Missouri Utility Relief Programs: LIHEAP, ECIP Crisis Help, Utility Funds, and Shutoff Rules

How Missouri utility relief programs fit together

Think of Missouri’s help in layers. Each layer does a different job, and many households use more than one.

• Energy Assistance (EA) lowers your heating cost once a season. You do not need to be behind to get it.
• ECIP is for emergencies: a shutoff notice, service already cut off, or a nearly empty propane or fuel oil tank.
• Utility hardship funds, such as Ameren Missouri’s Dollar More or Spire’s DollarHelp, fill gaps when state money is not enough or you earn a bit too much for LIHEAP.
• Shutoff rules from the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) and state law buy time in extreme weather and make payment plans available.
• Weatherization lowers bills for years by fixing leaks and insulation.

Missouri’s LIHEAP served about 114,219 households with heating help, 44,911 with winter crisis help, and 20,128 with summer crisis help in federal fiscal year 2024, according to the federal LIHEAP Clearinghouse. Funding is set each year, so agencies can run short late in the season. Applying early matters more than any other tip on this page. For a wider look at state help, including food and cash programs, see our guide to Missouri assistance programs.

Energy Assistance for heating bills

Energy Assistance is a one-time payment toward your main heating source each program year. The amount depends on your income, household size, and fuel type. For federal fiscal year 2026, the LIHEAP Clearinghouse lists a minimum of $153 and a maximum of $495. Households that heat with propane often fall at the higher end because fuel is bought in bulk.

Season and early start

The heating component runs from October 1 to May 31. Missouri agencies have usually taken applications from households with someone 60 or older or someone with a disability starting October 1, and from everyone else starting November 1. If that pattern holds for 2026 to 2027, both windows are open now. Ask your agency to confirm.

Income and assets

The income limit is 60% of Missouri’s state median income, which changes each year. Your agency counts gross income for everyone in the home, usually for the month before you apply. Missouri has also applied a limit on money in bank accounts and similar resources, so ask about it when you call. We have not listed a dollar table because the state’s current chart was not available for us to check; your agency will have it.

The payment goes to your utility or fuel dealer. You will see it as a credit on your bill or as fuel delivered. Learn how the federal program works in our LIHEAP guide.

ECIP crisis help for shutoffs

The Energy Crisis Intervention Program pays to keep or restore service when you face a real emergency. That usually means one of these:

• A disconnection notice from your gas or electric company.
• Service that has already been shut off.
• A propane or fuel oil tank that is nearly empty, or a dealer who will not deliver.

Missouri splits ECIP into two seasons. Winter ECIP runs November 1 to May 31, with a maximum of $800 in FY 2026. Summer ECIP runs June 1 to September 30, with a maximum of $300, aimed at cooling bills. The amount you get is usually what it takes to resolve the crisis, up to the maximum. If the past-due amount is higher, the agency may ask you to pay the rest or set up a payment plan with the utility before it sends the money.

Federal LIHEAP rules require crisis help to be provided within 48 hours of an eligible application, or 18 hours when the situation is life-threatening. Say clearly when you call that you have a shutoff notice or no heat.

Applying at a community action agency

Missouri has community action agencies covering every county. Examples include the Community Action Agency of St. Louis County, Central Missouri Community Action, and the Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation in the Springfield region. To find yours, use the LIHEAP office search at EnergyHelp.us or call the national line at 1-866-674-6327. DSS’s Family Support Division information line is 855-373-4636.

Bring or upload these items. Agencies vary, so ask what they need:

• Photo ID and Social Security numbers for household members.
• Proof of income for everyone in the home for the period the agency asks about.
• Your most recent gas and electric bills, or a fuel dealer statement.
• Any disconnection notice, for ECIP.

Our document checklist covers substitutes if a paper is missing. Keep a copy of your application and the date you turned it in. If your utility sends a shutoff notice while you wait, call the agency and tell the utility you have applied.

Missouri’s Cold Weather Rule

The Cold Weather Rule is a Public Service Commission rule, 20 CSR 4240-13.055 (it was renumbered from 4 CSR 240-13.055 in 2019). It covers the gas and electric utilities the PSC regulates, such as Ameren Missouri, Evergy, Spire, and Liberty. City-owned utilities and electric cooperatives set their own policies.

When shutoffs are barred

From November 1 through March 31, a regulated utility may not disconnect heat-related service for nonpayment on a day when the National Weather Service forecast predicts temperatures below 32°F during the coming period. The rule text describes a 24-hour forecast. A 2025 state law, Senate Bill 4, lengthened the forecast window for extreme weather to 72 hours, according to public radio reports on the law. Utilities may choose a more generous threshold.

Payment plans and getting service back

During the cold weather period, the utility must offer a payment plan that spreads what you owe over 12 months. Under the rule:

• The first payment generally may not be more than 12% of the total under the 12-month plan, unless you and the utility agree to something else.
• If you defaulted on a cold weather plan before, the utility can ask for up to 80% of the balance first, unless you agree otherwise.
• For gas service, the rule also has a restoration option based on paying the lesser of 50% of the past-due amount or $500.
• If service is off between November 1 and March 31, the utility must reconnect without a deposit when you ask, make the first payment, sign the plan, and give the income information it requests.

