Texas Utility Assistance Programs: 2026 Guide

Texas utility help — statewide details verified August 5, 2026 · Next scheduled review: November 15, 2026

If you need help with an electric, gas, propane, or other home-energy bill in Texas, the route runs through a local organization, not a single statewide application. The main program is the Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP), which the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) funds through local provider organizations across the state. TDHCA does not accept applications from individuals, so your first step is the same wherever you live: use TDHCA's Help for Texans locator to find the organization serving your county or city, then confirm current funding and apply through that provider.

If you are holding a disconnection notice, two things are true at the same time. The date on it is a real deadline — for most Texas electric customers that date must fall at least ten days after the notice was issued, and once it passes, service can be cut off. But Texas rules also block disconnection in several specific situations, including the billing period in which your CEAP provider sends your utility a payment pledge. Read what Texas rules already protect you before you borrow money or drain an account to pay this bill.

CEAP is Texas's share of the federal LIHEAP block grant; if you want the national picture first, read how LIHEAP utility assistance works.

Money Hope Now is an independent publisher, not a government agency, and this page is general information rather than legal or financial advice. Applying for CEAP or other public benefits through the official provider is free. We carry no affiliate offers and no lead forms on benefits pages — how Money Hope Now is funded.

Start here

• Apply through the local provider listed for your area on Help for Texans if your bill is past due but service is still on and you can gather documents this week.
• Contact your utility and ask the local provider about crisis assistance today if you have a disconnect notice, your prepaid balance is nearly gone, or your service is already off.
• Call 2-1-1 first if you are not sure which organization serves your county, or you need routing outside business hours.
• If your household also faces urgent rent, food, or shelter needs — or any immediate physical danger, which belongs with 911 or your utility's emergency line — get emergency financial help now.
• If the weight of this is affecting you, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free and confidential, 24 hours a day, by call, text, or chat.

On this page

• What to do before a shutoff or in a crisis
• What Texas rules already protect you
• Who regulates your utility, and which rules apply
• Texas utility assistance programs and other help routes
• What happens if nothing changes
• CEAP eligibility and income limits
• How much CEAP may pay
• Documents and the local application process
• What to gather before contacting your provider
• If funding runs out, you are denied, or the dispute continues
• The appeal deadlines that apply statewide
• Local variation and updates
• Frequently asked questions
• Your first next step
• Sources and last verified date

Eligibility in brief. For program year 2026, a household generally qualifies on income at or below 150% of the federal poverty income guidelines, or through a categorical pathway tied to certain means-tested benefits. No single number decides it: the local provider — not this page, and not the income table alone — applies the household and income-counting rules, verifies documents, weighs your energy need, and works within the funds it has. Before you call, have your current utility bill, account number, any disconnect notice, and recent household-income documents ready. Applying is free at every step, and no private website should charge you to submit CEAP paperwork on your behalf.

Words you will hear on these calls

• CEAP — the Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program, Texas's version of the federal LIHEAP block grant.
• Local provider, or subrecipient — the community action agency, nonprofit, or local government office that takes your application. TDHCA funds it; TDHCA does not take applications.
• Retail electric provider, or REP — the company whose electricity plan you chose, and the one that bills you.
• Transmission and distribution utility, or TDU — the company that owns the poles and wires and does the physical disconnection and reconnection.
• Pledge — a written notice from your CEAP provider to your utility that payment is coming. The pledge, not your application, is what stops a shutoff.
• Deferred payment plan — an agreement with your utility to pay a past-due balance in installments.
• Vendor agreement — the form a landlord or fuel supplier signs so CEAP can pay them on your behalf.
• Energy burden — the share of your income that goes to home energy. Providers are required to rate it highest when they set priority.

What to do before a shutoff or in a crisis

Match your situation to the row that fits. The goal is to reach the two organizations that can actually act — your utility and your local CEAP provider — with the right evidence in hand.

Your situation	Deadline in play	Do this now	Keep or prepare
Service is already off	Reconnection follows payment, and the clock runs on when you pay	Call the utility to ask what is required to restore service. Tell the local provider your service is disconnected, and ask specifically whether crisis assistance can cover the reconnection cost — the program allows it. If you are a retail electric customer, paying before noon on a business day gets the reconnection request sent that afternoon.	The disconnection date, final notices, the amount the utility states, and your account number.
Disconnect notice or prepaid balance nearly exhausted	The date printed on the notice, which for electric customers must be at least ten days after the notice was issued	Contact the utility before the deadline on the notice and ask about your options; contact the local provider the same day about crisis assistance and ask it to send a pledge to your utility.	The notice itself, screenshots of a low prepaid balance, and recent bills.
Unsafe heat or cold, illness, or powered medical equipment in the home	Same-day. Weather protections apply only on the days they are in effect; a designated medical customer gets 21 days' written notice	If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911. Then ask your electric provider for the Critical Care or Chronic Condition form, and tell your CEAP provider about the medical situation separately.	The form, an emergency contact name, and any medical documentation the provider asks for.
Your electricity comes from a city utility or a co-op	Set by that utility's own policy — ask for it in writing	State rules for retail electric providers do not apply. Ask the utility what its shutoff timeline is and whether it runs its own assistance fund.	Your bill, the utility's number, and any notice you received.
Ordinary past-due balance, service still on	None yet	You likely have more time. Use the locator, ask the provider about regular utility assistance, and ask the utility about a payment arrangement while your application is pending.	Your bill, account number, and recent income documents.

