LIHEAP assists low-income households that pay a high portion of their income to meet their energy needs, and provides one-time financial assistance to help balance an eligible household's utility bill.

Eligibility:
Varies, depending on sources of income and other factors.

Hours of Operation:
Monday through Friday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Applications can be requested by calling our intake specialist at (415) 526.7500 or to schedule an appointment. You may also apply directly through the California Online LIHEAP Application.  Eligibility and assistance level is based on household size, gross monthly income, and program priorities. See our FAQs for this program.

To apply, you’ll need the following:

•     Recent copies of your utility bill. (Must include all pages and show 30 billing days.)
•     Final Utility Termination Notice (if you’ve received a 14 day, 48 hour, or shutoff notice from your energy company should be included with your utility bill).
•     Recent pay stub’s or other proof of income that shows your current monthly gross income. (This must account for 30 consecutive days of income.)
•     Documentation showing income from Social Security, Cal Fresh, Unemployment Insurance, Pension Funds, disability, etc. (Examples: Notice of Action, Passport to Services, most recent bank statement showing direct deposit, copy of current check, dated annual benefit letter, payee letter showing income amount, Form 4926, Form 2458, HUD statement with a SS amount.)
•     Other income sources: Self-employment, Child Support, odd jobs requirements (current copy of ledger/journal, or a signed self-employment statement showing monthly gross income).
•     For households with zero income: a self-declaration of zero income attestation form will be requested. (Please speak to an intake specialist to request a copy of this form.)
•     For Wood or Propane assistance a recent invoice is required (the invoice must match your service address listed on your application).

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance program is called LIHEAP. They assist low income people and families with their heating and cooling bills. This program is therefore, a year long program that is available 12 months a year. To qualify for the LIHEAP assistance, you need to qualify. We provide the current Federal Poverty Rates nationwide below.

You are automatically qualified for LIHEAP assistance if you participate in the SNAP food stamps program, TANF Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or the SSI program through Social Security.

Federal Poverty Guidelines for 2024

Persons In Family	Earnings (100% Fed Poverty Guideline)
1	$15,060
2	$20,440
3	$25,820
4	$31,200
5	$36,580
6	$41,960
7	$47,340
8	$52,720

*Alaska and Hawaii have different rates for HUD federal poverty guidelines.
These numbers above represent 100% of the Federal Poverty Rate. In order to get legal aid from some offices, they use a sliding fee scale. When they use a sliding fee scale, the 100% rate can be different than 100%. In those cases, using for example a 200% federal poverty level, you will only need double the 100% number listed above to 200%.

User questions & answers

Have you used the Community Action Marin - Energy Program service before? If so, please help our website users by answer these questions below.