Help paying utility bills in Idaho

Who sets the rules for your Idaho utility

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission (IPUC) writes the Utility Customer Relations Rules, found at IDAPA 31.21.01, and they apply to the investor-owned utilities it regulates. City-owned utilities, including city water and sewer departments, and electric cooperatives are outside its reach and follow their own policies, so call those offices directly about payment plans. For a regulated company, call the utility first. If it will not fix the problem, file an informal complaint through the Commission's online Consumer Complaint and Inquiry Form at puc.idaho.gov, where consumer assistance staff can also help you negotiate a payment arrangement. Under Rule 401, the utility may not shut off service or threaten to while your complaint is pending before the Commission.

Winter protection when children, seniors or sick family live with you

Rule 306 gives Idaho gas and electric customers strong winter protection. A utility may not shut off or threaten to shut off service in the winter months if you declare that you cannot pay in full and your household includes a child 18 or younger, an adult 62 or older, or someone whose health or safety would be seriously harmed without service. You must tell the utility you cannot pay and which of these applies. The utility must also offer a Winter Payment Plan, though no one can force you into one. Monthly payments equal half of your Level Pay Plan amount. Sign up before November 1 and you are protected from November through March. Any leftover balance comes due, or needs a new arrangement, on or after April 1.

Notice periods and days a shutoff cannot happen

Idaho rules build in several warnings before a disconnection. The first written notice must be mailed at least seven calendar days before the planned shutoff date. A final notice must follow at least three calendar days ahead, not counting weekends and holidays. If the utility does not act within 21 days after the planned date, it has to start the notice process over. Rule 311 also bars shutoffs on any Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Idaho legal holiday, on the day before a holiday, and whenever the utility is not open for business. You can also ask for Third-Party Notification, which sends any shutoff warning to a relative or friend you choose. That person does not owe your bill, but can help you act before the date arrives.

Medical certificates and payment arrangements

If someone in the home is seriously ill or would face a medical emergency without service, Rule 308 lets you postpone a shutoff for 30 calendar days. A licensed physician or a public health official with medical training must sign the certificate and name the person affected and their relationship to you. If service is already off, the utility must restore it within 24 hours of receiving the certificate. A second certificate can extend the delay. Use that time to set up a payment arrangement under Rule 313. The utility must keep serving you if you agree on a reasonable amount now and a plan for the rest. If you cannot get to an office, gas and electric companies must set up the plan by phone, mail or at your home.

Energy Assistance and crisis help from Health and Welfare

Idaho calls the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) simply Energy Assistance. The Department of Health and Welfare runs it through seven community action agencies, which also take weatherization and heating system repair applications all year. The Nez Perce, Coeur d'Alene and Shoshone-Bannock Tribes run their own programs for tribal members. The IPUC says Energy Assistance applications are accepted from November 1 through March 31, and the end date can be extended. You can apply in person, by phone, on paper or online at idaholiheap.org. Emergencies get priority when service is about to be shut off or already has been, or when less than 48 hours of bulk fuel remains. Crisis help is not available if you received a crisis benefit in the past 12 months.

Project Share, Project Warmth and Lend-A-Hand

Several Idaho funds cover energy emergencies, paid for by utility, employee, customer and shareholder contributions. Project Share serves northern and southwestern Idaho, and Project Warmth serves southeast Idaho. You apply through a Salvation Army office, the local Red Cross in the southeast, or a local Project Share representative. Idaho Power says Project Share can make a one-time payment of up to $450 a year for eligible households. In North Idaho, Avista sends Project Share money through local community action agencies, and the help can cover natural gas, electricity, propane, wood or coal whether or not you are an Avista customer. Rocky Mountain Power customers can ask about Lend-A-Hand, which the community action agencies in Idaho Falls and Pocatello run.

How Settlemont works for an Idaho household

Settlemont, a for-profit bill payment technology company, gives Idaho households one more way to cover a current utility balance while Energy Assistance or a Winter Payment Plan is in motion. The public form asks for just first name, email, state, category, amount and due date. After you submit, a one-time private access code lets you identify your utility in a separate step, and staff confirm the utility, your identity and the current balance before anything goes public. The page people see lists only your first name, Idaho, the category and the verified amount. When a supporter chooses to help, the support goes directly to the utility, never to you as cash. Keep your payment plan going in the meantime, because approval is not a promise of payment.

Sources

• Idaho Administrative Code: IDAPA 31.21.01 Utility Customer Relations Rules
• Idaho Public Utilities Commission: Utility disconnection factsheet
• Idaho Public Utilities Commission: Energy assistance questions
• Idaho Department of Health and Welfare: Apply for heating assistance
• Idaho Power: Help paying your bill
• Avista: Idaho assistance and resources

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

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