A disconnect notice by itself does not necessarily meet the CEAP crisis definition. Crisis assistance requires two things at once:

1. Evidence that service is lost or nearly lost. The program FAQ counts a disconnection, an empty propane tank, or an inoperable heating or cooling system as lost service, and a disconnect notice, a prepaid account under $30, or a propane reserve under 20% as immediate danger of losing it.
2. One of the qualifying crisis conditions in the 2026 state plan — extreme weather, a disaster, or a life-threatening situation.

So the notice is real evidence. It is just not the whole test. If your situation is life-threatening — for example, a household member depends on powered medical equipment — the plan says your own statement is enough and medical records are not to be requested, so do not let missing paperwork stop you from describing the danger plainly.

If the utility problem sits inside a larger emergency — rent, food, medicine, or shelter — do not try to solve it bill by bill. Dial 2-1-1 Texas for local referrals, and use our guide to get emergency financial help now for the broader crisis routes.

What Texas rules already protect you

Before you borrow, sell something, or empty an account to cover this bill, check whether the disconnection is already blocked. Texas has no seasonal shutoff moratorium — protection is decided day by day, situation by situation, not by the calendar month. And most households never hear about these rules, because they live in commission regulations rather than on the bill.

Statewide rules verified August 5, 2026. These are utility-side protections, separate from CEAP. They do not forgive the balance, and each one has conditions.

Protection	What it does	Who it covers	How to use it
A pledge from your CEAP provider	Stops a shutoff for the billing period in which your utility receives a pledge, letter of intent, purchase order, or other notification that sufficient payment is coming. A retail electric provider must also allow the assistance provider at least 45 days to honor that pledge before it asks the delivery utility to cut service.	Retail electric providers (16 TAC §25.483(i)); electric utilities in areas without retail choice (§25.29(h)), where the rule is written more simply and carries no due-date condition; natural gas providers, where the pledge must be in writing (16 TAC §7.460(b)(2)).	Ask your CEAP provider to send a pledge to your utility before the date on your notice, then tell the utility one is coming.
Freezing weather	Blocks disconnection for nonpayment on a day when the previous day's high did not exceed 32°F and the temperature is forecast to stay at or below that for the next 24 hours, per the nearest National Weather Service report. Gas providers must also defer bills that come due during the emergency and work out a payment schedule afterward.	Electric (§25.483(j), §25.29(i)) and natural gas (§7.460(b)(1) and (c)).	Name the date and the forecast when you call. Electric customers can also request a deferred payment plan for bills that came due during the emergency.
Heat advisory	Blocks disconnection for nonpayment on a day when the National Weather Service has a heat advisory in effect for your county, or issued one on either of the two preceding calendar days.	Electric only — §25.483(j)(1)(B) for retail electric providers, and §25.29(i)(2), which applies across a non-choice utility's whole service territory. The natural gas rule has no heat trigger.	Check whether an advisory is in effect for your county and say so when you call.
Serious illness in the household	Blocks disconnection where losing service would make someone at that address seriously ill or more seriously ill. The hold runs 63 days from the bill's issuance, or a shorter period you agree to.	Retail electric providers, as Critical Care Residential Customer status (§25.483(g)); electric utilities in areas without retail choice, as "disconnection of ill and disabled" (§25.29(g)). Chronic Condition status (§25.483(h)) works differently: it carries no 63-day clock, but a designated customer must get 21 days' written notice before any disconnection.	Ask your electric provider for the commission-approved application. By the disconnection date, an attending physician must contact the provider and submit a written statement, and you must enter a deferred payment plan.
Ten days' notice	A disconnection date cannot be less than ten days after the notice was issued, and cannot fall on a holiday or weekend. A retail electric provider's notice must also itemize every fee that will be charged and print the PUCT complaint line, 1-888-782-8477.	Retail electric providers (§25.483(l) and (m)); electric utilities in areas without retail choice (§25.29(k)), whose notices must also be in Spanish.	Read your own notice. A real electric disconnection notice is a separate written notice with a date at least ten days out. If someone is calling to say your power goes off today unless you pay by gift card or a payment app, that is not how this works — hang up and call the number printed on your bill.
Freezing weather, water and sewer	Blocks disconnection and late fees for nonpayment of a bill due during an extreme weather emergency — for water, a day when the previous day's high did not exceed 28°F, ending on the second business day above 28°F. You can then request a payment schedule, and any existing disconnection notice is suspended while it is offered.	Retail water and sewer utilities that must hold a PUCT certificate of convenience and necessity, their affiliates, and districts and affected counties providing retail service (16 TAC §24.173). A city-owned system serving inside its own boundaries sets its own policy.	Ask for a payment schedule within 30 days of the emergency ending. It must be put in writing, and any finance charge is capped at 10% simple annual interest.

