When the 2026–27 season starts
The Department of Human Services (DHS) says the 2026–2027 LIHEAP season is scheduled to open November 2, 2026. The state's emergency services page says help is typically available November through March. DHS also says crisis help is available 24 hours a day, and in most counties you should contact your County Assistance Office. The LIHEAP hotline is 1-866-857-7095, Monday through Friday (711 for hearing impaired). If your heat is out before the season opens, call and ask whether emergency intake has started rather than waiting.
What counts as an emergency
DHS counts these as heating emergencies:
- Broken heating equipment or leaking lines that must be fixed or replaced.
- No fuel, or less than a 15-day supply of oil, propane or other delivered fuel.
- Your main heat source, or the utility that runs it, has been shut off.
- A notice that utility service will be shut off within the next 60 days.
When you call, say plainly that your furnace is broken and you are reporting a heating emergency. The regular LIHEAP cash grant is a different benefit: it pays $200 to $1,000 to your utility or fuel company and doesn't fix equipment.
Who qualifies
Renters and homeowners can both qualify. You don't need to be on another public benefit or behind on your heating bill. DHS lists these 2026–2027 maximum yearly household incomes:
- 1 person: $23,940
- 2 people: $32,460
- 3 people: $40,980
- 4 people: $49,500
- Each person beyond 10: add $8,520
Count everyone who lives at the address the way the application asks. The income limit is a cutoff, not an approval; the County Assistance Office still assesses your case.
What the program can fix
The Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) runs Emergency Services with DHS through local weatherization agencies. Primary services are heating-system repair, replacement of a system that can't be repaired, repair or replacement of broken gas or fuel lines, hot-water heating system repair and frozen heating pipe thawing. A loaned space heater, blankets and broken-window repair are offered only along with one of those primary services.
DCED says the service is free for qualified applicants, and the amount spent depends on the emergency and what the agency's in-home assessment finds. If you qualify, DHS either handles the problem directly or refers you to the local weatherization agency for a home visit.
How to apply
- If you haven't gotten LIHEAP this season, you must apply for LIHEAP to be considered for a crisis grant. Apply online through COMPASS, by paper application or through your County Assistance Office.
- If you already got a LIHEAP benefit this season, contact your County Assistance Office directly to report the emergency.
- Have your household members' information, income records, a recent heating bill or fuel delivery receipt and any shutoff notice ready.
- Track the application at trackmybenefits.pa.gov without a COMPASS login. It shows status, your next appointment and possible missing documents. DHS says most applications are decided within 30 days after a caseworker is assigned, so for a no-heat emergency, call the office instead of waiting on the tracker.
Before you hire a contractor yourself
The program sends its own agency to assess the system. Before you pay a private company, ask the County Assistance Office whether doing so affects your emergency request; none of the state pages say private bills are reimbursed, so don't assume they will be. When the agency visits, ask what failed, whether a repair will hold through the winter, and what makes it recommend replacement.
Leave the furnace itself to the technician: don't take panels off or relight a gas burner you aren't sure about. If a carbon monoxide alarm goes off, follow when a CO alarm means leave the house. If the furnace is replaced in Philadelphia, the furnace permit guide covers the city permit; in Bucks and Montgomery County, ask the agency whether it pulls the township permit. City residents can also check Philadelphia home repair assistance programs for help beyond the heating system.