New Jersey households that are on certain benefit programs, or that cannot pay because of circumstances outside their control, cannot have their electric, gas, water or wastewater service shut off from November 15 through March 15. The state’s Board of Public Utilities runs the rule as its Winter Termination Program and says the protection covers November 15 through March 15 of each year, which means November 15, 2026 through March 15, 2027 this season.
Who is protected
The Board of Public Utilities lists the customers the program covers. They include recipients of the Lifeline Credit Program, the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD), General Assistance and the Universal Service Fund (USF). Applicants for the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program, or for certain other state, local or utility water and wastewater aid, are also on the list.
The ninth group is open to people who are not on any of those programs. A residential customer who is unable to pay because of circumstances beyond their control, such as unemployment, illness, medical expenses or a recent death in the family, can self-certify to the utility or to the Board’s Division of Customer Assistance that they cannot pay.
So which category applies to a household, and what has to be said to the utility? A customer who gets one of the listed benefits, or who is in the open category, is protected. The board’s instruction is to call the utility and ask for Winter Termination Program protection. A household that has lost a job, run up medical bills or lost a family member does not need a benefit card to ask. Customers should name the program they are on or state that they cannot pay, and should say which services are involved, since the protection covers electricity, gas, water and wastewater. If the utility cannot answer a question about the program, the Board of Public Utilities lists its own number, (800) 624-0241.
A shutoff bar keeps the lights and heat on from November 15, but the bills keep coming through March, and winter is when New Jersey households feel them most. The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit lists heating, cooling and home-repair help and includes an application log and renewal calendar so those applications are tracked in one place.
Get the Relief Kit’s heating and home-repair help list for a New Jersey winter →
What the protection does and does not do
The program stops shutoffs for the covered period. It is a bar on service termination, so the charges themselves still arrive each month. That is why the same Board of Public Utilities page also points to bill-paying help, including the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
The page says LIHEAP applications are accepted from October 1 through June 30 while funds last. The Universal Service Fund and LIHEAP share an application, and a household can apply for both during the LIHEAP season. The state’s Utility Assistance hotline is (800) 510-3102. Because LIHEAP opened October 1, a household that wants help with winter bills has an open application period now, before the shutoff bar begins.
Timing for a household
The November 15 start date is about five weeks away. A customer who already has a past-due notice, or who expects one, can call the utility before that date and ask to be placed under the program. The board’s instruction is to call the utility.
The board last revised the page on September 30, 2026, so the dates and categories above are the current ones. The page describes the program as an annual one, with the same November 15 to March 15 window each year.
Call the utility before November 15
The free route is the state’s own page. The Board of Public Utilities assistance programs page lists the protected categories, the self-certification option and the phone numbers used in this article. Start there, then call the utility that sends the bill, and ask by name for Winter Termination Program protection.
Have your account number and the name on the account ready, along with proof of the benefit you receive, such as a benefit letter or card, if you are applying under a listed program. If you are self-certifying because of a job loss, illness or other hardship, be ready to say what happened and that you cannot pay. Ask the representative to note the request on the account and write down the date, the name and any confirmation number.
Alongside that call, start the LIHEAP and USF application, since it is open now and runs through June 30 while funds last. Keep copies of what you submit. If the utility sends a shutoff notice during the protected months, call the Board of Public Utilities at (800) 624-0241.
From November 15 the shutoff bar holds, the bills do not stop
Between November 15 and March 15, a protected New Jersey customer keeps service on, and heating, cooling and repair costs still have to be met. The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit covers heating, cooling and home-repair help, plus the circuit-breaker credit that includes renters, and it comes with an application log and renewal calendar.
Track every New Jersey winter-bill application on the Relief Kit’s calendar →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
