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The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has a variety of programs that can help you with utility bills, rent and removal of lead hazards from your home. Use the anonymous "DCAid" screening tool to determine if you are eligible for assistance, and for more information on how to apply.  

The Universal Service Fund (USF) provides monthly credits on electric and gas bills to help make bills more affordable. Credits are based on the amount you spend on energy that are over a certain percentage of income.

USF-Fresh Start: Eligible electric and gas customers with overdue balances of $60 or more will be automatically enrolled by their utility company into the Fresh Start program when they enroll in the USF program. Fresh Start provides forgiveness on the overdue balance amount that existed at the time of USF enrollment. Fresh Start is available once every five years. The gas and electric utility companies administer the Fresh Start program with oversight by the BPU.

How do I receive Fresh Start forgiveness for my overdue balance? Each month a USF-Fresh Start customer pays only their current monthly charges in full, 1/12 of their Fresh Start overdue balance will be forgiven by the utility company. (Some utility companies forgive up to ¼ of the customer’s overdue balance once every three months). The utility company will send information to Fresh Start customers when they are enrolled explaining how the program works and updates regarding their status in the program. The customer should call their utility company with any Fresh Start questions but can reach out to the Board of Public Utilities at 800-624-0241 or file a complaint online at: www.nj.gov/bpu/assistance/complaints if the customer cannot resolve the issue with their utility company.

How do I apply for USF and USF-Fresh Start?*

• Apply online at gov/dca/dcaidand upload all required documents
• For further information go to: energyassistance.nj.gov
• Call the NJ Utility Assistance hotline at 800-510-3102 to:
  • Find your local application agency
  • Follow up on the status of your application
  • If you are disabled/homebound, or without a smart phone or home computer, request a home visit for assistance in completing your application 

*USF shares its application with the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP). You can apply for both programs at the same time during the HEAP season (10/1 - 6/30), or apply online for USF only during the summer months.

Note: You cannot apply for Fresh Start, but if you are eligible, you will be enrolled by your utility company and receive information about Fresh Start in the mail.

USF is administered by the Department of Community Affairs. Fresh Start is administered by the utility companies with oversight by the Board of Public Utilities

The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) helps New Jersey households pay for heating costs and certain medically-necessary cooling expenses. Renters who have their heating costs included in their rent may also qualify. Applications for HEAP are accepted from October 1st through June 30^th while funds last. The HEAP program shares its application with the USF program. For application options, please see above “How do I apply for USF and USF-Fresh Start?”

HEAP is administered by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.

The Payment Assistance for Gas and Electric (PAGE) Program provides relief on gas and electric bills for low- to moderate-income New Jersey households (see income limits above). Those who are income eligible for USF should apply for USF first before seeking supplemental assistance from PAGE. To self-screen for program eligibility, apply online, or print an application, please visit www.sharesnation.org or call 1-866-657-4273.

SHARES also provides assistance to income-eligible New Jersey households for paying their energy, telephone, broadband (internet), water, wastewater, tax, rent and mortgage bills. For more information, call 1-866-657-4273 or visit www.sharesnation.org.

PAGE administered by SHARES but is made possible by the New Jersey Department of the Treasury and is subject to availability of funds.

Note: Households with undocumented individuals may apply for USF, PAGE and HEAP described above. Please note that while HEAP requires at least one household member to have a social security number, this is not a requirement for the USF and PAGE programs.

For more information, call 2-1-1.

The Winter Termination Program protects specific categories of customers from having their water, wastewater, gas or electric shut off between November 15 and March 15 of each year.

These categories include:

1. Recipients of benefits under the Lifeline Credit Program;
2. Recipients of benefits under the Federal Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), or certified as eligible therefore under standards set by the New Jersey Department of Human Services;
3. Recipients of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF);
4. Recipients of Federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI);
5. Recipients of Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD);
6. Recipients of General Assistance (GA) benefits;
7. Recipients of the Universal Service Fund (USF);
8. Applicants of the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program or any other State, local, or utility program that provides assistance or discounted rates specifically to help eligible customers pay wastewater or water bills that may exist at that time; or
9. Residential customers who are unable to pay their utility bills because of circumstances beyond their control. Such circumstances shall include, but shall not be limited to, unemployment, illness, medically related expenses, recent death of an immediate family member, and any other circumstances, which might cause financial hardship. These residential customers shall be permitted to self-certify to the utility or Division of Customer Assistance of the Board of an inability to pay their public utility bill.

Please call your utility company to request WTP protection. If you have any questions about WTP the utility cannot answer, please call the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities at: 800-624-0241.

The Winter Termination Program is administered by NJBPU.

Customers not previously enrolled in an assistance program during the prior year can call their utility company to have their service restored with proof of an application for USF, LIHEAP, or PAGE, if they make a downpayment of up to 25% of the outstanding balance. 

Be a smart consumer, know your rights. Read the Utility Customer Bill of Rights.

