Utility Assistance for Seniors in Texas (2026 Guide)

What to Know in 2026

The old statewide Texas Utility Help website is not an application route anymore. TDHCA says the site is closed and directs households to local providers through Help for Texans. The agency also says the temporary Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) funding used by Texas Utility Help has ended. Energy help continues through regular Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding and local Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) providers. See the state’s Texas Utility Help notice.

Texas also published new 2026 poverty guidelines. CEAP eligibility is calculated at 150% of the federal poverty guidelines, effective January 26, 2026. Weatherization uses either a 200% guideline for the U.S. Department of Energy funding stream or a 150% guideline for the LIHEAP weatherization stream. The local agency determines which rules apply to your application.

CEAP: The Main Texas Energy Bill Program

Texas runs CEAP with federal LIHEAP money. TDHCA describes it as a utility-assistance program for low-income households with immediate home-energy needs. Local subrecipients collectively cover all 254 counties. TDHCA funds and oversees the system, but local agencies take applications, verify income, and provide client services. TDHCA itself does not approve an individual household’s application.

CEAP can help with eligible home-energy costs such as electricity, natural gas, propane, or another fuel used for heating or cooling. Under the current Texas CEAP benefit rule, assistance can include utility payments, certain heating and cooling repairs, replacement of qualifying heating or cooling components or units, and some crisis-related portable heating or cooling equipment.

How much can CEAP pay?

CEAP is not a flat grant. The amount depends on income, household size, vulnerability and priority factors, the type of assistance, energy use, the bill, and available funds. Texas rules set the utility-payment and crisis-component maximum at up to $1,800 per component for households at 0% to 50% of the federal poverty guideline, $1,500 for households above 50% through 75%, and $1,200 for households above 75% through 150%.

The rule also sets a $12,600 maximum possible annual household benefit for all allowable benefits combined, not counting approved arrearage treatment under the rule. Certain eligible heating or cooling repair, replacement, or equipment costs can be allowed up to $9,000. These are legal ceilings, not typical awards and not promises that a household will receive those amounts.

2026 CEAP Income Limits

For Program Year 2026, CEAP uses income at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines. The figures below come from the current TDHCA income guidelines, effective January 26, 2026.

Texas rules also recognize categorical eligibility when at least one household member receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or qualifying means-tested veterans program payments. However, the CEAP eligibility rule still requires a complete application, and the local provider collects income information to determine the benefit level.

Being older does not automatically qualify a person. It can matter for priority. If utility costs are only one part of a larger problem, the Texas senior assistance guide covers additional state and local help.

How to Apply Without Wasting Time

1. Open Help for Texans.
2. Select Utility Bill Payment Help.
3. Enter your city or county and use the contact information for the provider serving your area.
4. Tell the provider if you have a disconnect notice, no working heat or cooling, a medical need, or another urgent condition.
5. Ask exactly what documents are required and how the agency accepts them.

If using the website is difficult, TDHCA lists 1-877-399-8939 and 1-877-541-7905 for utility bill payment help on its contact page.

What to gather before you call

• Your most recent utility bill and account number.
• Any disconnection, past-due, or reconnection notice.
• Identification requested by the local agency.
• Household-member information and current income records.
• Proof of SSI, SNAP, TANF, or qualifying veterans benefits if you are using categorical eligibility.
• Landlord or lease information if utilities are included in rent or paid indirectly.

This is a preparation list, not a universal document checklist. Local agencies can request different proof based on the household and type of assistance.

Weatherization Can Lower Future Bills

Bill assistance addresses a current energy cost. Weatherization addresses the home conditions that can keep costs high month after month. Texas operates the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) with U.S. Department of Energy and LIHEAP funding. Local subrecipients cover all Texas counties.

According to the Texas weatherization program, eligible work can include an energy audit, caulking and weather stripping, insulation, patching holes in the building envelope, duct work, and tune-up, repair, or replacement of inefficient heating and cooling systems when program standards allow it.

For 2026, TDHCA lists a 200% federal poverty guideline for DOE-funded WAP and 150% for LIHEAP-funded WAP. That does not mean every applicant can choose the higher limit. Ask the local provider which funding stream and eligibility rule applies to your home.

Use Help for Texans and choose Weatherization, or call 1-888-606-8889. Our senior weatherization guide explains what weatherization programs usually do and what to expect from an assessment.

Electric Shutoff Protections and Payment Plans

Texas electricity rules depend on the provider and service area. A retail electric provider in a competitive market can be governed by rules that differ from a municipal utility or electric cooperative. For that reason, ask your own provider which customer-protection rule applies rather than assuming every Texas account has identical rights.