The pledge deadline, and what happens if it slips. For retail electric customers the pledge must reach the utility by the due date printed on the notice, and you must pay or arrange to pay any balance the pledge does not cover by that same date. If the pledge arrives late, or the balance outside it goes unpaid, the provider may go ahead and request the disconnection — so give the provider your notice date on the first call. One lever is easy to miss: if your CEAP provider asks your retail electric provider for your monthly usage data, the electric provider must push the final due date on the notice back day for day until it hands the data over. Ask your CEAP provider whether it has requested your usage history. None of these protections forgives what you owe. They buy time, which is usually what an application needs.

Two further limits are worth knowing. You cannot be disconnected for a previous occupant's unpaid bill, for charges you have formally disputed while the dispute is pending, or for non-electric merchandise or services billed by the same company. And an electric disconnection is not permitted on a weekend or holiday, or the day immediately before one, unless the provider has staff available to take payment and restore service.

Who regulates your utility, and which rules apply

The protections above are not universal. Which ones cover you depends on what kind of utility sends your bill — and for a large share of Texas households, the answer is that state commission rules do not apply at all.

Your utility	Who sets the disconnection rules	Which protections above apply	Where a complaint goes
Retail electric provider — you chose your electricity plan	Public Utility Commission of Texas, 16 TAC §25.483	All five, including the heat advisory	PUCT consumer assistance, after the provider's own complaint process
Investor-owned electric utility where retail choice was never introduced	Public Utility Commission of Texas, 16 TAC §25.29	All five; the pledge rule is broader here, with no due-date condition	PUCT consumer assistance, after the utility's own process
Municipally owned electric utility or electric cooperative	The city, or the cooperative's board	None automatically — each sets its own policy, which may be more protective	The utility's customer-service office, then the city council or the co-op board
Natural gas utility	Railroad Commission service standards, 16 TAC §7.460, carried into the utility's filed service rules	The pledge and freezing-weather rows only	Outside city limits, the Railroad Commission; inside city limits, the city first
Propane or other delivered bulk fuel	Your delivery contract; this is not regulated utility service	None	The supplier directly — CEAP can still pay for deliveries
Water or wastewater service	The city for a city-owned system; PUCT for regulated retail water and sewer utilities, 16 TAC §24.173	Not the electric or gas rows, but a separate freezing-weather protection and payment schedule apply to regulated utilities	The city, or PUCT for a regulated retail water or sewer utility

If you are not certain which category you are in, the bill will usually say. A retail electric provider's bill names a separate company for delivery; a city utility's bill comes from the city; a cooperative's bill will use the word "cooperative" or "electric co-op."

One further situation deserves a plain route. If someone else controls the utility account and is letting service lapse, or an older adult or an adult with a disability is being financially exploited, that is not a budgeting problem and CEAP is not the fix. The Texas Abuse Hotline takes reports of financial exploitation of older adults and adults with disabilities 24 hours a day at 1-800-252-5400, 2-1-1 can route you to local domestic violence services, and your utility can tell you what is required to establish service in your own name.

Texas utility assistance programs and other help routes

"Utility assistance" in Texas is not one benefit. It is a set of distinct routes with different jobs, and picking the right one saves days.

Routes verified against official sources and re-checked August 5, 2026. Local funding, application methods, and provider rules change — confirm current availability with the organization serving your area.

Route	What it does	Not appropriate when	Official next step	Evidence status
CEAP utility assistance	Helps pay household electric, gas, propane, or other home-energy costs through a local provider; includes energy education. Free to apply and free to receive.	Your account shows a zero balance or a credit, or your income and household do not clear the provider's determination. It is also not the fastest route when service is already off — ask about crisis assistance instead.	Use Help for Texans to find the provider for your county or city; apply through that provider, not TDHCA.	Verified statewide; local funding and capacity vary.
CEAP crisis assistance	Time-sensitive intervention for a qualifying home-energy crisis, including reconnection costs and emergency fuel deliveries. Free.	Service is on, the balance is merely past due, and no qualifying crisis condition applies. A disconnect notice alone may not establish a crisis.	Contact the local CEAP provider and the utility immediately; preserve notices and account details.	Verified, with local evidence and funding limitations.
CEAP HVAC service, repair, or replacement	Eligible heating or cooling system work when CEAP criteria and the local service-delivery plan are met. Free.	You need a past-due bill paid this week, or your system works and you want it upgraded. This is not a general appliance-replacement promise.	Ask the local provider whether this component is offered and what technical documentation it requires.	Statewide authority verified; local availability conditional.
Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP)	Longer-term efficiency work — air sealing, insulation, duct work, qualifying HVAC measures. Free.	A disconnection date is approaching. WAP is a planned program and is never a same-day fix for a past-due bill.	Use Help for Texans to reach the WAP provider for your area.	Verified program; wait times and measures are local.
2-1-1 Texas and local emergency funds	Routing to nonprofit, city, county, faith-based, and utility-specific help when CEAP is unavailable or not the right fit. Free.	You need a guarantee. Referrals are not guaranteed and local funds close when money runs out.	Dial 2-1-1 or 877-541-7905 and ask for utility-bill or shutoff-prevention resources in your ZIP code.	Verified routing service; every referral must be rechecked.
Utility payment arrangement or customer-assistance program	A utility-specific extension, deferred payment plan, deposit support, or charitable fund. Free to request.	You need the balance reduced. This is a contract to pay, not assistance, and terms depend entirely on your provider.	Contact the utility using the number on your bill, then verify any program on the utility's official site.	Route class only; individual utility programs not verified here.
PUCT or Railroad Commission complaint	Escalation when a utility may have broken a disconnection, billing, or service rule. Free.	You need the bill paid. A regulator is not an assistance fund and does not pay bills, and municipal utilities and cooperatives fall outside both agencies.	Use the utility's complaint process first, then PUCT consumer assistance or the Railroad Commission for gas.	Verified as a route; specific rules need case-by-case checking.
Former Texas Utility Help / LIHWAP water help	A closed statewide application route that still appears in old search results.	Always. Do not use texasutilityhelp.com or LIHWAP as a current application route.	Route water-bill hardship to 2-1-1, your water utility, and verified local programs.	Closed per TDHCA; energy applications stopped September 15, 2023.
Do nothing	Lets the date on the notice pass. The honest comparison point for every route above.	Always. Doing nothing adds disconnection and reconnection fees, and often a deposit, to a balance that stays owed.	None.	Verified from 16 TAC §25.483.

