

That will show you the contact information for the agency in your area and instructions for scheduling an appointment.

Note: Commerce does not determine eligibility or award grants to households.

A scam in Oregon and Washington state has been contacting people and informing them that:

LIHEAP in Washington will never ask customers for their social security number or banking and routing information. Instead, LIHEAP in Washington makes payments directly to customer accounts through the utility.

Help us strengthen the program integrity of Washington state LIHEAP. Please report suspected fraud to the Department of Commerce LIHEAP administrators by calling 360-725-2857.

You may be eligible to apply for LIHEAP grant if:

The income limits are set at 150% of the federal poverty level (FPL) and may be located on the Eligibility Guidelines (PDF) page. The eligibility information provided on this site is only a guide. Eligibility has to be determined through your local LIHEAP provider. Find a provider near you and schedule an appointment today.

LIHEAP is primarily used to assist households with a one-time heating grant made directly to your energy provider. In addition, the program now includes cooling services. In some cases, our program may also assist you in repairing or replacing an unsafe, inoperative, and dysfunctional heating or cooling system.

No, LIHEAP is not the only energy assistance program available in Washington. Many energy providers across the state administer their own energy assistance programs and offer special rate discounts for qualified customers. Some of these programs are designed similarly to the LIHEAP program and are provided through the same agencies that provide your local LIHEAP program.

To apply for LIHEAP, you must schedule an appointment through the LIHEAP provider in your community. Each agency has its own process for scheduling appointments. You’ll have to follow the scheduling procedures specific to the agency in your area.

The Department of Commerce does not schedule appointments. Find a LIHEAP provider in your area and connect with them directly to apply.

You can apply for LIHEAP once each program year. The program year runs from October 1 through September 30.

No, it doesn’t matter what your heat source is. Our program awards energy assistance grants regardless of fuel type. We assist households with electric, gas, propane, oil, coal and wood.

Yes, you will need to provide documentation to receive a LIHEAP grant. The documentation requested may vary by LIHEAP provider. Typically, you’ll be asked to document your identity, residence, heat costs and income. Make sure to find out what documentation you’ll need before your scheduled appointment.

The amount of money awarded to your household will depend on multiple factors. For example, each household’s size, income and annual heat cost will affect the amount of their LIHEAP grant. You’ll have to schedule a LIHEAP appointment with the provider in your community to find out how much you could receive.

No. In most cases, you won’t receive payment directly. LIHEAP almost always pays grants directly to the energy utility. Sometimes, a LIHEAP grant may be awarded directly to a household instead of the energy provider, but that is uncommon.