Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders (SHINE)
Free, unbiased Medicare counseling in Florida. Trained counselors go through your costs and choices with you, and they don't sell plans.
Utilities and phone
Florida's LIHEAP helps pay heating bills in winter and cooling bills in spring and summer, and gives crisis help all year if your power has been cut off or you have a shut-off warning.
FloridaCommerce funds local community action agencies, which handle applications, and homes with someone 60 or older get an extra amount.
Applying is free. Nobody should charge you to apply.
Apply on the official site| Monthly income limit, one person (2025 figure shown on the state's application site; a newer figure was not found) | $2,680 a month for one person Source: Florida LIHEAP online application (run by Promise for FloridaCommerce) (source 1) |
|---|---|
| Monthly income limit, two people (2025 figure shown on the state's application site) | $3,504 a month for two people Source: Florida LIHEAP online application (run by Promise for FloridaCommerce) (source 1) |
| Income rule (FY 2026 state plan) | 60% of state median income for heating, cooling and crisis help Source: LIHEAP Clearinghouse (source 2) |
| What to have ready | Names, birth dates and Social Security numbers for everyone in the home, last month's income papers for everyone, the applicant's ID, citizenship or immigration papers, your most recent energy bill, and any shut-off notice Source: Florida LIHEAP online application (run by Promise for FloridaCommerce) (source 1) |
| Heating or cooling benefit (FY 2026 state plan; 2026–27 amounts not found) | $400 to $1,350. Homes with someone 60 or older get $100 more. Source: LIHEAP Clearinghouse (source 2) |
|---|---|
| Crisis help (state application site) | Up to $1,000, for homes whose power is cut off or that have a shut-off warning for non-payment. You can get more than one crisis award in a year. Source: Florida LIHEAP online application (run by Promise for FloridaCommerce) (source 1) |
| Crisis help, maximum in the FY 2026 state plan | Up to $2,000 for year-round crisis help Source: LIHEAP Clearinghouse (source 2) |
| Heating season (FY 2026 dates; 2026–27 dates not confirmed) | Oct. 1 to March 31 Source: LIHEAP Clearinghouse (source 2) |
|---|---|
| Cooling season (FY 2026 dates) | April 1 to Sept. 30 Source: LIHEAP Clearinghouse (source 2) |
| Crisis help | Year-round. Crisis eligibility resets each Oct. 1. Source: Florida LIHEAP online application (run by Promise for FloridaCommerce) (source 1) |
| Older adults (FY 2026 state plan) | Homes with someone 60 or older, a person with a disability, or a child 5 or under get priority and an extra benefit Source: LIHEAP Clearinghouse (source 2) |
Where Florida's rules differ from the federal rules for LIHEAP heating and cooling help.
Sources: LIHEAP Clearinghouse (source 2), Florida LIHEAP online application (run by Promise for FloridaCommerce) (source 1)
Source: Florida LIHEAP online application (run by Promise for FloridaCommerce) (source 1)
Free help
Free, unbiased Medicare counseling in Florida. Trained counselors go through your costs and choices with you, and they don't sell plans.
Your local Area Agency on Aging can help with meals, rides, help at home, caregiver support and applying for benefits.
Newsletter
Benefit figures, deadlines and rules change every year. We'll tell you what changed and what to check, about twice a month.