Bill help and crisis help are both CEAP, but they run on different evidence: regular assistance follows the standard application, while crisis assistance requires a documented qualifying condition and moves on the program's response standards — generally intervention within 48 hours, and within 18 hours for a life-threatening situation. Those are program response targets, not promises that a payment will post or that service will be restored in that window.

Propane and other bulk-fuel households are fully in scope. The program FAQ confirms that bulk-fuel help is not limited to winter, ordinary deliveries run through regular utility assistance, and a qualifying crisis can cover up to 250 gallons — though CEAP cannot repair gas lines or leaks, only pressure-test the tank. Where a heating or cooling system is inoperable, a household with a vulnerable member — an older adult, a person with a disability, or a young child — can be helped through the regular component; other households need the crisis conditions met, and portable units can be provided in a life-threatening crisis.

One warning deserves emphasis: the old Texas Utility Help statewide application is closed. Older articles and search results still point to texasutilityhelp.com, but TDHCA's closure notice is unambiguous — the portal stopped accepting energy applications on September 15, 2023, and its water assistance ended later that year. The current route for energy-bill help is the local provider you find through Help for Texans.

What happens if nothing changes

It helps to know what the alternative actually costs, because many households end up choosing it by default.

What it costs. The overdue amount, plus any disconnection and reconnection fees, plus in many cases a deposit before service is restored. A retail electric provider's disconnection notice is required to list every fee that will be charged, so that document, not an estimate, is where the real number is.

What it does to your service. Service can be cut on or after the date on the notice. Reconnection follows payment rather than preceding it. For retail electric customers, once you have fixed the reason for disconnection the provider must send the reconnection request the same day if you pay before 5 p.m. on a business day — by 2 p.m. for payments made before noon — and in no case more than 48 hours later. Payments made at night or on a weekend go to the next business day.

What it does to the balance. Nothing good — the amount owed stays owed and the added fees are new debt.

What it does not solve. Nothing. It is the comparison point, not an option anyone should choose on purpose.

CEAP eligibility and income limits

The figures below are the program year 2026 guidelines, effective January 26, 2026. Eligibility has two front doors. The first is income: a household may be income-eligible when its total counted income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty income guidelines for its household size. The second is categorical: the 2026 LIHEAP state plan establishes categorical eligibility when at least one household member receives SNAP, TANF, SSI, or a qualifying means-tested veterans benefit. Neither door guarantees assistance; both lead to the same local determination.

Texas CEAP annual income limits at 150% of the federal poverty income guidelines, effective January 26, 2026. The local provider applies household and income-counting rules and makes the final determination. Re-verified against TDHCA's income guidelines page on August 5, 2026.

Household size	Maximum annual income (150% of FPIG)
1	$23,940
2	$32,460
3	$40,980
4	$49,500
5	$58,020
6	$66,540
7	$75,060
8	$83,580
Each additional person	+ $8,520

Reading the table correctly matters as much as the numbers. "Household" means the people the program counts, which is not automatically everyone at your address, and the program FAQ ties income documentation to the 30 days before you apply. Irregular pay, self-employment, and shared households are exactly where the provider's counting rules decide the outcome, so a household near the line should apply and let the provider calculate rather than self-reject from a table. TDHCA also publishes a declaration-of-income form for households without standard income documents; ask about it rather than abandoning an application over a missing pay stub.

Three things about that second door are worth knowing. A categorically eligible household still has its income calculated to set the benefit level, and one whose income comes out above 150% is placed at the lowest benefit level rather than turned away. Renters are in scope: households that pay utilities through a landlord can be assisted through a vendor agreement, and someone renting a single room can apply, with income counted for their own household rather than the whole building. And where the rules turn on disability, the applicant may self-certify on the application — doctor's notes are not to be requested.

