How does PIPP work? Customers who qualify for PIPP pay 5% of their monthly income for gas and 5% for electricity. If a home is heated by electricity, the customer pays 10% of their monthly income for electricity, with a minimum of $10.
Customers who make PIPP payments on time every month for 24 months can have their total balance eliminated.
You can be dropped from the PIPP program if you:
- Don’t report a change in income–like making more money.
- Forget to verify your income at least once a year.
- Miss payments and don’t catch up by your “anniversary date,” which is when you enrolled in the program. Hint: This date is printed on your bill.
If you are dropped from the program, you will get billed for the full balance of what you would have owed on your utility bill.
Who is eligible? Ohioans who rent or own their homes and who make less than 175% of federal poverty guidelines, which for a family of four would be $48,562 or less.
Customers must receive electricity from private utilities, such as the Illuminating Company or Dominion, not public utilities such as Cleveland Public Power.
What paperwork do you need? Proof of income for the last 30 days for people who live in the home, except for minors.
How to apply: Customers can apply by mail, online at energyhelp.ohio.gov or with a local Energy Assistance Provider (listed above).
Customers will have to fill out the application, which is available in English or Spanish, and provide:
- Most recent gas and/or electric bills.
- List of people who live in the home and their birth dates and Social Security numbers.
- Proof of income, such as paycheck stubs, for anyone in the house who is over 18 and working.
- Proof of citizenship or legal residency for all household members. Acceptable documents include a birth certificate, Social Security card, voter registration card or passport.