LIHEAP Income Eligibility for States and Territories

Link to: LIHEAP Income Eligibility for Tribes

[Last updated: 12/04/2025]

Note: The LIHEAP statute (Section 2605(b)(2)(b) of Public Law 97- 35) established 150 percent of the poverty guidelines (FPG) as a maximum income level allowed in determining LIHEAP eligibility, except where 60 percent of a state's median income (SMI) is higher. Effective in FY 1995, income eligibility criteria for LIHEAP may not be set lower than 110 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines, but priority may be given to households with the highest energy costs or needs in relation to income. The federal government sets the poverty guidelines in February of every year and publishes them in the Federal Register.

Grant recipients may adopt the year's new guidelines at any time between the date of publication in the Federal Register and the first day of the next fiscal year or by the beginning of the grantee's fiscal year, whichever is later. For LIHEAP, the majority of grant recipients use the prior year guidelines until the first day of the next fiscal year in order to avoid changing guidelines in the middle of their program year. Most grant recipients start their new fiscal year October 1; however, a few grant recipients start theirs July 1 and those grant recipients, along with several that operate summer cooling programs, adopt the most recent guidelines in June or July.

Tables: Income guidelines, optional in FFY 2025 and mandatory in FFY 2026.

• LIHEAP FPG State Tables
• LIHEAP FPG Tables for Puerto Rico
• LIHEAP SMI Estimates for States and Puerto Rico

The Percent of Poverty Table below shows the percent of federal poverty guidelines (FPG) or state's median income (SMI) used by grant recipients in determining eligibility for LIHEAP components in FY 2026. Although grant recipients can have a different poverty level for each component (crisis, cooling and weatherization) the majority use the same poverty level for all components.

Source: FY 2026 State Model Plans