Immigration status does not automatically close the door on a household. TDHCA's guidance for its providers states that a household containing a mix of U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or qualified immigrants and household members who cannot document that status can still be served if it meets the eligibility requirements — which include at least one household member who is a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or qualified immigrant. Income eligibility is calculated by including the income of all adult household members regardless of status, while excluding members who cannot document status when counting household size. If this is your situation, ask the provider how it applies the rule rather than assuming the answer, and a legal aid organization can help you understand what documentation is being requested and why.

Two boundaries keep this table honest. It is CEAP-specific — TDHCA publishes different thresholds for different Community Affairs programs on the same page, and weatherization uses its own. And appearing at or below a published limit is a screen, not a result: providers must keep written procedures prioritizing households with a vulnerable member — an older adult, a person with a disability, or a young child — along with high energy burden and high energy consumption, with energy burden rated highest. The provider then weighs energy need, documentation, and available funding before anything is approved.

If your income appears above the CEAP line, that is not the end of the road. A categorical pathway may still apply, 2-1-1 can surface local funds with different rules, and your utility may offer arrangements that do not depend on income at all.

How much CEAP may pay

The 2026 state plan publishes benefit ceilings by income band — and the most important word in this section is "ceilings." These are the maximum amounts the plan allows for a component, not typical awards and not promises.

Published state-plan component ceilings for program year 2026, per the 2026 LIHEAP state plan at §2.6, §3.6, and §4.7, citing 10 TAC §6.309(e). Verified August 5, 2026.

Household income band	Published ceiling	What it means
0%–50% of the federal poverty income guidelines	Up to $1,800 per component	A state-plan ceiling; the local provider may set a lower maximum, and funding can limit assistance.
More than 50%, up to 75%	Up to $1,500 per component	A state-plan ceiling; the local provider may set a lower maximum, and funding can limit assistance.
More than 75%, up to 150%	Up to $1,200 per component	A state-plan ceiling; the local provider may set a lower maximum, and funding can limit assistance.
Qualifying HVAC purchase, service, or repair	Up to $9,000	Technical and local-plan rules apply; this is not an automatic household entitlement.

Two things follow from the phrase "per component." Utility assistance and crisis assistance are separate components, so a household can receive both in the same program year, each subject to its own band ceiling. And the plan sets an annual household maximum of $12,600 per program year, which a household reaches only by combining up to $1,800 in crisis assistance, up to $1,800 in utility assistance, and up to $9,000 in heating or cooling equipment work. An initial payment that includes arrears does not count toward that annual cap.

Say the limitation once, plainly: a household may receive less than a ceiling, or no award at all. That is also why this page includes no benefit calculator: published caps and income thresholds do not support an honest expected-award estimate, and any tool claiming to compute one for Texas CEAP is guessing. What actually determines an award is the provider's assessment of your bills, energy burden, household circumstances, its local plan, and its remaining funds in the current cycle.

Two mechanics matter. Payments go to the energy vendor — your utility, propane supplier, or, under a vendor agreement, your landlord — never to the household in cash. And regular utility assistance runs for a limited number of months: the program FAQ allows up to six months for non-vulnerable households and the remaining months of the program year for vulnerable ones, with the provider's plan setting specifics and allowances resetting each January 1. Providers may, but need not, pay arrears on top of the component allowance.

Documents and the local application process

The application itself happens on the local provider's terms. TDHCA's role is funding and rules; the provider you find through Help for Texans decides how it accepts applications and which documents it needs. Statewide guidance requires providers to offer multiple ways to apply — online, mail, fax, email, and in person are all acceptable, electronic signatures are permitted, and reasonable accommodations must be made for home-bound applicants. But which channels your provider actually runs is set locally, so two neighboring counties can operate genuinely different intake on the same rules. There is no statewide promise on timing either: the clock is set by the slowest dependency — completeness, documents, verification, workload, and funding.

What to gather before contacting your provider

• Your current utility bill and account information.
• A disconnect notice, prepaid-balance evidence, or other crisis documentation, when that is part of your situation.
• Recent household-income documentation for the period the provider requests — commonly the immediately preceding 30 days.
• Identity and household-composition documents the provider asks for.
• Proof of a qualifying benefit (such as SNAP, TANF, SSI, or a means-tested veterans benefit) if you are relying on a categorical pathway.
• Billing history or energy-use information, if the provider requests it.
• Landlord, ownership, or HVAC inspection and repair records, if you are applying for an equipment component.
• The written decision and appeal instructions, if a previous application was not approved.

Treat this as a planning aid, not a universal list. TDHCA's client file checklist shows what a complete provider-side file covers, but which records prove those fields for your household is the provider's call, and it will tell you what is missing.

A few habits shorten the process. Ask up front which channels the provider accepts and whether it is taking new applications, since intake can pause when funds run low. Submit everything in one pass; incomplete files are the most common self-inflicted delay. Keep copies of what you send and note who you spoke with and when. If a disconnection date is approaching, say so in your first contact, so the provider can tell you whether the crisis route applies and whether it can send a pledge — a pending application does not by itself stop a disconnection, but a pledge does.

