You can usually get rental and utility assistance at the same time

Rent help and LIHEAP are separate programs, usually run by separate offices, and federal law keeps a heating benefit from counting as income. Here is how to file both in one season.

By Vincent Wesley Couey · Compiled and verified 19 October 2026 · How we check programs

Can you get rental and utility assistance at the same time?

Rental assistance and utility assistance can usually be received together because they are separate programs with separate funding. LIHEAP, the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, provides federally funded assistance to reduce the costs of home energy bills, energy crises, weatherization and minor energy-related home repairs. Rent help comes from a different set of programs: housing vouchers run by local public housing agencies, and, in some states, a state or city rental program.

The catch is that "at the same time" rarely means one form. In GrantProbe's dataset of state assistance programs, every one of the 51 jurisdictions lists rent help through local public housing agencies, while LIHEAP is run by a state agency, and only three states in our data name one agency for both. You will usually file two applications, at two offices, on two timelines.

There is also a quieter rule that helps you. Federal law says LIHEAP payments shall not be considered income or resources of a household for any purpose under any federal or state law. A heating benefit should not push your income up when a housing agency decides your rent.

Federal vs state vs local: who runs what in 2026

LIHEAP is federal money run by states. The Administration for Children and Families sends block grants to each state, and the state picks the agency that runs it. In GrantProbe's data that agency is a human services or health department in 26 jurisdictions, a housing or community affairs agency in 9, a commerce or economic development office in 6, an energy or environment department in 3, and not named in our row for 7.

Rent help is mostly local. HUD's Housing Choice Voucher program is run by local public housing agencies, and HUD says your share of rent is usually 30% of your adjusted monthly income, though it may be as high as 40%. HUD also warns that high demand and long waiting lists mean you may need to apply to more than one agency's list.

Only 15 of the 51 jurisdictions in our data name a statewide rental program in addition to local housing agencies. Examples include Massachusetts RAFT, Illinois's Court-Based Rental Assistance Program, Michigan's State Emergency Relief, and Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency renter resources. In the other 36, rent help means the local housing agency, a city program, or a nonprofit.

What ended: Treasury Emergency Rental Assistance

Treasury Emergency Rental Assistance, the pandemic program that paid rent and utility bills together, has ended. Treasury says the period of performance for ERA2 awards ended on 30 September 2025, and ERA2 grantees may no longer use those funds for rent, arrears, utilities or home energy costs.

Between them, ERA1 ($25 billion) and ERA2 ($21.55 billion) provided over $46 billion. ERA was unusual because one program could pay rent, rental arrears, utilities and home energy costs on one application. Many of the "rent and utility help in one place" pages still online describe that program. If a site still says you can apply for ERA, it is out of date.

Treasury now points renters to the interagency housing portal hosted by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which says state, tribal and local organizations are the best place to start and suggests contacting 211.

LIHEAP in 2026-27: funding status and how to apply

LIHEAP is funded for the start of winter 2026-27. On 9 October 2026 the Office of Community Services announced the release of $3.6 billion of LIHEAP funding for fiscal year 2027, under a continuing resolution signed into law on 2 September 2026. ACF says it released 90% of the funding available under that resolution to each grant recipient.

The year before was rockier. The National Energy Assistance Directors Association, which represents state LIHEAP directors, says HHS fired the entire LIHEAP program staff on 1 April 2025 and the administration proposed eliminating funding for fiscal year 2026, before HHS released $3.7 billion on 28 November. NEADA projects that US households will spend an average of $1,030 to heat their homes this winter, up $82 or 8.7 percent on last year.

To apply, start with your state. Each state sets its own dates and income limit within federal rules. Illinois, for example, opens on 1 October 2026 for older adults, people with disabilities, families with a child five or under and households facing disconnection, and on 1 November 2026 for everyone else. If you do not know where to start, the National Energy Assistance Referral line at 1-866-674-6327 connects you to your state's program.

States where one application covers more than one bill

New Jersey and Michigan are the clearest cases where one application covers more than one bill, and both are worth knowing even if you live elsewhere, because they show what to ask your own state for.

New Jersey's handbook also answers the stacking question directly for its own program: benefits from energy assistance programs, including USF, Lifeline and SHARES, are not counted as income when New Jersey decides LIHEAP eligibility. Our New Jersey assistance programs guide and Michigan assistance programs guide cover both states in full.

Court-based and eviction-stage rent help

Court-based rental assistance pays rent only once an eviction case exists, and it is a separate application from utility help. Illinois runs the clearest example. Its Court-Based Rental Assistance Program provides up to $10,000 toward past-due rent, up to $700 for court costs and up to two months' future rent to tenants with a pending eviction case for nonpayment, with household income at or below 80% of area median income. Proof of citizenship is not required, and the program says it is open.

In Illinois the utility side sits with a different agency. LIHEAP is run by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, while CBRAP is run by the Illinois Housing Development Authority. A tenant behind on both files twice in the same season. Our Illinois assistance programs guide covers both programs and their dates.

Michigan's SER relocation help works at the same stage. It can pay rent arrears, deposits or moving costs when a court summons or judgment would leave the family homeless, among other listed emergencies, up to $410 for one person and $1,040 for six or more. Housing costs must not exceed 75 percent of the family's net income.

Does one benefit reduce the other?

LIHEAP should not reduce your rent help, and that rule comes from the statute itself. Section 8624(f) of the LIHEAP law says energy assistance payments shall not be considered income or resources for any purpose under any federal or state law, including public assistance and welfare programs. HUD's income rule, 24 CFR 5.609(b)(22), excludes amounts that HUD is required by federal statute to exclude, and HUD publishes that list in the Federal Register.

