Texas Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP): Income Limits, Benefit Amounts, and Where to Apply

Finding your county's CEAP provider

This is the step that confuses most people. TDHCA does not take CEAP applications itself. It contracts with roughly three dozen local agencies, such as community action agencies, county human services departments, and nonprofits, that together cover all 254 Texas counties. Each county has one assigned provider, and you can only apply there.

The fastest ways to find yours:

1. TDHCA Help for Texans. On the Help for Texans page, choose "Utility Bill Payment Help," type your city or county, and select "Find help." The results list the provider for your area with its phone number.
2. Call TDHCA's toll-free line at 877-399-8939, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. From a landline, the system can connect you directly to the provider for your county.
3. Dial 2-1-1 or search 211 Texas. A specialist can name your CEAP provider and also list churches and charities with bill money this month.

Some providers take applications online, some by mail or drop-off, and some by appointment only. Dallas County, for example, books CEAP by phone and does not take walk-ins; our guide to utility assistance in Dallas County covers that office in detail. Ask your provider how it accepts applications before you go.

Income limits for 2026

CEAP's income limit is 150% of the federal poverty guidelines. The figures below use the 2026 guidelines ($15,960 for one person plus $5,680 for each additional person). We also show where the two lower income tiers end, because your tier sets the most CEAP can pay you (see the next section).

For each person beyond six, add $8,520 a year to the 150% limit. Most providers count the gross income of everyone in the home over the 30 days before you apply, so a recent job loss or cut in hours can make you eligible even if last year's income was higher. If someone in the home has no income, the provider will usually ask for a written statement or a Texas Workforce Commission record showing that.

How much the Texas Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program pays

CEAP pays what your bill actually is, up to a cap. The caps are set in the state rule, 10 Texas Administrative Code § 6.309, in the version that took effect January 1, 2025. Utility payment help and crisis help are separate parts of the program, and each has its own cap based on your income tier:

All CEAP help combined, including equipment, is limited to $12,600 per household per program year, not counting arrears (past-due amounts). Repair or replacement of a heating or cooling unit is capped at $9,000 per item under the same rule. These are ceilings, not promises. Your actual payment depends on your bills, your household, and how much money the local provider has left. Payments go directly to your electric company, gas utility, or propane dealer. You do not receive cash.

Under the rule, households in the priority groups can receive help with bills for more of the year, up to the annual maximum for utility help. Ask your provider whether your payments will cover a single bill or be spread over several months.

Crisis help and how fast it comes

Crisis assistance is for households that have already lost service or are in immediate danger of losing it, during extreme weather, a disaster, or a life-threatening situation. Under 10 TAC § 6.310:

• Extreme weather or disaster: help must be provided within 48 hours.
• Life-threatening crisis: help must be provided within 18 hours. Examples include someone who depends on oxygen or other powered medical equipment.
• The clock starts when the agency accepts your application and finishes the eligibility check, not when you first call. Have your papers ready so the clock can start.
• Propane or fuel oil deliveries are limited to 250 gallons per crisis.

When you call, use the word "crisis" and say exactly what is happening: the date on your disconnection notice, whether service is already off, and whether anyone in the home is elderly, disabled, a young child, or medically fragile. Ask the provider to call your utility to note that payment is pending. Under state gas rules, a gas utility may not disconnect during a billing period in which an energy assistance provider has told it in writing that payment is coming.

Texas winter shutoff protections

Texas does not have a date-based winter moratorium. Instead, protection is tied to the temperature. Knowing these rules can buy you time while your CEAP application is processed.

• Electricity: under the Public Utility Commission rule 16 TAC § 25.483, a retail electric provider may not authorize a disconnection for nonpayment in a county with an extreme weather emergency. That means a day when the previous day's high did not exceed 32°F and the temperature is forecast to stay at or below freezing for the next 24 hours. The same protection applies when a heat advisory is in effect or was issued on either of the two days before.
• Payment plans after a freeze: residential customers can ask for a deferred payment plan for bills that came due during the emergency, and the provider must offer one on request.
• Natural gas: under the Railroad Commission rule 16 TAC § 7.460, gas utilities may not cut off a residential customer who is behind during the same kind of freezing emergency, and must work out a payment schedule for bills deferred during it. Gas companies also may not disconnect on a weekend day unless staff are available to take payment and restore service.
• Serious illness: if a disconnection would make someone in the home seriously ill or more seriously ill, the electric rule bars disconnection for up to 63 days when a doctor confirms it, you send a written statement, and you enter a deferred payment plan. Ask your provider about critical care or chronic condition status if someone uses powered medical equipment.

These rules delay a shutoff; they do not erase the bill. Use the time to finish your CEAP application and set up a plan with your utility.

Who runs CEAP and who gets priority

CEAP is paid for mainly by the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program block grant, which the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services gives to each state. TDHCA administers the Texas share and writes the program rules. For how LIHEAP works nationwide, see our LIHEAP guide.

Because money is limited, providers serve households in priority order. CEAP gives priority to households with someone 60 or older, someone with a disability, or a child 5 or younger, and to households whose energy costs take a large share of income. At least one household member must be a U.S. citizen or qualified noncitizen. You must live in the provider's service area and be responsible for home energy costs.

What the application looks like

Each provider uses its own form, but the information is much the same everywhere. Expect to give:

• Photo ID for the applicant and a way to identify every household member.
• Proof of citizenship or qualified immigration status for at least one person.
• Proof of income for the last 30 days for everyone 18 and older, or a statement or Workforce Commission record for anyone with no income.
• Your most recent electric and gas bills, and any disconnection notice.
• Proof that someone is 60 or older, has a disability, or is age 5 or younger, if you want priority.

Your provider's list is the one that counts, so ask for it when you call. Our general documents checklist can help you get organized. Processing times vary by county and season; a regular application can take several weeks, so keep paying what you can until you get a decision letter.

Heater and air conditioner repairs

CEAP can also fix or replace unsafe or broken heating and cooling equipment for eligible households, within the $9,000 cap per item. That includes servicing an existing unit, buying one where none exists, and buying portable, window, or mini-split units. Not every provider offers every type of help every year, so ask. For deeper energy-saving work like insulation and sealing, ask the same provider about the Weatherization Assistance Program, which Texas also runs through TDHCA.

When CEAP funds run out

Local providers can run out of money before the program year ends, especially after a hard freeze or long heat wave. If you hear "no funds right now":

• Ask to be put on the waiting list and when new funds are expected.
• Call your utility and ask for a deferred payment plan or budget billing.
• Ask 2-1-1 about church and charity programs, including utility company partner funds.
• Check city programs if you live inside a large city, which sometimes run separate utility help.

Freeing up money elsewhere also helps. If your household gets SNAP, high utility costs can raise your benefit; our SNAP calculator gives an estimate.

Your plan for this week

1. Find your provider on Help for Texans or by calling 877-399-8939 or 2-1-1.
2. Call and ask how it takes applications, what papers it needs, and whether funds are open.
3. Gather 30 days of income proof for every adult and your latest energy bills.
4. Say "crisis" if you have a shutoff notice or no service, and give the shutoff date.
5. Call your utility to report a pending CEAP application and ask for a payment plan.
6. Watch the forecast. On freezing days, electric and gas disconnections for nonpayment are not allowed.

Related guides

• Utility assistance in Dallas County
• Texas utility assistance
• Texas assistance programs
• HVAC assistance for seniors

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information. CEAP rules, funding, and application steps are set by TDHCA and each local provider and can change. National Relief Program is an independent website and is not affiliated with TDHCA, any utility, or any government agency.