What this guide covers
- How to apply for LIHEAP in Florida
- Florida LIHEAP agencies by county
- What LIHEAP is and what it pays
- Who qualifies
- EHEAP: emergency help for ages 60 and over
- Cooling assistance in Florida
- Other ways to lower a Florida electric bill
- If you also need help with rent
- Where to get help
- Florida LIHEAP FAQ
There is no single Florida LIHEAP application. The program is federally funded and state administered, but it is delivered by local Community Action Agencies, each covering its own county or group of counties, each with its own application process and its own funding calendar.
So the first job is not understanding the program. It is finding out which agency covers you and whether they are taking applications right now. This guide starts there.
How to Apply for LIHEAP in Florida
Step 1: Find your county’s Community Action Agency
Every Florida county is covered by a designated agency. In some counties it is a county government department; in others it is a nonprofit serving several counties. Dial 211 and ask for the LIHEAP provider for your county, which is the quickest reliable route, or check your county government’s human services or community services pages.
Step 2: Check whether your agency applies online or by appointment
Many Florida agencies now use a shared online application portal, so you may be able to create an account and apply from your phone. Others take applications only by appointment or on set intake days, and some open appointment slots on a fixed morning each week and fill them within hours.
Ask two things when you call: is there an online option, and are you currently accepting applications. Funding runs in cycles and agencies pause when money runs out.
Step 3: Gather your documents
Incomplete applications are the most common cause of delay, and a delay of two weeks can mean a disconnection. Assemble everything before you start.
Step 4: Apply, and what happens next
Once approved, the agency sends payment directly to your utility company and it appears as a credit on your account. You do not receive money yourself. Processing time varies from a few days for a crisis application to several weeks for a regular one, so ask for a realistic timeframe and get any reference number in writing.
If you already have a disconnection notice
Say so immediately and in the first sentence. Most agencies prioritise crisis cases with a pending shut-off, and some can act within days where an ordinary application would take weeks. Take the notice with you or upload it. Also call your utility, tell them an application is in progress, and ask whether they will hold the disconnection.
Document checklist
Bring or upload all of the following:
- Photo ID for the applicant, and identification for everyone in the household
- Social Security numbers or documentation for every household member
- Proof of all household income for the last 30 days: pay stubs, benefits award letters, Social Security or SSI statements, unemployment, child support
- If you have no income, whatever documentation the agency accepts as proof of that
- Your most recent utility bill, showing the account number and the name on the account
- Any disconnection or past-due notice
- Proof of address and your lease or rental agreement
The utility bill is the one people forget. Without the account number the agency cannot pay anything on your behalf.
Florida LIHEAP Agencies by County
Florida has 67 counties and coverage is organised regionally, with some agencies serving several counties at once. Below is where to start by region. Confirm the current provider and their status through 211 before travelling anywhere.
| Region | Where to start |
|---|---|
| South Florida | Miami-Dade community action and human services; Broward County Family Success Administration; Palm Beach County Community Services; Monroe County social services |
| Tampa Bay | Hillsborough County energy assistance through county human services; Pinellas County Human Services; Pasco, Manatee and Sarasota county community action offices |
| Central Florida | Orange County community action; Osceola and Seminole county human services; Brevard, Polk, Lake and Volusia county community action agencies; regional nonprofit CAAs |
| North Florida and the Panhandle | Duval County and City of Jacksonville social services; Leon County human services; Alachua County; Escambia and Bay county community action agencies serving multi-county areas |
Local pages with county-specific contact points: Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, St. Petersburg, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Hollywood, Tallahassee, Gainesville.
What LIHEAP Is and What It Pays
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is a federal program that helps low-income households with home energy costs. In Florida it is administered at state level and delivered locally by Community Action Agencies.
How much does LIHEAP pay in Florida?
There is no single figure, and any page quoting one precisely is oversimplifying. The amount depends on your household income and size, the type of assistance, your agency’s funding, and how much you owe. Benefits are typically a one-off credit toward your bill rather than ongoing monthly support, and crisis assistance is usually larger than a regular benefit.
