If you’re an older adult or have a disability in New Jersey, there’s a program that may knock $225 off your electric and gas bills every single year. It’s called Lifeline Utility Assistance, and it’s run by the state’s Division of Aging Services. Let’s walk through how it works and how to get it.
What Is Lifeline Utility Assistance?
Lifeline is a yearly benefit for New Jersey residents who are older or living with a disability. It helps pay for electric and natural gas bills. If your income and other utility costs are included in your rent, you can still get help.
Lifeline actually covers you in one of three ways, depending on your situation:
- Lifeline Credit Program: A $225 credit applied straight to your electric and gas bill each year
- Tenants Lifeline Assistance Program: A $225 check each year, for renters whose gas and electric costs are already built into their rent
- Special Utility Supplement: Up to $18.75 a month ($225/year) is automatically added into your SSI check if you receive SSI. This is instead of the yearly credit or check
Only electricity and natural gas are covered. Other fuel types, like propane, oil, coal, or wood, are not included.
Who Is Eligible?
You can qualify for Lifeline in one of two ways. Either works:
- You get or qualify for Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD), or
- You get Medical Assistance to the Aged (MAA), Medical Assistance Only (MAO), or New Jersey Care
For 2026, to meet the PAAD eligibility rules, you must:
- Live in New Jersey
- Be 65 or older, or be between 18 and 64 and receiving Social Security Disability
- Have an income under $54,943 if you’re single, or under $62,390 if you’re married
A few other things to know:
- Only one person per household can get this benefit.
- This benefit only applies to your main home. A seasonal or vacation home in New Jersey doesn’t count.
- If you receive SSI, you should not apply separately. Your Lifeline benefit is already built into your SSI check.
- If you pay two different utility companies (say, one bill is in your name and another in your spouse’s), the credit gets split evenly between both accounts. Just make sure to note this on your application.
How Do I Apply?
People on MAA, MAO, or New Jersey Care are mailed a Lifeline application automatically every August. If you missed it, call the toll free hotline at 1-800-792-9745 to ask what you need to do.
If you’re not yet enrolled in one of these programs, here’s how to apply:
- Fill out an NJSave application. This one application checks your eligibility for Lifeline along with several other programs at once, so it’s worth doing even if you’re not sure exactly which program fits your situation.
- If you’re applying for PAAD directly, you can answer the Lifeline questions right on that same application, so you don’t need two separate forms.
If you have questions or need help with your application, call the toll-free hotline at 1-800-792-9745.
Relief Recap
A yearly credit toward your electric and gas bill is real money back in your pocket, especially when you’re stretching a fixed income. If utility costs are tight where you live, take a look at our guide to LIHEAP, another program that can help cover heating and cooling costs, and our New Jersey area page for more programs available where you live.
