BENEFIT SERVICE GUIDE — HOUSING & COST OF LIVING

Regular HEAP applications are open. Rockland households have several ways to apply.

Rockland County says the 2026–27 Regular Home Energy Assistance Program application window opened November 2. It can provide one payment toward a qualifying household's primary heating costs. Applications are open, but a published income limit or benefit amount does not establish that a household will qualify.

Use the income table as a screen, not an answer

Current 2026–27 program tables list these maximum gross monthly incomes: $3,563 for one person; $4,659 for two; $5,756 for three; $6,852 for four; $7,948 for five; $9,045 for six; $9,250 for seven; $9,456 for eight; $9,662 for nine; and $9,867 for ten. The table continues for larger households.

Income is not the only rule. The local district also reviews household composition, primary heat, who pays the heating vendor and other program conditions. A household should not read a number in this guide as an eligibility decision.

The amount depends on how the home is heated

Current 2026–27 tables list anticipated base benefits of $21 for an eligible household in government-subsidized housing or a group setting with heat included; $45 or $50 when heat is included in rent; $990 plus applicable add-ons for direct payments for oil, kerosene or propane; $700 plus add-ons for direct payments for wood, pellets, coal, corn or another deliverable fuel; and $400 plus add-ons for direct, usage-based electric or natural-gas heat.

A $61 income-based add-on and a $35 add-on for a household member who is under 6, age 60 or older, or permanently disabled can apply to households paying directly for heat. These are program-table amounts, not promised checks. The benefit is generally paid to the heating vendor, and dates can change with demand and available funding.

Some enrolled households do not file a separate application

Rockland County says a household receiving SNAP or Temporary Assistance does not need a separate Regular HEAP application when the recipient is also the customer of record with the heating or fuel vendor. That rule should not be stretched to every benefits recipient or every living arrangement. Call the County HEAP Unit when the account name or household status is unclear.

Regular, emergency and equipment help are separate

The November 2 opening is for the Regular benefit. Emergency HEAP is a separate program scheduled for January 4, 2027. Heating Equipment Repair and Replacement and Clean and Tune opened October 1 for qualifying homeowners; The Rockland Edit has a separate guide to those equipment benefits.

Do not send Social Security numbers, utility-account numbers, income records or other eligibility documents to the newsroom or post them in a public comment. Use MyBenefits or the County routes above.

What changes for a Rockland resident: a household seeking help with a primary heating bill can apply now through MyBenefits or Rockland County's HEAP Unit; the County—not this guide—decides eligibility and the final benefit.

Sources checked November 2, 2026, at 12:55 a.m. EST: Rockland County's October 30 HEAP opening announcement ↗, posted at 3:30 p.m., confirms the November 2 opening, dedicated HEAP Unit phone number, application routes, completed-and-signed-application requirement and funding caveat; the County's Department of Social Services eligibility page ↗ supplies additional local application rules. Erie County's current 2026–27 Regular HEAP table ↗, Central Hudson's current table and funding caveat ↗ and the official ACCESS NYC HEAP page ↗ corroborate the statewide opening date and tables. Their local application instructions do not apply in Rockland.