Texas Utility Help (CEAP): Who May Qualify and Where to Apply in 2026

1What are the Texas CEAP income limits?

TDHCA calculates CEAP eligibility at 150 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines, using the program year 2026 guidelines that took effect January 26, 2026. The yearly limits are in the table above: $23,940 for one person, $40,980 for three, $49,500 for four, and $8,520 more for each person over eight. (TDHCA, Community Affairs Income Guidelines)

For the income count, TDHCA's rules for local agencies say the income documents need to cover the 30 days right before the date you sign the application. (TDHCA, CEAP FAQ) TDHCA also publishes an Income Guidelines Q and A for agencies on what counts as income. (TDHCA, Community Affairs Income Guidelines)

Here is an example using our own arithmetic on TDHCA's table. A family of 3 with about $2,500 a month in income has about $30,000 a year. That is under the $40,980 limit for 3, so the family may qualify. It is also above 75 percent of the poverty guideline for 3 ($27,320 at 100 percent), which places it in the band with the $1,200 per component maximum described in step 2. (TDHCA, Community Affairs Income Guidelines) (TDHCA, 2027 LIHEAP Plan) Your agency does the official math.

2How much can CEAP pay?

Texas sets the most CEAP can pay by income band. These are maximums for each part of the program, not amounts anyone is promised. (TDHCA, 2027 LIHEAP Plan)

On top of those, the plan allows up to $9,000 to buy, service, repair, or replace a heating or cooling unit. TDHCA puts the maximum benefit per household at $12,600 per program year, reached only if a household got $1,800 in Crisis Assistance, $1,800 in Utility Assistance, and a $9,000 unit purchase, repair, or replacement. (TDHCA, 2027 LIHEAP Plan)

Agencies can pay less than the maximums, as long as they set that out in their service plan and apply it the same way to everyone. Benefit allowances start over on January 1 of every program year. Households without a vulnerable member can get up to 6 months of utility help in a year, and households with one can get help for all the remaining months in the program year. (TDHCA, CEAP FAQ)

3How do you apply for CEAP in Texas?

TDHCA's instructions are short. (TDHCA, Texas Utility Help website is closed)

1. Go to TDHCA's Help for Texans page.
2. Select "Utility Bill Payment Help."
3. Enter your county or city and select "Find help."
4. Contact the utility assistance provider listed for your area and ask how it takes applications.

Whether you can apply online depends on the agency. TDHCA tells agencies to offer several ways to apply and recommends online applications; mail, fax, email, and in person delivery are also accepted means, and agencies must make reasonable accommodations for people who are homebound. (TDHCA, CEAP FAQ) TDHCA also warns that providers may be at capacity with their funds and may not be able to help everyone who calls. (TDHCA, Help for Texans)

Applying costs nothing. The federal LIHEAP office, which funds CEAP, says LIHEAP does not charge a fee for receiving a benefit, and asks anyone who gets a message requesting a fee to call the HHS fraud hotline at 1-800-447-8477. (HHS ACF, LIHEAP) You submit your application yourself on the official site. Benefit Bull is free and never files for you.

4Is the Texas Utility Help website still open?

No. TDHCA says Texas Utility Help stopped accepting applications for energy assistance on September 15, 2023, and for water assistance on November 3, 2023, and people can no longer apply through the texasutilityhelp.com website. (TDHCA, Texas Utility Help website is closed) There is no longer any funding for water bill assistance through it. TDHCA still gets regular federal LIHEAP money and passes it to the local agencies, so the local route in step 3 is the one that works. (TDHCA, Texas Utility Help website is closed)

5What if you have a shutoff notice?

CEAP has a Crisis Assistance part, but a disconnect notice on its own is not an automatic crisis. To qualify, a household must have a disconnect notice or already be disconnected and also meet one of three conditions: extreme weather, a disaster, or a life threatening crisis. (TDHCA, CEAP FAQ)

• Lost service examples: electric or gas service disconnected, an empty propane tank, or a heating or cooling system that does not work. (TDHCA, CEAP FAQ)
• In immediate danger examples: a disconnect notice, less than $30 left in a prepaid account, or propane under 20 percent. (TDHCA, CEAP FAQ)
• How fast: the plan sets help within 48 hours for extreme weather or a disaster, and within 18 hours for a life threatening crisis. (TDHCA, 2027 LIHEAP Plan)
• Life threatening examples in the plan include a household member who needs electricity for life sustaining equipment, such as kidney dialysis machines, oxygen concentrators, medicinal refrigeration, and cardiac monitors. (TDHCA, 2027 LIHEAP Plan)

6Who gets priority for CEAP?

Texas gives priority to households with a vulnerable member: an older adult, a person with a disability, or a young child. Those households do not have a limit on the number of benefit payments, though the same benefit amounts apply. (TDHCA, 2027 LIHEAP Plan) Agencies also weigh high energy consumption and high energy burden, and high energy burden is the highest rated item in the priority scoring. (TDHCA, 2027 LIHEAP Plan) (TDHCA, CEAP FAQ)

7Can 211 Texas help with utility bills?

2-1-1 is a referral line. TDHCA says the Help for Texans search also lists the Texas Information and Referral Network (dial 211) for your area, which can tell you about other emergency assistance resources. (TDHCA, Texas Utility Help website is closed) The organization that pays CEAP help is your local CEAP provider. (TDHCA, CEAP)

If no provider is available, TDHCA suggests checking with your local city or county about assistance. (TDHCA, Help for Texans) For other ways to cut a bill, see Help Paying Electric and Gas Bills, and if your heat is part of your rent, see how CEAP works when heat is included in rent.