For retail electric providers covered by the state disconnection rule, a provider must not authorize disconnection for nonpayment during an extreme weather emergency. The rule also requires a deferred payment plan, on request, for residential bills that become due during that weather emergency. The current Texas disconnection rule defines the weather conditions and also addresses energy-assistance pledges.

If an energy-assistance provider sends a valid pledge or other notice for enough of the delinquent amount, the rule gives covered retail electric customers additional time while the assistance provider makes payment, subject to the customer handling any balance not covered by the pledge. This is why it is important to tell both the utility and the assistance agency about a shutoff notice.

If the electric company will not resolve a problem

First contact the electric provider and keep notes of the date, person, and response. If the issue falls under Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) authority and is not resolved, you can contact the PUCT Consumer Protection Division at 1-888-782-8477. The PUCT complaint page explains how to file a complaint.

If you need broader emergency help while a utility issue is being worked out, see Texas emergency assistance.

Natural Gas and Propane Problems

CEAP can help with eligible home-energy costs, including qualifying gas or fuel bills. If the problem is a billing or service dispute rather than a lack of money, start with the gas utility.

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) explains that natural-gas customers inside city limits are generally directed to the city because the city has original jurisdiction. Natural-gas customers outside city limits and propane distribution-system customers can use the RRC complaint process. The RRC lists 1-877-228-5740 and 512-463-7164 on its gas complaint page. Its bill complaint process explains the jurisdiction difference.

Water and Sewer Bill Help

This is one of the most important distinctions in Texas. CEAP is an energy program. The state CEAP rule says LIHEAP money cannot pay water, wastewater, or solid-waste charges, even when those charges appear on the same combined bill. The local provider may try to separate and pay only the eligible home-energy portion.

The temporary statewide LIHWAP water-assistance funding used by Texas Utility Help has ended. That does not mean no water help exists anywhere in Texas. City utilities, local hardship funds, community action agencies, churches, and other nonprofits may still have their own assistance or payment plans.

Call your water utility and ask for a hardship program, payment arrangement, leak-adjustment policy if relevant, and any partner charity that accepts referrals. Then dial 2-1-1 and search by ZIP code. Our water bill help guide gives additional routes to check.

Phone and Internet Discounts

Lifeline can reduce the monthly cost of qualifying phone or internet service. Federal Lifeline support is up to $9.25 per month for qualifying broadband or bundled service, and current rules keep up to $5.25 for qualifying voice-only service through November 30, 2027. Only one Lifeline benefit is allowed per household.

Federal Lifeline generally uses income at or below 135% of the federal poverty guidelines or participation in a qualifying program. Texas is an opt-out state that uses its own state eligibility process. The national Lifeline application page directs Texas residents to their state process. Texas residents can start at the PUCT-backed Texas Lifeline site.

For more ways to reduce these costs, see our phone and internet guide.

Local Backup Help for Texas Seniors

If CEAP funds are unavailable, the local provider is closed to new applications, or your bill is not an eligible CEAP expense, use more than one route.

• 2-1-1 Texas: Dial 2-1-1 or 1-877-541-7905 and ask specifically for electric, gas, water, utility deposit, cooling, or heating help in your ZIP code.
• Area Agency on Aging: Texans age 60 and older can call 1-800-252-9240 for Area Agency on Aging services. Texas HHS also provides an AAA county directory. Our Texas AAA guide can help you prepare for the call.
• Community charities: Local organizations sometimes pay part of a bill or provide emergency help when government funds cannot. See Texas charities for seniors.
• Benefits screening: If utility hardship is part of a wider income problem, check Texas benefits portals for food, health, and other assistance that may free money for utilities.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using the closed Texas Utility Help portal. Use Help for Texans to find today’s local provider.
• Waiting until service is off. A pending notice gives you more time to ask the utility and assistance agency to coordinate.
• Assuming age alone qualifies. CEAP still uses income and program rules.
• Expecting CEAP to pay water. CEAP’s LIHEAP money is for eligible home-energy expenses, not water, sewer, or solid waste.
• Paying a bill and expecting CEAP reimbursement. Already-paid energy bills cannot be reimbursed.
• Treating maximum benefits as normal awards. Legal maximums do not tell you what your local agency will approve.
• Assuming every electric provider follows the same process. Competitive retail providers, municipal utilities, and cooperatives can have different rules and regulators.

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