Utility Shutoff Notice: What to Do Before the Lights Go Out

1Read the notice, then call the same day

The notice states the amount owed, the date service will be shut off and how to contact the utility. Check two things before you do anything else: whether the date is firm, and whether the amount matches your bill. A billing error or a payment that was not credited is the easiest problem to fix, and it should be raised in writing as well as by phone.

Call the utility and ask what it offers. Most have a payment plan that spreads the past-due amount over several months along with your current bills, and some have a hardship fund. Say you are willing to pay something and ask what the minimum is. Ask the representative to put any agreement in writing or in an email before the deadline, because a verbal promise is hard to enforce.

2What to say on the call

Keep the call short and specific. Give your account number, say you received a shutoff notice and that you want to keep service on, and ask three questions: what is the lowest payment that stops the shutoff, can the balance be spread over several months and does the company have a hardship or customer-funded assistance program. If someone in the home uses a medical device or needs heat for health reasons, say so at the start and ask for the medical certificate process. Ask the representative to repeat the agreement back to you and to send it in writing, and note the date and name.

3Apply for energy assistance now

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, LIHEAP, helps eligible households pay heating and cooling bills, and it has a crisis component for emergencies. Many states treat a shutoff or delinquency notice as a crisis, and they review crisis applications faster than regular ones. In some states the review can take as little as 48 hours, and service must be restored within a short window after approval.

Bring the notice, since some programs require it to verify the crisis, along with proof of income and a recent bill. If someone in your home depends on electricity for medical reasons, a doctor's statement can qualify the household for the fastest track in some states. Each state has its own application and rules. Our guide to help with energy bills explains who qualifies, and the energy assistance calculator estimates a benefit.

To find the right office, call the National Energy Assistance Referral hotline at 1-866-674-6327 on weekdays, or visit energyhelp.us. You will need your city, county and state. If you have run out of heating fuel such as oil or propane, which are not regulated like gas and electric service, ask the referral line about crisis fuel assistance.

4Protections that may apply to you

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None of these is guaranteed everywhere. They come from state utility regulators, called public utility commissions or public service commissions, and they differ on dates, eligibility and paperwork. Find your commission's consumer line on its website, and ask it directly what applies to you.

5If the bill itself looks wrong

A disputed bill can be a reason to delay, but only if you follow the process. Write to the utility, state what you dispute and ask for an investigation. Keep paying the undisputed portion if the rules require it. If the utility does not resolve the dispute, file a complaint with the state commission, which can review the case and in some states order the service to stay on. Keep the dates and names of every call.

Rent adds another layer. If your landlord pays the utility, or the bills are in the landlord's name, a shutoff for the landlord's unpaid bills may break the law in some places. Our guide to eviction help explains your rights as a tenant.

6If you heat with oil, propane or wood

Delivered fuels are usually sold by private companies, not regulated utilities, so the shutoff rules above may not apply. Help exists, though. LIHEAP can pay for fuel as well as gas and electric service, and many states have a crisis benefit for households that are nearly out of fuel. Call the referral line, and ask the supplier whether it offers a payment plan, a price lock or a budget plan, since suppliers often take a partial payment rather than leave a customer without heat.

7More places to look

Dial 211 and ask for utility help. Charities, churches and local funds often give one-time grants toward a past-due bill, and the operator can tell you which ones are open. Ask the utility whether it has a customer-funded assistance program, since many do, and about budget billing, which averages your bill across the year so winter bills do not arrive all at once.

A longer-term fix is to use less energy for the same comfort. Weatherization programs, which help eligible households insulate and seal their homes, can lower bills for years, and our guide to home repair loans and grants explains how to apply. If you are working through other bills at the same time, our job loss checklist and our guide to emergency food help cover two others that tend to come together.

A typical household with a shutoff notice and a $640 balance does three things in the first two days. It calls the utility to ask for a payment plan, gets the number of the local assistance office from the referral line and applies for crisis help with the notice and pay stubs. An assistance payment toward the bill often follows within days, and a payment plan covers the rest, so the service stays on.

9What your state and utility decide

Shutoff rules are set by states and by each utility's approved tariff, and an assistance office decides each application. Funds can run out. This is general information and not legal advice, so call your utility commission or a legal aid office for your own case.