Lifeline provides an annual energy benefit to qualified seniors and the disabled. The benefit can help eligible homeowners and renters with electric and/or natural gas costs. You can apply for Lifeline by using the NJSAVE application, available at  www.aging.nj.gov. For more information about Lifeline, call 1-800-792-9745, or click here. 

Lifeline is administered by the New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS).

The New Jersey Comfort Partners Program is a free program that helps income-eligible customers reduce their utility bills through implementing cost effective measures which save energy and money while improving their home's safety and comfort at no cost to them. Through Comfort Partners, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) and your electric and natural gas utilities partner with you to reduce your energy use and utility bills, improve your comfort, and increase the health and safety of your home. For more information, click here or call (866) 378-4345.

The Community Solar Energy Program (CSEP) provides incentives to eligible community solar facilities to enable the continued efficient and orderly development of solar electric generating sources throughout New Jersey. NJBPU Community Solar Energy Program

This solar program enables utility customers to participate in a solar energy project that is remotely located from their property. Call 866-657-6278 or visit https://njcleanenergy.com/renewable-energy/programs/CS 

Sponsored by the NJ Board of Public Utilities' New Jersey Clean Energy Program.

The federal Lifeline telephone assistance program offers a monthly benefit of up to $9.25 towards phone or internet services for eligible subscribers (up to $34.25 for those living on Tribal lands). Eligibility is determined based on your income (135% or less than the federal poverty guidelines) or participation in other assistance programs. In general, if you participate in any of the following programs you also may qualify for telephone assistance: Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps, Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA), Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit, Tribal programs and Medicaid.

Telephone assistance is available to you if you are a qualified residential telephone customer. When you are seeking telephone assistance, please keep in mind that each telephone company and/or each program has different eligibility requirements, different benefits available and different restrictions. Some programs have restrictions on the optional services available to participants.

The following list of telephone service providers participate in Lifeline Assistance in New Jersey:

• Verizon New Jersey - If you are a Verizon New Jersey customer, please call NJSHARES at 1-888-337-3339, or visit https://njshares.org/telecommunications/
• CenturyLink/United Telephone Company of New Jersey – 1-800-201-4099 – com/Pages/Support/LifeLine
• Tracfone - 1-800-977-3768 - com
• Virgin Mobile - 1-888-898-4888, or visit com
• Truconnect 1-800-430-0443, or visit com
• Xchange -1-877-853-3443 com
• Q-Link Wireless -1-855-754-6543, or visit  com
• Telrite - 1-888-543-3620 , or visit com
• Terracom- 1-888-716-8880, or visit com
• Tempo-1 – 833-998-3676 , or visit com
• Infinity Mobile 1 -888-801-0012 com
• Brightspeed – 1-833-692-7773 or visit brightspeed.com

Please contact your local telephone company to participate in any of these programs. Also to find out more information, you may also call the Universal Service Administration Company (USAC), which administer Lifeline for the Federal Communications Commission by calling 888-641-8722 or by visiting their website www.lifelinesupport.org.

STP is only for residential electric customers of the four regulated utility companies: PSE&G, Atlantic City Electric, Jersey Central Power & Light and Rockland Electric Company.

• Operates from July 1, 2025 - September 30, 2025 only
• Program operates the same way as Winter Termination Program (WTP), PLUS:
• No reconnection fees and 24-month payment plans available
• Protections extended to customers currently covered by Linda’s Law who utilize life-sustaining equipment powered by electricity.

Protected Categories: Recipients of benefits under the: Lifeline, LIHEAP, and USF energy assistance programs.

Also, recipients of:

• Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF);
• Federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI);
• Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD);
• General Assistance (GA) benefits;

Also: Applicants of the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program or any other State, local, or utility program that provides assistance or discounted rates specifically to help eligible customers pay wastewater or water bills that may exist at that time.

Also, "Catch all" category:

Residential customers who are unable to pay their utility bills because of circumstances beyond their control, which might cause financial hardship. These residential customers shall be permitted to self-certify to the utility company or the Division of Customer Assistance of the Board of an inability to pay their public utility bill.

Atlantic City Electric Company is providing grants to its residential customers who are 60 days past due and carrying a balance of at least $250 or more. The grants can be as high as $300.  Learn more at: www.atlanticcityelectric.com/Relief. This program is administered by the non profit organization SHARES. Call SHARES for more information at:  866-657-4273 or apply online here.  

Please note: If a customer’s past-due balance exceeds the eligible credit amount and their service has been disconnected and finalized, they are not eligible for the Customer Relief Fund. If the eligible credit covers at least 75% of the balance due, and the customer can make payment on the previous account to reconnect service, they will be considered eligible for the Customer Relief Fund.

New Jersey Natural Gas provides its Gift of Warmth fund as a one-time grant of up to $500 to help residential customers experiencing unanticipated financial hardship. Gift of Warmth can reconnect service or prevent disconnection. If you have an overdue balance with New Jersey Natural Gas that you cannot pay, please start your application process today: click here or call 800-221-0051 and say "energy assistance" at the prompt.