Two situations come with their own paperwork. If you received CEAP before, ask about the shortened returning-client application the program allows — usually updated income documents plus a signed statement that nothing else has changed, with full documentation only for new household members. If your utilities are billed through your landlord, the provider needs the landlord to sign a vendor agreement and may ask for your rental agreement; that is normal, not a sign your application is in trouble.

If funding runs out, you are denied, or the dispute continues

CEAP is funded assistance, not an entitlement, so a provider can be out of funds for a period even when your household appears to meet every published rule. That outcome reflects a program constraint, not anything you did wrong — and it still leaves you three legitimate paths, which can run in parallel.

First, stay in the queue on the record. Ask the provider whether a waitlist or a next funding cycle exists, when it expects to resume assistance, and request the outcome of your application in writing. A written decision is what makes every later step — an appeal, a renewed application, or help from another organization — concrete instead of a phone-call memory. Reapplying is a normal path, not a lost cause: providers set their own written policies on how soon a denied household may apply again, and the program's guidance gives a 30-day wait as one example, so ask for your provider's specific rule and the earliest date you can return.

Second, if your application was denied and you believe the decision misses something, use the appeal route. The deadlines below are statewide minimums, not one provider's preference.

Third, separate the benefit question from the utility question. If your dispute is about the utility's own conduct — a disconnection that may have broken one of the rules above, a billing error, or service quality — PUCT consumer assistance handles complaints about retail electric providers, and the Railroad Commission handles natural gas. Use the utility's complaint process first, and remember the boundary: a regulator is not an assistance fund, it does not pay bills, and municipal utilities and electric cooperatives fall outside both agencies.

The appeal deadlines that apply statewide

Every CEAP provider must run a denial-of-service complaint procedure that meets minimum standards set in state rule and carried into every subrecipient contract, reproduced in the 2026 state plan at §12.4 from 10 TAC §6.8. Individual providers may be more generous, but they cannot be tighter than this.

Step	Deadline	What it means for you
Written denial notice	Within 10 calendar days of the determination	The notice must state the specific reasons for the denial and your right to a hearing. If you have not received it, ask for it in writing.
Your written notice of appeal	Within 20 days of receiving the denial	This is the deadline that matters most. Missing it generally ends that appeal — though it does not stop you from applying again in a later cycle.
The provider's hearing	Within 10 business days of your request, with at least 7 calendar days' written notice of the time and place	The hearing is private, by phone or in person, and is recorded. Staff explain the decision and you get at least equal time to respond.
The provider's written decision	Mailed by close of business on the third calendar day after the decision	Keep the envelope and the date.
Appeal to TDHCA	Within 10 days of an adverse decision	While TDHCA reviews, the funds stay encumbered — they are not released to someone else during the review.
Contested case hearing	After TDHCA's review, under Texas Government Code Chapter 2001	Heard by the State Office of Administrative Hearings on TDHCA's behalf. This is the point at which most households would want legal aid.

One narrower rule is worth knowing. If the denial rests only on income eligibility, the hearing steps do not apply; instead you may request a recertification, in which someone other than the original reviewer recalculates income from the documents you already submitted. Ask for that by name if income is the stated reason.

While any of these paths runs, 2-1-1 Texas remains the fastest way to find local funds with different rules and funding cycles. If the shortfall reaches beyond the utility bill, get emergency financial help now for crisis routes across rent, food, and shelter, and when the immediate pressure eases, check other assistance programs you may not have applied for — SNAP, Medicaid, and similar benefits can also open categorical doors for future energy assistance.

Local variation and updates

Whether the provider serving your county is accepting applications this week is a local fact that changes without notice, which is why this page routes you to the official locator rather than reprinting a provider directory that would begin aging the day it published.

Service areas follow county and city lines and are stricter than they look. Thirty-five subrecipients cover all 254 counties, each verifying which county an address sits in, and a household outside a provider's territory is referred to the neighboring provider rather than served across the line. If you live near a county border and the locator's result seems wrong, say so on the first call; the fix is a referral to the right organization, not a second application into the wrong one.

Four layers decide different things, which is why the answer to "who runs Texas utility assistance" is genuinely four answers. Call this the four-layer test: whenever a rule on this page seems to conflict with what someone told you, work out which layer it belongs to. The federal layer is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which funds LIHEAP as a block grant and explains why every state's version differs; the state layer is TDHCA, which writes the income basis, categorical pathways, crisis standards, benefit ceilings, and appeal framework on this page; the local layer is the CEAP subrecipient serving your county, which sets application channels, local priorities, possibly lower benefit maximums, and whether funds are available right now; and the individual layer is that provider's determination on your household, which is the only step that produces an approval, an amount, or a denial with appeal rights. Utility disconnection rules are a separate stack with their own layers, which is why the router above names a regulator for each kind of utility rather than stating one Texas rule.

The next scheduled full review is November 15, 2026, with an immediate update on any official funding or application-status change. One forward-looking note: TDHCA has announced additional energy-assistance awards beginning January 1, 2027. That is future program funding — it does not mean money is available to households now, or that any provider is currently taking applications.