Ask your agency what the current maximum is for your household size and situation, since it is set per program year and can change.
Regular vs crisis assistance
- Regular assistance helps with ordinary energy costs for eligible households, applied for during normal intake periods.
- Crisis assistance is for households facing imminent disconnection or already disconnected. It is prioritised, usually pays more, and is the route to use if you have a shut-off notice.
Make clear which you are applying for. People sometimes join a general queue when they qualified for crisis handling.
The money goes to your utility, not to you
LIHEAP payments are made directly to your energy provider and credited to your account. You will not receive a cheque or a deposit. This confuses people who expect funds to arrive personally, and it is also why the agency needs your utility account number and the exact name on the account. If your bill is in a partner’s or landlord’s name, say so at the outset, because it changes what documentation you need.
Who Qualifies for LIHEAP in Florida
Income guidelines by household size
Eligibility is based on gross household income against a threshold set for the program year, scaled by household size, and drawn from federal poverty guidelines or state median income. Larger households have higher limits.
Limits are updated each program year, so check the current figures with your agency rather than relying on a number published anywhere, including here. If you are close to the line, apply anyway. Agencies assess on documentation rather than estimates, and deductions can matter.
Renters, homeowners, and bills in someone else’s name
Renters qualify. You do not need to own your home. What matters is that you are responsible for the energy cost.
If the account is not in your name, you may still be able to get help, but you will need extra documentation, typically a lease showing you are responsible for utilities or a letter from the account holder. Where utilities are included in your rent, LIHEAP generally will not apply, and rental assistance is the better route.
How often you can apply
Most Florida agencies limit assistance to a set number of times per program year, often once for regular assistance with a separate allowance for crisis situations. Rules differ between agencies, so ask directly. If you have been helped before, say so, since agencies check records and an accurate account is better than a surprise.
Utility help frees up rent money
A free two-minute check covers rent, utilities, and county programs together, so you are not applying to each one blind.
Check My Eligibility FreeEHEAP: Emergency Help for Households Aged 60 and Over
How EHEAP differs from LIHEAP
Florida runs a separate program, the Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program, for households with at least one member aged 60 or over facing a home energy emergency. Very few guides mention it, and it is one of the most useful things on this page for older Florida renters.
EHEAP is specifically for emergencies such as a past-due notice, a disconnection, or a broken heating or cooling system, and it can assist more than once in a program year where a further emergency arises. It is a distinct application from LIHEAP, so being helped by one does not necessarily rule out the other.
Where to apply through Area Agencies on Aging
EHEAP is delivered through Florida’s Area Agencies on Aging and their local providers rather than through the same route as LIHEAP. Call the Elder Helpline on 1-800-963-5337 to be connected to the agency covering your county, or ask 211 for the local EHEAP provider.
If your household includes someone aged 60 or over and you have an energy emergency, ask about EHEAP specifically and by name. Intake staff will not always volunteer it.
Cooling Assistance in Florida
Why summer is the crisis season here
Almost everything written about LIHEAP nationally is framed around winter heating. In Florida the pressure runs the other way. Summer electricity bills carry the air conditioning load, and for elderly residents, young children, and people with respiratory or cardiac conditions, cooling is a health necessity rather than a comfort.
Florida agencies apply LIHEAP to cooling costs, so do not be put off by national material that talks only about heating. Apply in the season you actually need it.
Air conditioning repair and replacement help
Some Florida agencies can assist with repairing or replacing a failed cooling system, particularly for households with elderly members, young children, or documented medical needs, sometimes through LIHEAP crisis funds and sometimes through the Weatherization Assistance Program. Availability varies by agency and by funding.
If your air conditioning has failed and someone in the household is medically vulnerable, say that explicitly when you call, and ask your doctor for a letter documenting the need. It changes how the application is treated.
