Minnesota households can apply for the state’s Energy Assistance Program for winter 2026-27 through May 31, 2027, the Minnesota Department of Commerce says. The program pays up to $1,400 toward heating and utility bills, and a family of four can earn up to $73,969 a year and still qualify.
Both renters and homeowners are eligible, and the amount depends on income and household size. The state says applications are reviewed in the order received, so a household with a high heating bill gains nothing by waiting until spring. Anyone whose fuel tank is nearly empty or whose heat or power is already off can ask for crisis help the same week.
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Income limits by household size
The state’s income guidelines for the federal fiscal year that began Oct. 1, 2026 and runs through Sept. 30, 2027 set these maximums, shown as annual and monthly figures, in its Energy Assistance income table:
- One person: $38,464 a year, or $3,205 a month
- Two people: $50,299 a year, or $4,191 a month
- Three people: $62,134 a year, or $5,177 a month
- Four people: $73,969 a year, or $6,164 a month
- Five people: $85,804 a year, or $7,150 a month
- Six people: $97,639 a year, or $8,136 a month
Eligibility is on a sliding scale based on household size and the most recent one month of income, according to the program’s questions and answers page. A retiree couple with $4,100 a month in combined income sits just under the two-person monthly line of $4,191.
What the benefit pays
The program’s main page says benefits go up to $1,400 and that initial benefits average $500 per household. The size of an individual benefit depends on income and fuel costs. Payments go straight to the household’s utility company or to a fuel provider, whether the home burns propane, fuel oil or wood.
Crisis help is separate. The state says the program provides up to $600 in additional grants to prevent a disconnection, reconnect service after one, or pay for an emergency fuel delivery of propane, heating oil or biofuel. The advice on the questions page is to contact the local provider right away when heat or power is off or fuel is nearly gone.
Because eligibility turns on the most recent one month of income, the number to compare against the table is last month’s total household income, not a yearly estimate. A household with $3,100 coming in last month sits under the one-person monthly line of $3,205. A household one dollar over a line in a good month is the case worth raising with the local provider.
The payment path is built so the money cannot be spent elsewhere. Benefits go to the utility company or the fuel dealer, which is why the application asks for company names and account numbers. For a home heated with propane, oil or wood, the benefit goes to the fuel provider instead of the electric bill.
The $500 average is for what the state calls an initial benefit, and the crisis grants of up to $600 come on top of it. A household that has already received a regular benefit can still ask about crisis help when a disconnection notice or an empty fuel tank arrives. The two amounts are the reason the top figure of $1,400 should not be read as a promise for every household.
How to apply and what to have ready
Households can apply online or request a paper application by mail, then return it to the local Energy Assistance service provider. The deadline for the winter of 2026-27 is May 31, 2027, and the state says to apply early.
The application asks for several things, so gathering them first avoids a second trip:
- Names, contact information and the home address
- Names and Social Security or alternative ID numbers for everyone in the household
- Household income information and documents that verify it
- Housing information
- The names of the heat and electricity companies and the account numbers
- Details of any emergency heating need
The Energy Information line is 800-657-3710. Greater Minnesota callers can use 800-657-3602, and the Department of Commerce main office is 651-539-1500.
Questions the state’s pages leave to local providers
The state’s pages do not spell out how Social Security income or a pension is counted toward the limit. Retirees can ask the local provider, or call the Energy Information line, before assuming a monthly Social Security check puts a household over the line. The tables above use total household income by size, so the check is quick.
The window runs well past the first cold weeks. Applications for winter 2026-27 are accepted until May 31, 2027, so a household that has not applied yet is not shut out. The income table also reaches further up than many households expect: a single person earning up to $38,464 a year or a couple earning up to $50,299 falls inside the line.
Does a Minnesota household’s income fit the $73,969 line?
Heating aid is one piece of what it costs to keep a house through a Minnesota winter, and the same households often miss the tax breaks and repair help that sit beside it. An application filed after May 31, 2027 is too late for this winter, and a benefit that goes unrenewed next year is a lost bill payment.
The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit covers that wider list for older homeowners, including heating, cooling and home-repair help, and an application log and renewal calendar for tracking each program’s dates. It runs 64 pages, with a section on utilities and home costs and another on the yearly routine of renewals.
Get the Minnesota heating-aid application log and renewal calendar in the Home-Cost Relief Kit →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
