Help paying utility bills in Iowa

Get certified before the winter moratorium

In Iowa, being certified eligible for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) or for weatherization protects your service from disconnection from November 1 through April 1. You must apply before your service is shut off and tell the utility you may qualify, because approval after a disconnection does not get service turned back on. Gas customers get extra room: between November 1 and April 1, the gas utility will delay disconnection for 30 days once you say you are applying for energy assistance or weatherization, though only one such delay is required per season. The Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) encourages certified customers to keep paying toward their energy bills so a large balance is not waiting in April.

The 20 degree rule and shutoff hours

Iowa adds a weather backstop for everyone, not just LIHEAP households. A utility will not shut off service if the temperature is forecast to be 20 degrees Fahrenheit or colder during the following 24 hours. Disconnections for nonpayment happen only between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, and never on nights, weekends or holidays. You must get written notice at least 12 days ahead, and the utility must try to reach you by phone or in person first. From November 1 through April 1, if it cannot reach you, it must post a notice on your door. If a head of household is deployed in military service and the utility is told before disconnection, service cannot be cut during the deployment or for 90 days after it ends.

Payment plans, disputes and medical delays

If you cannot pay all you owe at once, an Iowa utility must offer a first payment plan that spreads the balance evenly over at least 12 months, and longer if your finances call for it. Missing payments on a plan can bring a shutoff on just one day's notice. For a serious health condition, ask your doctor or a public health official to contact the utility and say that losing service would be especially dangerous for someone in the home. A written statement must reach the utility within five days of that contact, and service then stays on for 30 days while you arrange payment. If part of a bill looks wrong, pay the part you agree with, and the utility will hold off for up to 45 days during the dispute.

LIHEAP and weatherization through Iowa HHS

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) runs LIHEAP through local community action agencies. Households with a member who is 60 or older or has a disability can apply starting October 1. Everyone else can apply from November 1 through April 30. For the October 2026 through September 2027 year, household income must be at or below 200 percent of the 2026 federal poverty guidelines. You can apply in person at a community action outreach office or online through the LIHEAP Application Portal. Payment goes straight to your utility or fuel vendor. Weatherization, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, starts with a home visit and computerized energy audit, and a weatherization application automatically creates a LIHEAP application as well.

Hometown Care, I CARE and free legal help

Iowa's two largest utility funds both run through the community action network. Alliant Energy's Hometown Care Energy Fund is supported by Alliant customers, employees, retirees and shareholders, and eligible customers can receive up to $500 toward heating and cooling costs. Iowa residents apply through their local community action agency. MidAmerican Energy's I CARE program collects customer contributions for heating bills and weatherization, adds 25 cents for every dollar contributed, and sends the money to the community action agency serving your area. MidAmerican also lets anyone make a payment on another customer's account by phone, which makes it easy for relatives to step in. Low-income customers facing a shutoff dispute may also qualify for free legal help from Iowa Legal Aid.

Filing with the Iowa Utilities Commission

If your utility does not solve the problem, IUC Customer Service takes complaints online, by email, by phone or by fax on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Anything you submit falls under the Iowa Open Records Act and can be viewed by the public, so leave out details the IUC does not need, such as full account numbers or medical specifics. Every gas and electric utility must include a copy of Customer Rights and Responsibilities with any disconnect notice or door posting. Electric cooperatives and city-owned electric utilities have their own chapter of IUC rules with a similar rights handout. City water departments often set their own policies, so call your city utility office about a water or sewer bill.

Settlemont for an Iowa utility bill

For an Iowa household waiting on LIHEAP or working through a 12 month plan, Settlemont offers a separate, private way to ask for help with one utility bill. Settlemont is a for-profit bill payment technology company. You start with a six-field form and never upload a statement or type an account number. A one-time access code then opens a private step where you name the utility, and staff check the utility, your identity and the current balance. The public page lists only your first name, Iowa, the Utility category and the verified amount. Support goes directly to the utility, and a bill is marked paid only after a reviewer records the utility's confirmation and a zero balance. Results are not guaranteed, so keep your plan current.

Sources

• Iowa Utilities Commission: Apply for energy assistance (LIHEAP)
• Iowa Utilities Commission: Customer rights to avoid shutoff of electric service
• Iowa Utilities Commission: File a utility complaint
• Iowa Department of Health and Human Services: LIHEAP
• Alliant Energy: Hometown Care Energy Fund
• MidAmerican Energy: Payment assistance

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

Related resources