The other direction depends on the state. New Jersey's FY2027 LIHEAP handbook says households placed in rental assistance slots using temporary emergency funding are not excluded from Home Energy Assistance as tenants whose heat is included in rent, and a Section 8 household with an electric account in its own name may qualify for a non-heating electric emergency benefit of up to $300. Rules in other states vary, so ask the LIHEAP agency how it treats your housing subsidy.

Two practical points follow. First, list every benefit honestly on both applications; an exclusion only works when the agency can see what to exclude. Second, if a housing agency counts LIHEAP as income, ask it in writing to apply the federal exclusion and cite 42 U.S.C. 8624(f).

Order of operations: shut-off notice, eviction notice, or neither

The right first step depends on which notice you have, because crisis help moves faster than regular help. The card below is a checklist to copy, print or send to yourself.

A shut-off is usually the more urgent of the two, because utility protections and LIHEAP crisis help can act within days. New Jersey, for example, protects certain customers on USF, LIHEAP or Lifeline from shut-off from 15 November to 15 March. An eviction runs on a court timeline, which is why legal aid comes first there.

Utility help beyond LIHEAP: discounts, credits and shut-off protection

LIHEAP is a once-a-season benefit, but several states and utilities add help that lasts all year, and it can sit on top of rent help too. These programs are easy to miss because they are run by utilities or regulators rather than by the LIHEAP office.

• Monthly bill credits. New Jersey's Universal Service Fund gives a monthly credit on eligible gas and electric bills, funded by a surcharge on all bills, and USF-Fresh Start lets eligible customers earn forgiveness of overdue balances once in five years.
• Income-based discounts. In Illinois, income-eligible LIHEAP customers of Ameren Illinois, ComEd, Nicor Gas, North Shore Gas and Peoples Gas receive a monthly discount through Low Income Discounts, and from 1 October 2026 Ameren's Electric Service Discount program sets the monthly payment as a percentage of income. Illinois says households that do not qualify for LIHEAP may still qualify for these discounts.
• Seasonal shut-off protection. New Jersey protects certain residential customers from shut-off from 15 November to 15 March, and certain electric, water and sewer customers from 15 June to 31 August, including customers on USF, LIHEAP or Lifeline.
• Weatherization. LIHEAP itself can pay for weatherization and minor energy-related home repairs, which lowers the bill after the benefit is spent.

Ask your utility what it offers before the bill is overdue. A discount that lowers every bill does more over a year than a one-time grant, and it does not use up your rent help.

What to do while you wait

Rent and utility applications take weeks, not days: Illinois's housing agency aims to tell CBRAP applicants whether they are eligible within 45 days of starting the review, and Illinois tells LIHEAP applicants to contact their county agency directly if they have not heard back after three weeks. These steps cover the gap, and none of them is a loan.

• Ask for expedited SNAP if you have very little cash. Federal rules require states to get an eligible household its EBT card and PIN no later than the seventh calendar day after the application was filed (7 CFR 273.2(i)), which frees cash for rent or a bill.
• Call 211 for local emergency funds, rent help from charities and churches, and food.
• Use a food bank. The Feeding America food bank locator finds the one that serves your county.
• Tell the utility you have applied. A pending LIHEAP application, a shut-off protection period or a payment plan can hold off a disconnection.
• Tell the landlord in writing that you have applied for rent help, and keep a copy; court-based programs such as CBRAP pay the landlord directly once approved.
• If you are working, ask about earned wage access. Some employers and apps let you draw part of the pay you have already earned before payday. It is not a loan; check the fee before you use it.

Free help lines: 211 and the NEAR hotline

Two free lines cover both sides. The National Energy Assistance Referral hotline, 1-866-674-6327, routes you to your state's LIHEAP office. 211, run by United Way and local partners, connects callers to local rent, utility and food programs. In New Jersey, 211 runs a dedicated utility assistance hotline at 866-240-1347.

For a list of every state's agencies in one place, use the GrantProbe state assistance finder, which shows the rental, utility, food, health, housing finance and small business agencies for all 50 states and DC.

Who can usually get both

What to do, by situation

• If you haveA shut-off noticeApply for LIHEAP crisis help and call the utility today, because crisis help and shut-off protections act faster than any rent program.
• If you haveAn eviction caseCall legal aid and ask for court-based rent help, because programs like Illinois CBRAP pay only once a case is filed and can cover up to $10,000.
• If you live inNew JerseyFile one DCAid application, because it covers LIHEAP and the USF bill credit at once, with an $8,217 monthly limit for a family of four.
• If you live inMichiganRequest State Emergency Relief, because one program can pay a shut-off bill above your required share and, in listed emergencies, rent arrears.
• If you holdA housing voucherStill apply for LIHEAP, because federal law says it does not count as income, so it should not raise your rent share.

Bottom line

You can usually get rental assistance and utility assistance at the same time. They are different programs, run in most states by different offices, so plan on two applications and one folder of documents. LIHEAP is funded for the start of winter 2026-27, federal law keeps it from counting as income, and the pandemic program that once paid both bills together has ended.

Start with whichever notice is most urgent, then file the other application the same week. For the full picture of housing help, read our housing assistance programs guide, our step-by-step guide on how to apply for government assistance, the overview of government assistance programs for families, and, after a disaster, our FEMA Individual Assistance guide.

How we built this page: we read each program's own page on 19 October 2026 (sources linked inline), cross-checked agencies and links against GrantProbe's state-assistance dataset (306 rows, links checked 13 October 2026), and computed the agency comparison from that dataset's 51 rental and 51 utility rows. Legal text is quoted from 42 U.S.C. 8624(f) and 24 CFR 5.609. We did not apply to any program; eligibility is decided by each agency, and this is not legal or benefits advice. See our methodology.