Help paying utility bills in Arkansas

Arkansas Public Service Commission basics

The Arkansas Public Service Commission (APSC) sets the General Service Rules that regulated electric and gas utilities follow when a bill goes unpaid. Before suspending service, a utility generally must give at least five days of written notice, and three more days are added when the notice is mailed. A partial payment does not count as payment unless you have a formal arrangement with the company, so get any plan confirmed instead of sending a smaller amount and hoping. If a utility worker at your door refuses to take payment on site, the utility must give you 24 hours to pay at its business office or an authorized payment agent. You can also ask the utility to send copies of shutoff notices to a third party you trust.

The Cold Weather Rule and the heat rule

Rule 6.15 of the General Service Rules bars electric and gas utilities from suspending residential service on a day when the National Weather Service forecasts 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower at any time in the next 24 hours. The utility must check the forecast for your weather zone on the morning of the planned shutoff. Summer protection is narrower. If the utility has identified you as 65 or older or handicapped, it cannot suspend your service when the forecast calls for 95 degrees during the next 24 hours, and for gas companies this covers only customers with gas-operated air conditioning. Utilities must identify customers in these groups and contact them personally about a delinquency, so tell your utility if you qualify.

Winter moratorium for gas customers with low income

Rule 6.15 also creates a suspension moratorium from November 1 to March 31 for gas customers approved for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, listed in the rule as Food Stamps), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Transitional Employment Assistance (TEA), Medicaid or LIHEAP. To use it, notify the gas utility before the shutoff date and send written proof of approval within 14 days of the first notice. You sign a Suspension Moratorium Agreement and pay a monthly minimum tied to the utility's average or levelized billing plan. The deferred winter amounts then move into a Delayed Payment Agreement, repaid in seven equal monthly installments from April through October on top of regular bills. Missing payments or misusing service ends the protection until past-due amounts are paid in full.

Medical certificates and agency help

When a serious medical condition is involved, the utility sends a medical certificate to your physician to complete and return within seven days. The physician must certify that a medical emergency exists, and a completed certificate postpones the suspension for up to 30 days. Use that month to set up a plan and apply for help, because the certificate delays the shutoff rather than clearing the balance. Arkansas rules also reward agency involvement: if a social service agency agrees in writing to pay at least one-fourth of an overdue bill, the utility must keep or restore service under a delayed payment agreement. Tenants whose landlord holds the account also get extra notice, and the APSC says their service will not be interrupted for at least 30 days past the delinquency date.

LIHEAP and weatherization through the Arkansas Energy Office

The Arkansas Energy Office manages the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), but it does not process applications. Community action agencies and other local organizations serve all 75 counties, and you apply with the one that covers your county. LIHEAP offers a regular benefit based on income, household size and energy source, plus a crisis benefit that can prevent a disconnection, restore service or replace fuel that has run out. Applications are taken first come, first served, typically from January to April 30 and again from July to September 30. Bring photo ID, Social Security cards or numbers for household members, recent utility bills, and proof of income and residency. The same office oversees the Weatherization Assistance Program, delivered by five local providers.

Entergy Arkansas help and APSC complaints

Entergy Arkansas customers can ask about The Power to Care, an emergency bill payment program funded by Entergy employees and customers and delivered through local nonprofit agencies. It focuses on older adults and customers with disabilities who live on low or fixed incomes. If you use another electric or gas company, ask whether it runs a similar fund. When a dispute with a regulated utility stalls, contact the APSC Consumer Services office in Little Rock, which takes complaints by phone or mail on weekdays. Have your notice, account history and call notes ready. City-run water and sewer departments may set their own late payment rules, so ask them directly what they allow.

Settlemont as one piece of an Arkansas plan

Think of Settlemont as a supplement to the rules and programs above, not a replacement for them. It is a for-profit bill payment technology company that accepts Utility, Medical and Education bills. To ask for help with an Arkansas utility bill, you enter your first name, email, state, category, amount and due date on a private form. You then get a one-time access code, name your utility privately, and wait while staff confirm the utility, your identity and the balance. Every request is screened for duplicates and fraud signals. If approved, the public page shows just your first name, Arkansas, Utility and the verified amount. A supporter's payment is applied directly at the utility, never handed to you as cash, and you owe Settlemont nothing.

Sources

• Arkansas Public Service Commission: Suspension of Service
• Arkansas General Service Rules, Rule 6.15 Cold Weather Rule (Arkansas Administrative Code text)
• Arkansas Energy Office: LIHEAP
• Arkansas Energy Office: Weatherization Assistance Program
• Entergy: The Power to Care for Arkansas customers

Facts checked November 2026. Rules change, so confirm with the agency or utility before relying on a protection.

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