Other Ways to Lower a Florida Electric Bill
Utility hardship funds and payment plans
Florida’s major providers, including FPL, Duke Energy Florida, TECO, OUC, JEA and Lakeland Electric, run their own hardship assistance funds, deferred payment arrangements, and budget billing that levels payments across the year. Call before a disconnection notice arrives, and ask specifically for hardship assistance rather than just a payment plan.
Weatherization Assistance Program
A companion federal program that pays for energy efficiency improvements at no cost to eligible households: insulation, air sealing, duct repair, and sometimes cooling system work. It reduces bills permanently rather than covering one month. Waiting lists can be long, so apply early and treat it as a long-term fix alongside LIHEAP.
Provider assistance programs
Ask your utility about medically necessary equipment registration, which can offer additional protection against disconnection where someone depends on powered medical equipment, and about any low-income discount or arrears forgiveness scheme currently running.
If You Also Need Help With Rent
Emergency rental assistance
Many households need both, and applying for both at once is sensible since different agencies fund them. Since the statewide OUR Florida program closed, rent help became a county-by-county patchwork, with LIHEAP delivered through county Community Action Agencies alongside it, as described in this Helping Hands Action Group announcement. See OUR Florida for what replaced it in your county.
Why utility help frees up rent money
A Florida summer electric bill can run to several hundred dollars, and for a household already short, that is often the difference between paying rent and falling behind. Getting the power bill covered can be the fastest practical way to protect the rent, which is why it is worth applying for utility help even when rent is the thing you are actually worried about.
Longer term, Section 8 Florida and income-restricted apartments financed by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation reduce the underlying pressure.
Where to Get Help
Dial 211 for your county’s LIHEAP provider and current application status. Call the Elder Helpline on 1-800-963-5337 for EHEAP if your household includes someone aged 60 or over. Contact your utility directly about hardship funds and to flag that an application is in progress. If a disconnection is imminent, say so at every stage.
A free eligibility check against 100+ Florida rent assistance programs covers rent and utilities together and takes about two minutes.
Florida LIHEAP FAQ
How much does LIHEAP pay in Florida?
There is no single statewide amount. The benefit depends on your household income and size, whether you are applying for regular or crisis assistance, how much you owe, and your agency’s available funding, and maximums are set per program year. Crisis assistance for a household facing disconnection is generally larger than a regular benefit. Payments are a one-off credit applied to your utility account rather than ongoing monthly support. Ask your Community Action Agency what the current maximum is for your household size.
Is FL LIHEAP still available?
Yes. Unlike OUR Florida, which was one-off pandemic funding and closed, LIHEAP is an ongoing federal program and continues to operate in Florida. What varies is whether your particular Community Action Agency is accepting applications at a given moment, because agencies work through funding in cycles and pause intake when money runs out for a period. If your agency is paused, ask when the next intake opens and whether crisis cases are still being seen.
How many times can you do LIHEAP in Florida?
Most Florida agencies limit regular assistance to once per program year, with a separate allowance for crisis situations such as a disconnection notice. The exact rules are set locally, so ask your agency directly. Households with a member aged 60 or over may also be able to use EHEAP, which is a separate program with its own rules and can assist more than once where a further emergency arises.
How do you know if you’re approved for LIHEAP?
Your agency will notify you, usually by letter, email, or phone depending on how you applied. The most reliable confirmation is your utility account: once payment is processed it appears as a credit on your balance, so check your account online or call your provider. Ask for a reference number when you apply and keep it. If you have heard nothing within the timeframe the agency gave you, call and quote it rather than waiting, particularly if a disconnection date is approaching.
Can I get LIHEAP if the bill is not in my name?
Often yes, but you will need additional documentation. Agencies typically want evidence that you are responsible for the energy cost, such as a lease stating that utilities are your responsibility, or a signed letter from the account holder confirming the arrangement. If utilities are included in your rent and you never receive a separate bill, LIHEAP generally will not apply, and rental assistance is the appropriate route instead. Explain the situation when you first call so the agency can tell you exactly what to bring.