650.1 General Policy

PLC-21941-650, Revised AmeriCorps Stipends as Excluded Income (Revised July 9, 2025, Published October 10, 2024)

PLA-21263-650, Unemployment Compensation (UC) Reduction for 2023 (Published January 27, 2023)

PLA-20654-650, Emergency Rental Assistance (ERAP) Payments (Published December 6, 2021)

PLA-20115-650, Pennsylvania has been approved to pay an extra $300 per week in disaster assistance benefits as part of the Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) Program from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (Published September 29, 2020)

PLA-19961-650, Additional $600 payment in Unemployment Compensation (Published May 26, 2020)

All countable earned and unearned income must be used to determine whether the household qualifies for LIHEAP Cash or Crisis benefits. Some types of income are not counted.

55 Pa. Code § 601.82

601.84

 LIHEAP State Plan § 601.82 and  601.84

 

LIHEAP uses gross income to figure out whether a household qualifies for LIHEAP. Gross income is the total earned and unearned income of the household.

55 Pa. Code § 601.82

 LIHEAP State Plan § 601.82

 

The LIHEAP administering agency will count the gross annual income of the following persons:

55 Pa. Code § 601.81

 LIHEAP State Plan § 601.81

 

 

The applicant must show proof of how much money each household member gets and where they get it. The applicant does not have to show proof of income of household members who receive SNAP, Cash Assistance or Medical Assistance benefits if their income is verified and on file in a case record or computer files in the CAO.

55 Pa. Code § 601.21(4)

601.102(a) & (b)

LIHEAP State Plan § 601.21(4)

601.102(a) & (b)

 

If the household’s proof of income is more recent than the income shown in e-CIS, the CAO cannot use the income on file to figure out LIHEAP eligibility. If there is a discrepancy between income reported on the application and what is shown in e-CIS, the CAO must ask for further documentation.

The household must provide income verification for the month prior to the month of application, or the household may provide income verification for the 12 months prior to the month of application.

If the applicant says the household has little or no income, the applicant must show how the household pays for basic living needs and other expenses. See Section 650.8.

55 Pa. Code § 601.103

LIHEAP State Plan § 601.103

Reviewed August 15, 2025, replacing August 23, 2024