Who writes this page

Money Hope Now is an independent publisher, and this page is written and maintained by the Money Hope Now editorial team; corrections can be sent to hello@moneyhopenow.com. Our method on program pages is to read the governing plan, rule, or notice ourselves, cite the specific document rather than a summary of it, and date every figure. Where a fact is set locally and cannot be verified centrally, we say so and route you to the office that can answer it. We are not a government agency, we do not process applications, and we carry no offers on benefits pages — how Money Hope Now is funded.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for CEAP online?

Sometimes — it depends entirely on your local provider. There is no statewide online application; each provider chooses its own intake channels, which can include online, email, mail, phone, in-person, or drop-off options. Find your provider through Help for Texans, then ask which channels it currently accepts before you prepare anything in a format it cannot take.

Does a disconnect notice count as a crisis?

Not automatically. A notice is strong evidence for a crisis request, but CEAP's crisis component also requires the applicable qualifying condition — extreme weather, a disaster, or a life-threatening situation — documented to the provider's satisfaction. Contact the utility and the provider immediately, preserve the notice and your account details, and let the provider tell you whether your situation fits.

Can they turn off my power in a Texas summer?

Not on a day when the National Weather Service has a heat advisory in effect for your county, or issued one on either of the two preceding calendar days. The same rule blocks disconnection during freezing weather. Both cover retail electric providers and electric utilities in areas without retail choice; a city-owned utility or a cooperative sets its own policy, and the natural gas rule has no heat trigger.

Is there still help with water bills in Texas?

Not through the old statewide route. The Texas Utility Help portal is closed per TDHCA, and its LIHWAP water assistance is no longer available. Ask your water utility about its own assistance or arrangement options and dial 2-1-1 for local programs. If your water utility is PUCT-regulated, it also cannot disconnect you or charge a late fee over a bill that came due during a freezing-weather emergency, and must offer you a payment schedule if you ask within 30 days.

Should I borrow money to pay this bill?

Look at the protections first. A short-term high-cost loan taken to avoid a shutoff can leave a household further behind than the shutoff would have, because the loan cost is certain while the disconnection may already be blocked this week by a pledge, a weather rule, or a serious-illness protection. Check the protection table, call your provider and your utility, and treat borrowing as the last option rather than the first.

Is applying for CEAP free?

Yes — always. Applying through the official local provider is free, and no paid preparer, filing service, or private website is ever required to apply for CEAP or any public benefit. Treat any site or caller charging a fee to "submit" or "speed up" a CEAP application as a red flag: stop, keep your personal information, and go directly to the provider listed on TDHCA's official locator.

Your first next step

If you are holding a disconnection notice, check the protection table first — a pledge, freezing weather, a heat advisory, or a serious illness in the household can each stop the shutoff while your application is pending. Then find your provider through Help for Texans and call the organization listed for your area.

You do not have to compose that call. Four questions cover it:

• "Are you currently accepting applications?"
• "Which ways can I apply, and which is fastest right now?"
• "Exactly which documents do you need from my household?"
• "I have a disconnection notice dated ___. Can you send a pledge to my utility before that date?"

Then one call to the utility: "I have applied for energy assistance through my local CEAP provider. Can you note that on my account, and tell me what a deferred payment plan would look like?"

Have your current bill, account number, any disconnect notice, and your recent income documents within reach for both calls. If the locator route stalls — no answer, paused intake, or a provider that is out of funds — dial 2-1-1 or 877-541-7905 and ask for utility-bill or shutoff-prevention resources in your ZIP code, and keep your utility informed while you work the problem. Assistance in Texas is local, funded, and paperwork-driven, which means the households that get through are usually the ones that reached the right provider early with a complete file. That first call is free, and it is the step that starts everything else.

