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Applications Now Being Accepted for Home Energy
Assistance Program
Published: December 02, 2025
at 11:30 a.m.
By: linkinglewiscounty.com
Governor Kathy
Hochul announced on
Monday that New Yorkers can now begin applying for heating
assistance through the Home Energy Assistance Program to help defray the
high cost of heating their homes during the winter. The program, known as
HEAP, can provide up to $996 to eligible households, depending on how they
heat their home.
The opening of
the HEAP application period was pushed back by a month due to the 43-day
shutdown of the federal government earlier this fall. The program, overseen
by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), is 100 percent
federally funded.
Many households
automatically receive a HEAP payment due to their
enrollment in other programs. OTDA prepared those automatic payments ahead
of time and these households can now be assured that a
HEAP payment will soon be made to their heat supplier without
needing to apply or take any additional action.
Eligible
households can receive one Regular HEAP benefit per season and could also
be eligible for an Emergency HEAP benefit if they
are in danger of running out of heating fuel or having their utility
services shut off. Applications for the additional emergency benefits will
be accepted beginning January 2, 2026.
The benefit
amounts vary — with a maximum of $996 — based on income, household size,
heating source and if the household contains a vulnerable member. A family
of four can have a maximum gross monthly income of $6,680, or an annual
gross income of $80,165, and still qualify for assistance.
Applications for
assistance are accepted at local departments of
social services and can be submitted online, through
the mail or in person. Additionally, older adults needing assistance
with HEAP applications can contact their local office for the aging or
contact the NY Connects helpline at 1-800-342-9871.
More than 1.5
million households in New York received a Regular HEAP benefit last year.
Assistance is provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
Governor Hochul
also urged more New Yorkers to enroll in New York State’s Energy
Affordability Program (EAP), which provides up to $500 in annual discounts
on energy bills. The State’s EAP already serves approximately one million
households statewide, but state officials estimate that approximately 1.5
million more households are eligible to receive a discount. New Yorkers can
visit ny.gov/EAP to learn about
eligibility and enrollment.
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