A New Jersey family of four earning as much as $98,602 a year can qualify for help with this winter’s heating bills under a cutoff set at 60% of the state’s median income. The state’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, has been taking applications since Oct. 1, and heating grants run as high as $1,278.
The same application also covers the state’s Universal Service Fund, which can take up to $200 a month off gas and electric bills. Applications stay open through June 30, 2027, but the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs says aid is handed out first come, first served.
Who qualifies at 60% of state median income
New Jersey sets its LIHEAP cutoff at 60% of state median income. The DCA’s fiscal 2027 fact sheet lists these gross annual income limits for the program year that began Oct. 1, 2026:
- 1 person: $51,273
- 2 people: $67,049
- 3 people: $82,825
- 4 people: $98,602
- 5 people: $114,378
- 6 people: $130,154
- 7 people: $133,112
- 8 people: $136,070
The list continues up to 12 people at $147,903, and the state adds $2,952 a year for each person beyond that. Monthly equivalents are on the fact sheet; for a household of four, the monthly limit is $8,217 before taxes.
Applicants must be responsible for their own heating or cooling costs, according to NJ 211, the state’s referral line, and residents of public housing or households with rental assistance must pay the fuel supplier directly. The amount of help depends on income, household size, fuel type and the region of the state where the home sits.
How the $1,278 heating grant is set
LIHEAP heating benefits in New Jersey ranged from a $118 minimum to a $1,278 maximum in the 2026 program year, according to the LIHEAP Clearinghouse, a federally funded information service, in a New Jersey profile updated in April. Winter crisis help, for households facing a shutoff or running out of fuel, topped out at $800…