COVID-19 Residential Utility Disruption Prevention Program
Governor Reynolds recently announced a new program designed to provide eligible Iowa households up to $2,000 towards their electric, natural gas and water bills if they are at risk of disconnection due to an inability to pay because of a COVID-19 related loss of income.
As part of the federal CARES Act funding allocated to Iowa, the Residential Utility Disruption Prevention Program is managed by the Iowa Economic Development Authority and the Iowa Finance Authority. Payments through the program will be made directly to utility providers and applied to the applicants’ accounts.
To be eligible to receive assistance, a residential electric, natural gas and/or water utility consumer must have:
- A primary Iowa residence with active residential utility accounts (renters may apply if the utility account is in the applicant’s name);
- An unpaid utility bill balance or have previously entered into a payment plan with their utility provider;
- 2019 gross annual income that was less than 80% of the median family income, based on county and household size;
- Experienced a COVID-19 loss of income (job loss, reduction in hours, reduction in pay) on or after March 17, 2020, that resulted in hardship in paying bills for electric, natural gas, and/or water utility service provided on or after March 17, 2020.
Applications will be accepted at www.iowafinance.com through December 4, 2020, or until funding is depleted, whichever comes first. Assistance will be awarded based on application completeness and eligibility in order received until all funds have been exhausted. The website includes answers to frequently asked questions and complete eligibility requirements. You can also call Iowa’s Utility Recovery Hotline at 515-348-8976 or 877-463-3269 for more information about this program.
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