Program
LIHEAP Crisis Grants
Verified · October 23, 2026 Deadline soon — check dates
LIHEAP crisis grants provide additional help, on top of LIHEAP cash grants, to households experiencing a heating emergency. Eligible applicants receive benefits within 10 business days of applying, or sooner if they are experiencing a time-sensitive, life-threatening crisis, and assistance with home heating crisis situations is available 24 hours a day. A household may receive more than one crisis grant in a season, up to the $1,000 season maximum.
- Organization
- Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (PA DHS)
- Hours
- Home heating crisis assistance: 24 hours a day (contact your County Assistance Office in most counties); LIHEAP Hotline: Monday through Friday
- Who qualifies
- Households that meet the LIHEAP income guidelines and are experiencing a heating emergency: broken heating equipment or leaking lines that must be fixed or replaced; lack of fuel; the shutoff of the main heating source or a secondary heating source; the danger of being without fuel (less than a 15-day supply); or the danger of having utility service terminated. DHS also describes crisis eligibility as being in jeopardy of having heating utility service terminated, having already had service terminated, or being out of fuel or having less than two weeks' worth of deliverable fuel such as fuel oil, propane, coal, or wood.
- Income limits
- Same LIHEAP income limits as cash grants: income at or below 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Limit (DHS). Maximum annual income effective February 1, 2026: HH1 $23,940; HH2 $32,460; HH3 $40,980; HH4 $49,500; +$8,520 per additional person. Crisis grant: minimum $25 and maximum $1,000 per household per LIHEAP season; more than one crisis grant may be issued up to the $1,000 maximum.
- How to apply
- If you have not received standard LIHEAP benefits this year, you must apply for LIHEAP to be considered for a crisis grant. If you have already received a LIHEAP benefit this season, contact your local County Assistance Office (CAO) to report your heating emergency. LIHEAP Hotline: 1-866-857-7095.
- Cost
- LIHEAP assistance does not need to be paid back.
- Last verified
- October 23, 2026
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