What Counts as a Hardship Exemption on Utility Bills?
Learn which income, medical, and crisis situations can pause a shutoff and what to file first.
A hardship exemption on utility bills usually means low income, public benefits, serious illness, or a sudden crisis that leaves you unable to pay. It pauses a shutoff and sets up a payment plan, but it does not erase what you owe. Rules vary by state and utility.
Your income level, benefit enrollment, health situation, and timing all affect whether you qualify.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 06, 2026.
Which income and benefits count?
In Connecticut, customers of Eversource, UI, SCG, CNG and Yankee Gas can request financial-hardship protection if they receive CEAP, SNAP, TANF or unemployment benefits. Income at or below 60% of state median income can also qualify, according to the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority in Connecticut payment assistance programs. Federal LIHEAP rules set an outer income boundary for state energy aid.
States must cap eligibility at no more than the greater of 150% of Federal Poverty Guidelines or 60% of State Median Income, according to the Administration for Children and Families in the LIHEAP fact sheet. In Nebraska, LIHEAP requires household income at or below 150% of the federal poverty level. That threshold screens who can enter the program before any crisis aid is considered.
Does illness, disability, or a sudden crisis count?
Yes, in many programs. Connecticut winter protection can cover households with serious illness, sole income from Social Security, VA benefits or unemployment, Medicaid enrollment, or threatened loss of food and necessities, according to United Way of Connecticut 211 in the winter protection guide. In Pennsylvania, a written statement from a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner that shutoff would aggravate illness can delay termination for up to 30 days, with extension possible.
In San Francisco, customers below 80% of area median income with an extenuating circumstance in the past year, such as disability or injury, may receive temporary water shutoff protection. In Nebraska, crisis assistance adds another test beyond income. Households must face a crisis plus an unanticipated inability to pay home energy costs within the most recent 90 days.
When does protection apply?
Winter dates matter. Connecticut protects eligible hardship households from heat-source shutoffs from November 1 to May 1. Pennsylvania uses special winter termination procedures from December 1 through March 31, including income screening around 150%-250% of poverty.
The type of utility service also matters. Connecticut focuses on heat-source shutoffs during winter. San Francisco offers a temporary exemption from water shutoff or lien proceedings for up to six months.
Check your utility account type before you apply. Electric, gas, heat, and water programs often have separate forms, dates, and income measures.
What do you still have to do?
Hardship protection postpones shutoff rather than forgiving the bill. In Connecticut, customers must re-document eligibility each year and enroll in a utility payment arrangement, so affected customers must reapply yearly and keep paying under the plan. In Nebraska, crisis payments go directly to utilities, not to households.
That structure helps past-due energy costs without changing the amount owed.
- Gather proof of income, benefits, or unemployment for the past relevant period
- Gather a medical letter, disability record, or crisis bill if health or emergency rules apply
- Ask the utility for the hardship form, payment arrangement terms, and filing deadline
- Submit yearly renewal documents and keep each payment current