Extra protection if you register

Households can register with the utility if someone is 65 or older, has a federal disability award letter, or has a doctor’s form saying the home needs utility service to protect life or health. Registration should be renewed each year, ideally by October 1. Registered low-income customers (under 150% of the poverty guidelines, with a signed statement) who make the first payment and keep paying at least the lesser of half the bill or the plan amount are protected from shutoff. Utilities must also give at least 10 days’ notice by mail plus phone attempts, and another notice within 96 hours before a cutoff.

The rule does not erase the balance. Use it to keep the heat on while you apply for EA or ECIP.

The Hot Weather Law for summer

Missouri law (RSMo 393.108) protects electric service from June 1 to September 30. Legal Services of Missouri explains that a utility may not disconnect residential electric service for nonpayment on a day when the National Weather Service forecasts a temperature above 95°F or a heat index above 105°F. It applies to gas only when gas runs the home’s cooling. A utility also may not shut off on a day before it cannot reconnect. Senate Bill 4 in 2025 extended the forecast window here too, according to news coverage.

If a utility tries to disconnect during a protected period, remind it of the rule and call the PSC at 1-800-392-4211 or the Attorney General’s consumer line at 1-800-392-8222.

Ameren, Evergy, and Spire assistance

Missouri’s biggest utilities each fund help of their own. Terms change often, so treat the details below as a starting point and confirm with the company.

Ameren Missouri

Ameren Missouri’s Dollar More program pays up to $600 per calendar year to eligible households. In a March 18, 2026 Ameren news release, the company said income eligibility had risen to 300% of the federal poverty level, gave the example of a family of four with monthly income up to $8,250, and said community action agencies deliver the funds. Ameren also lists Keeping Cool, New Start Energy Relief, Veterans Energy Assistance, budget billing, and payment agreements. Ameren has run Keeping Current, which pairs on-time payments with bill credits and forgiveness of old balances, through the same agencies; ask your agency whether it is enrolling.

Evergy (Kansas City area and western Missouri)

Evergy has offered an Economic Relief Pilot Program with a monthly credit for customers at or below 200% of the poverty level, applied for through The Salvation Army. Evergy has described the credit as up to $65 a month for up to 12 months. The program is labeled a pilot and could change, so ask Evergy or The Salvation Army for current terms.

Spire (natural gas)

Spire’s DollarHelp fund, paid for by customer donations, helps with gas bills. Spire expanded Missouri eligibility to 300% of poverty in 2022, and it announced a pilot in early 2026 that waives the monthly customer charge for qualifying low-income Missouri customers. Start at the Spire assistance page or call Spire at 1-800-582-1234.

Smaller utilities, co-ops, and city systems may have funds too. Ask your provider and your community action agency.

Which help fits your situation

Weatherization and lower bills

Missouri’s Weatherization Assistance Program is run by the Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Energy through local agencies, many of them the same community action agencies that take LIHEAP. It is free for homeowners and renters (with the landlord’s permission) with household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Crews test the home and may add insulation, seal air leaks, and repair or replace unsafe heating equipment. The federal program is explained on the U.S. Department of Energy weatherization page. Waiting lists are common, so ask to be added when you apply for Energy Assistance.

Utilities run efficiency programs too, including rebates for smart thermostats and appliance upgrades. Low-cost steps such as sealing drafts around doors and changing furnace filters also help.

Lifeline for phone and internet

Lifeline is a federal program that lowers the monthly cost of phone or internet service for people with low income or who get benefits such as SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, or federal housing help. It is a discount, not a bill payment, and only one Lifeline benefit is allowed per household. You apply through a participating phone company or the national verifier. Details are on the FCC Lifeline page.

What if my utility will not work with me?

Start by asking the utility for a supervisor and a payment agreement in writing. If you still cannot resolve it, the PSC’s Consumer Services Unit takes informal complaints about the utilities it regulates at 1-800-392-4211 or pscinfo@psc.mo.gov. Relay Missouri users can dial 711. The Office of the Public Counsel, which represents residential customers in rate cases, can be reached at 866-922-2959. The PSC does not handle complaints about city-owned utilities or most co-op billing; take those to the utility’s board or city council.

Free legal aid is available through Legal Services of Missouri regional offices if a shutoff seems to break the rules or you face eviction tied to utility debt.

Steps to take this week

1. Find your community action agency through EnergyHelp.us or 1-866-674-6327.
2. Apply for Energy Assistance, and ask for ECIP if you have a shutoff notice or no heat.
3. Call your utility. Ask for a Cold Weather Rule plan from November to March, or a standard payment agreement in other months.
4. Register as an elderly or disabled household if someone qualifies.
5. Ask about utility funds such as Dollar More, DollarHelp, or Evergy’s relief program.
6. Get on the weatherization list to bring future bills down.

Related guides

• Weatherization Assistance Program
• Gas shut-off assistance
• Emergency help with utility bills
• Salvation Army help with utility bills

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information. Benefit amounts, dates, and rules are set by the Missouri Department of Social Services, the Missouri Public Service Commission, and each utility, and they can change. National Relief Program is an independent website and is not affiliated with any utility or government agency.