How to Get Financial Assistance With Your Utility Bills

A series of unfortunate events can place anyone in a position where they need assistance with utility bills. With rising fuel and electrical costs it doesn't take long to get behind in your payments and find yourself in the middle of a financial dilemma. The good news is that there are many ways to get assistance with your utility bills so that you can bring your account current and avoid disconnection.

Instructions

1. Place a call to the customer service department at your utility company and ask to speak to a manager or supervisor. Once they are on the line, explain your situation and ask what options are available to you in terms of extensions and payment plans. Many utility companies offer multiple ways to catch up an overdue balance, so don't just assume that you are stuck because they are almost always willing to work with you.

2. Get it touch with the human services department in your state and inquire about their utility bill assistance programs. These programs will often be available during the spring and fall when utility bills are the highest from months of heavy usage. You will usually need to meet with a case worker who can help you determine if you are eligible for assistance, and then you'll have to fill out an application. This process can take a few weeks to complete so it's best to get started as soon as you can.

3. Find out if community based help is available in your city. Some cities provide a utility bill assistance pool that is funded by city tax money and donor contributions. They are only open to residents of the city and are set up to help people that may not qualify for assistance with their utility bills at the state level.

4. Contact non-profit agencies in your area to see if they offer any kind of assistance with utility bills. Non-profit agencies generally have a number of assistance based programs available to help anyone that is in need, and often times this will include some type of utility bill assistance. Keep in mind that they have a much smaller amount of funding that the state level programs, so you may need to try a few different non-profit agencies before you find one that has available funds left over.

5. Don't ignore the problem. With all of the available options for utility bill assistance, make sure that you are diligent about finding help. Generally there will be a few weeks that pass between the time when you apply for assistance and when you actually receive it. Due to this delay, you need to act as soon as possible if your utilities are close to being disconnected. If you decide to choose inaction, you will only find yourself with disconnected utilities and a heavy balance, so go out and put forth the amount of effort that's required to find the help that you need.