One in six households is behind on the power bill

Roughly one in six U.S. households came into 2026 behind on utility bills. By the end of the year, the collective arrears are projected at $25 billion.

The enforcement numbers from 2024 give the scale of what follows: 94.9 million customers received final disconnection notices, and 13.4 million households had their power cut off.

The gap between those two numbers

94.9 million notices, 13.4 million disconnections. Most notices do not end in a shutoff — people pay, arrange a plan, or get assistance in time.

But receiving one is not nothing. It is the point where late fees, reconnection charges and deposit requirements start, and those costs land on the households least able to absorb them.

What exists, if you are in it

• LIHEAP — the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, administered by your state. Funding is limited and it typically opens on a schedule, so the application date matters.
• Payment plans and budget billing — offered by most utilities. Budget billing averages your bill across the year, which does not reduce the total but removes the seasonal spike.
• State disconnection protections — many states restrict shutoffs during extreme heat or cold, and some require notice periods beyond the federal minimum. The rules are state-specific.
• Utility hardship funds — often run with a local nonprofit, separate from LIHEAP and separately funded.

The timing that matters most

Assistance programs work far better before a disconnection than after. Once power is cut, reconnection fees and deposits get added to a balance that was already unpayable.

Contacting the utility while the bill is merely late is the difference between a payment plan and a reconnection deposit.

Questions people ask