Low Income Program FAQs

    • Yes, in 2017, the Board of Commissioners passed Resolution 2017-002 establishing a Low Income Rate Reduction program at the PUD. The program has been updated a few times since its initial creation. Currently, Jefferson County PUD offers three types of rate reductions in the form of monthly credits are available to qualifying low income residential customers to help assist with their utility bills:

      • Standard Low Income Program Credit: A $50.18 monthly bill credit is available for all electric customers who meet qualifying income standards.
      • Senior Low Income Program Credit: A $50.18 monthly bill credit is available to senior citizens, age 62 and older, whose monthly income exceeds the qualifications of the standard credit, but remains below the qualifying threshold level of the senior program.
      • Water/Sewer Low Income Program Credit: All customers who qualify for either the standard or senior low-income electric bill credit will also qualify for a $15.44 credit on their PUD water charges and a 30% discount on the PUD sewer charge, should they receive those services from the PUD.

    • In order to qualify for the Standard low income bill credit, annual household income must not exceed 150% of the federal poverty level. There are various deductions and exclusions allowed for different types of income.

    • Household Size Qualifying Income Level
      1 $20,385 or less
      2 $27,465 or less
      3 $34,545 or less
      4 $41,625 or less
      5 $48,705 or less
      6 $55,785 or less
      7 $62,865 or less
      8 $69,945 or less

    • Customers age 62 and older who don’t meet the criteria above may be able to qualify for the low-income senior program if their total household income after allowable deductions does not exceed $30,000.

    • Once the customer returns a complete application with all required documents, the PUD will process the application and the credit will show up on the customer’s next billing statement. Incomplete applications or missing documents will delay the process.

    • No. Disabled customers will need to qualify for either the senior low-income program or the standard low income program in order to continue to see a credit on their utility bill.

    • No, you do need to fill out an additional application. Section 10.6 of the Customer Service Policy will grant automatic enrollment in the standard low-income program to any customer who receives a Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), as the income qualification for this program is at or below one hundred and fifty percent (150%) of Federal Poverty Level (FPL).

    • STANDARD PROGRAM

      Once a customer’s eligibility is approved, they will receive a credit each month on each of their qualifying accounts for a period of one (1) year, at which time the customer will be required to reapply for the rate reduction program.

      SENIOR PROGRAM

      Once a customer’s eligibility is approved, they will receive a credit each month on each of their qualifying accounts for a period of two (2) years, at which time the customer will be required to reapply for the rate reduction program.