Sources and last verified date

Last verified: August 5, 2026

Next review: November 15, 2026

• Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) — Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs — Current program overview; statewide delivery through local subrecipients; links to 2026 plan materials. Reviewed July 21, 2026.
• Help for Texans — TDHCA — Official local-provider locator; confirms TDHCA does not accept applications from individuals and that provider capacity can vary. Re-checked August 5, 2026.
• 2026 LIHEAP State Plan, Amendment #1 — TDHCA — Categorical eligibility definition (§1.4a), 150% income threshold, crisis definition and 48/18-hour response standards (§4.2–§4.5), per-component benefit ceilings and the $12,600 annual household maximum (§2.6, §3.6, §4.7 citing 10 TAC §6.309(e)), crisis in-kind benefits including reconnection costs and 250-gallon fuel deliveries (10 TAC §6.310(c)), 35 subrecipients (§8.7), and the appeal timeline (§12.4 from 10 TAC §6.8). Approved February 18, 2026; re-verified August 5, 2026.
• Community Affairs Income Guidelines — TDHCA — Program year 2026 federal poverty income guidelines, effective January 26, 2026; CEAP at 150% of FPIG; supports the income table. Re-verified August 5, 2026.
• CEAP Frequently Asked Questions — TDHCA — Departmental guidance to CEAP subrecipients: crisis evidence thresholds, the 30-day income documentation window, benefit duration by household type, and bulk-fuel rules. Updated March 28, 2025; reviewed August 5, 2026.
• CEAP Client File Checklist — TDHCA — Provider-side documentation fields; supports the document-preparation guidance as a planning aid, not a universal applicant list. Reviewed July 21, 2026.
• SAVE and U.S. Citizenship Documentation — Frequently Asked Questions — TDHCA — Mixed-status households may be served if eligibility requirements are met; how income and household size are counted. Updated January 2025; reviewed August 5, 2026.
• Weatherization Assistance Program — TDHCA — WAP purpose, statewide subrecipient coverage, and common efficiency measures; supports the WAP row. Reviewed July 21, 2026.
• 16 TAC §25.483, Disconnection of Service — Texas Administrative Code — Retail electric provider rules: energy-assistance pledge protection and its due-date condition (§25.483(i)), extreme-weather and heat-advisory prohibitions (§25.483(j)), Critical Care and Chronic Condition protections (§25.483(g),(h)), prohibited grounds for disconnection (§25.483(e)), the holiday and weekend rule (§25.483(f)), the ten-day notice rule and required notice contents (§25.483(l),(m)), and reconnection timelines (§25.483(n)). Amended effective July 19, 2023; full text read August 5, 2026.
• 16 TAC §25.29, Disconnection of Service — Texas Administrative Code — Electric utilities in areas where retail choice was never introduced: ill and disabled (§25.29(g)), energy assistance pledge (§25.29(h)), extreme weather and heat advisory across the service territory (§25.29(i)), and ten-day notice in English and Spanish (§25.29(k)). Amended effective December 11, 2013; full text read August 5, 2026.
• Received a Disconnection Notice? — Public Utility Commission of Texas — Consumer route for disconnection questions and complaints; confirms PUCT jurisdiction covers retail electric providers and excludes municipally owned utilities and cooperatives. Reviewed August 5, 2026.
• 16 TAC §7.460, Suspension of Gas Utility Service Disconnection During an Extreme Weather Emergency — Texas Administrative Code — Railroad Commission service standards: freezing-weather disconnection prohibition and its 32°F trigger (§7.460(b)(1)), written energy-assistance pledge protection (§7.460(b)(2)), the weekend rule (§7.460(b)(3)), and deferred collection with a payment schedule for bills due during an emergency (§7.460(c)). Amended effective December 5, 2023; full text read August 5, 2026.
• 16 TAC §24.173, Late Fees and Disconnections During an Extreme Weather Emergency for Nonpayment — Texas Administrative Code — PUCT rule for regulated retail water and sewer utilities: the 28°F extreme-weather trigger, the ban on late fees and disconnection for bills due during the emergency, the 30-day window to request a payment schedule, suspension of existing disconnection notices, and the 10% simple annual interest cap. Adopted effective November 9, 2022; full text read August 5, 2026.
• Adopted Rule Summary, 16 TAC §7.460 — Railroad Commission of Texas — Agency confirmation of the extreme-weather disconnection rule and its December 5, 2023 effective date. Reviewed August 5, 2026.
• Customer Information Regarding Your Natural Gas Bill — Railroad Commission of Texas — Gas complaint routing: the Commission holds exclusive original jurisdiction outside city limits, and customers inside city limits file with the city. Reviewed August 5, 2026.
• 2-1-1 Texas — Texas Health and Human Services Commission — Free 24/7 routing to local utility, crisis, and domestic violence resources; supports the 2-1-1 routing guidance. Reviewed July 21, 2026.
• Report Abuse or Neglect — Texas Department of Family and Protective Services — Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400, 24 hours a day, for abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of older adults and adults with disabilities. Reviewed August 5, 2026.
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Free, confidential crisis support 24 hours a day by call, text, or chat. Reviewed August 5, 2026.
• Texas Utility Help website / utility assistance closed notice — TDHCA — Confirms the former statewide Texas Utility Help application is closed: energy applications stopped September 15, 2023, water assistance stopped November 3, 2023, and no LIHWAP water funding remains. Re-checked August 5, 2026.
• LIHEAP Fact Sheet — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ACF/OCS — Federal block-grant purpose and state/territory/tribal administration; supports the federal layer of the four-layer test. Reviewed July 21, 2026.
• Governor Abbott announces $166 million in energy-assistance funds — TDHCA — Future-effective funding with awards beginning January 1, 2027; supports the forward-looking note only. Announced June 8, 2026; reviewed July 21, 2026.

Change log

Date	Change
July 21, 2026	Verified the TDHCA CEAP structure, program-year income table, state-plan and FAQ rules, Help for Texans route, WAP, 2-1-1, PUCT escalation, and the Texas Utility Help closure.
July 25, 2026	Re-verified the income table, the Help for Texans locator, and the closure notice.
August 5, 2026	Added Texas disconnection protections and the utility-regulator router from PUCT and Railroad Commission rules; added mixed-status household guidance from TDHCA; added crisis and exploitation routing; re-verified the income table, locator, and closure notice.