Help paying utility bills in Massachusetts

Who sets the rules for Massachusetts utilities

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) oversees regulated electric, gas and water companies, and its Consumer Division takes complaints when a company will not fix a problem. Eversource, National Grid and Unitil are among the regulated electric and gas companies. The protections on this page apply to those regulated companies. They do not reach oil, propane or wood dealers: the state says there are no specific legal protections for customers who heat with those fuels, so call your dealer early and ask about a delivery or budget plan. City and town water departments set their own rules as well. If your water comes from a municipal system, contact the city or town directly about a past-due balance or getting service back on.

The November 15 to March 15 heating protection

From November 15 to March 15, a regulated company cannot shut off gas or electric service that heats your home if you cannot pay because of financial hardship, unless the DPU allows it. The protection only covers service that was not already shut off for nonpayment before November 15. Your utility must make financial hardship forms available by November 15, and you should return the form within seven days of receiving it. If the company received fuel assistance payments for you the winter before, state rules say it must presume hardship and protect the account through January 1, which buys you time to file. After March 15 the balance is still owed, so use the winter months to set up a plan rather than waiting.

Serious illness, infants and older households

Some protections run all year. If every person in the home is 65 or older, a regulated company cannot shut off electric or gas service without DPU permission. Households with financial hardship are also protected when someone in the home is seriously ill, when a baby under 12 months lives there, or when all adults are 65 or older and a minor child lives with them. A serious illness must be certified by a registered physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner or local board of health official, and the certificate is renewed every quarter, or every six months for a chronic illness. For an infant, a birth certificate or a letter from a doctor, hospital or similar source works. Send proof quickly, because the rules set a seven-day window after a notice.

Discount rates and the Arrearage Management Program

If your household qualifies for state energy assistance, investor-owned electric and gas companies apply a discount to your bills automatically. Starting November 1, 2026, the size of that discount depends on household income and household size. Customers on the discount rate who have fallen behind can ask about an Arrearage Management Program (AMP), where steady monthly payments wipe out part of the old balance. Eversource's version, for example, lists a past-due balance of $300 or more that is at least 60 days old, and it forgives one twelfth of the past-due amount with each on-time payment, so the balance can be cleared in as little as 12 months. Ask about budget billing too, which spreads costs evenly across the year but does not lower the yearly total.

Applying for the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)

Massachusetts runs the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), through the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and local service agencies. Homeowners and renters can apply, including people whose heat is included in rent, and household income cannot exceed 60 percent of the estimated state median income. HEAP pays part of your primary heating cost, whether that is oil, gas, electricity, propane, kerosene, wood or coal, and the money goes straight to the vendor for the November 1 to April 30 season. The online application opens October 1, and you must reapply every year. First-time applicants attend an intake appointment. HEAP is free, so treat anyone charging an application fee as a scam.

Heating repairs, efficiency help and DPU complaints

A HEAP application also counts as an application for the Heating System Repair and Replacement Program (HEARTWAP), which handles emergency heating repairs and replacements for low-income households. The Weatherization Assistance Program, often run by the same local agencies, can make a home cheaper to heat, and Mass Save offers extra help to income-eligible customers. If a company shuts off service or refuses a protection you qualify for, call the company first and have your proof ready. If that fails, file a complaint with the DPU Consumer Division using the online form on mass.gov, or reach the division by email or phone. Keep notes of every call, including dates and the names of the people you spoke with, so a reviewer can see what was promised.

Where Settlemont fits for a Massachusetts household

Settlemont is bill payment technology for people who need outside support with one specific bill. A Massachusetts resident with an overdue gas, electric or water bill can submit it privately using six fields: first name, email, state, bill category, amount and due date. After that, a one-time access code lets you name the biller in a separate private step, and staff verify the biller, your identity as the bill owner and the current balance. Once approved, the public page shows only your first name, Massachusetts, the Utility category and the verified amount. Any support goes directly to the utility, and you never pay Settlemont a fee. Approval is not a promise of payment, so keep your hardship form, HEAP application and payment plan moving at the same time.

Sources

• Mass.gov: When am I protected from having my utilities shut off?
• Mass.gov: Learn about Home Energy Assistance (HEAP)
• Mass.gov: Resources to help with your energy bill
• 220 CMR 25.03: Serious illness, infant and winter protection (Cornell LII copy of the Massachusetts regulation)
• Eversource: Residential Arrearage Management Program (Massachusetts)

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

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