Assistance Programs in Utah

HEAT is Utah's home energy assistance program, the state's version of LIHEAP, helping low-income households with heating and other home energy costs. Priority households, those with someone age 60 or older, a person with a disability, or a child under 6, can apply starting October 1, and the general public can apply starting November 1, running through September 30 or until federal funds run out. Contact your local HEAT office or call 801-526-9240.

Utah's Weatherization Assistance Program makes free energy-efficiency improvements, insulation, air sealing, and heating-system repairs, so your utility bills drop over time. The Division of Housing and Community Development runs it through local agencies across the state, and you apply to the agency serving your county. Households save an average of about 583 dollars a year, and you can ask for a weatherization referral when you apply for HEAT.

SNAP is Utah's food assistance program: monthly food money loaded onto an EBT card you use like a debit card at most grocery stores. The easiest way to apply is online through myCase at jobs.utah.gov/mycase, the state's one application for food, medical, financial, and child care assistance. You can also apply at a Department of Workforce Services employment center or by calling 1-866-435-7414.

WIC gives healthy food, breastfeeding support, nutrition education, and health referrals to pregnant and postpartum people, infants, and children up to age 5. To apply, call or text your local WIC clinic to set up an appointment. For general information call 801-273-2991, or find your clinic and how to apply at wic.utah.gov.

Utah CHIP is low-cost health coverage for uninsured children and teens whose family earns too much for Medicaid but still needs help paying for care. It covers checkups, doctor visits, dental, vision, and prescriptions. Apply online through myCase at jobs.utah.gov/mycase, the same application used for Medicaid, or call 1-877-543-7669, which spells 1-877-KIDS-NOW.

Utah Medicaid is free or low-cost health coverage for children, pregnant people, parents, older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income adults. Utah expanded Medicaid in 2020 to cover adults with low income, so it is worth applying even if you were turned down before. Apply online through myCase at jobs.utah.gov/mycase, or call the Medicaid information line at 1-866-608-9422.

The Family Employment Program, FEP, is Utah's monthly cash assistance for low-income families with children, run by the Department of Workforce Services. It pairs the cash with an employment plan and one-on-one help from a case manager to move you toward work. Apply online through myCase at jobs.utah.gov/mycase. State and federal time limits apply to how long you can receive cash.

Temporary weekly payments if you lost work through no fault of your own, from the Utah Department of Workforce Services. File online at jobs.utah.gov/ui, which is the fastest way, or call the claims center. The statewide line for counties outside the Wasatch Front is 1-888-848-0688. You must file a weekly claim to keep payments coming.

Utah offers a state Earned Income Tax Credit worth 20 percent of your federal EITC. It is nonrefundable, which means it lowers the Utah income tax you owe but does not pay out as a refund on its own, and you cannot carry any unused part to another year. Claim it on your Utah income tax return if you qualified for the federal EITC.

Utah Legal Services provides free civil legal help to low-income Utahns on housing and eviction, family, public benefits, consumer, and other noncriminal matters. Call 801-328-8891 or apply online at utahlegalservices.org. In Utah County, Timpanogos Legal Center runs a free legal advice hotline for self-represented people at 801-649-8895, Monday through Friday, 9am to 2pm.

Dial 2-1-1 from any Utah phone, or call 1-888-826-9790, for free, confidential help finding local assistance with housing, utilities, food, healthcare, and more. 211 Utah answers by phone seven days a week, 8am to 6pm. You can also text your zip code to 801-845-2211 on weekdays or search at 211utah.org.