Connecticut Added $12.7 Million to Its Heating Aid Program, Where a Family of Four Earning Up to $93,681 Can Qualify Before Fuel Deliveries Begin Nov. 2

A Connecticut household that heats with oil or propane can have its first program-paid delivery of the winter on Nov. 2. To pay for more of those deliveries, Gov. Ned Lamont has moved $12.7 million in state money into the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program, and the income ceiling for a family of four sits at $93,681 a year.

Applications for the 2026-2027 season are open now and stay open through May 31, 2027. Benefits are not automatic, even for households that got help last year.

Where the $12.7 million comes from

Lamont announced the transfer on Oct. 13. The money comes from the state’s Federal Cuts Response Fund and supplements the federally funded program the Department of Social Services runs with local community action agencies.

Lamont said the state could not leave these households “out in the cold.” DSS Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves urged residents “to apply early and not wait until they are facing a heating emergency.”

The state’s approved federal plan for the year counts on serving about 94,291 households, including about 32,893 that heat with deliverable fuels such as oil, kerosene and propane. The governor’s office said those households will be able to receive their benefits at the same time this winter rather than one after another.

The FFY 2027 LIHEAP allocation plan filed with the General Assembly estimates total federal funding of about $94.2 million, assuming Congress keeps the program at last year’s level. That estimate is built from an $86.3 million federal block grant, about $7.5 million carried over from last year and $400,000 in vendor refunds. The plan says benefit levels may change if the final federal amount differs.

Of the roughly 94,291 households the plan expects to reach, about 30,930 include an older adult, 13,170 include a person with a disability and 9,230 include a child under 6. The program year runs from Oct. 1, 2026, through Sept. 30, 2027.

The income line: $93,681 for a family of four

Households qualify if their gross income is at or below 60% of state median income, or if they already receive SNAP, Temporary Family Assistance, SSI or certain means-tested veterans’ benefits, according to the state’s CEAP page. The 2026-2027 annual limits, as NBC Connecticut reported when applications opened Sept. 1, are:

• 1 person: $48,714
• 2 people: $63,703
• 3 people: $78,692
• 4 people: $93,681
• 5 people: $108,669
• 6 people: $123,658
• 7 people: $126,469
• 8 people: $129,279

Renters whose heat is included in their rent can still qualify, though for a smaller benefit.

What a CEAP grant pays

The Department of Social Services lists basic benefits of $355 to $705 for the season, depending on household size, income and heating source. The money usually goes straight to the utility or fuel vendor rather than to the household.

The allocation plan breaks that range into three income levels, with a higher amount for “vulnerable” households, meaning those with an older adult, a person with a disability or a young child:

• At or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines: $705 vulnerable, $655 non-vulnerable.
• 126% to 200% of poverty: $555 vulnerable, $505 non-vulnerable.
• 201% of poverty up to 60% of state median income: $405 vulnerable, $355 non-vulnerable.

Renters with heat included in rent receive $140, $115 or $90 depending on income level. Oil, kerosene and propane households that run low can also get crisis help, up to three times a year at $430 each. Utility-heated homes are not eligible for that crisis benefit, though CEAP recipients may qualify for payment-matching plans and protection from winter shutoffs.

The program also covers more than fuel. DSS says recipients may qualify for repair or replacement of broken heating equipment.

Connecticut’s grants run smaller than New Jersey’s, where the top LIHEAP award this winter is $1,278, with a family-of-four income limit of $98,602. Iowa, by contrast, opens its LIHEAP program to all eligible households on Nov. 1, the same day its winter shutoff moratorium starts.

Dates that run from Nov. 2 to June 17

• Nov. 2, 2026: First day the program can pay for fuel deliveries.
• April 1, 2027: Deadline for fuel delivery authorizations.
• May 31, 2027: Last day to apply. Mailed applications must be postmarked by then.
• June 17, 2027: Last day to submit deliverable fuel bills.

Households can apply online through the state portal at ct.gov/heatinghelp, or by phone, email, mail or in person through their local community action agency. The six-page application asks for a recent heating bill, an electric bill, or a lease showing utilities are included in rent. Paper applications must be signed or they are returned as invalid, and residents who do not know their local agency can find it by calling 2-1-1.

Oil households that apply late are not completely shut out. The state says they may still submit paid invoices for deliveries made between Nov. 2 and April 1, and the state will review them for eligibility.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Alexbarbershop, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons