Percentage of
Income Payment Plan
Percentage of
Income Payment Plan
The Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) helps eligible households maintain gas and electric services. From month to month, each household pays what it can afford and the program takes care of the rest of what is owed. This keeps PIPP customers from falling deep into utility debt. It also helps PIPP customers avoid disconnections and service fees related to loss of service.
Separately, PIPP offers balance forgiveness assistance for households carrying utility debt making the program ideal for low-income households buried under the financial burden of high utility costs.
Eligibility
Ohioans with a household income at or below 175% of the Federal Poverty Guideline and are a customer of an electric or natural gas company regulated by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio are eligible for PIPP.
There are two critical requirements remain eligible from year to year:
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PIPP program participants are required to be current with all payments on the customer’s anniversary date. The program uses the date a participant was first enrolled in PIPP as the anniversary date.
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PIPP program participants are required to reverify household income annually.
*Participants behind on their payments on their anniversary date and participants that fail to reverify get dropped from the program.
Centralized Processing
Step Forward has discontinued drop off services and applications mailed to any Step Forward address in accordance with Ohio’s central processing of applications. Applicants with client user accounts may now check their application status by visiting energyhelp.ohio.gov. For applications pending additional documentation, documents may be loaded to energyhelp.ohio.gov with no additional document handling or mailing time.
Understanding the Energy Assistance Program application
In Ohio, the Energy Assistance Programs application is your HEAP application. From the same application, you are given the option to enroll in PIPP or to reverify for PIPP. Enrollment in PIPP is not required to receive HEAP assistance.
Application processing time is up to 12 weeks. Once approved, you are notified by mail of your PIPP payment amount. Your monthly utility bill will also show you as a PIPP customer and list your PIPP payment amount.
Three steps to becoming a first-time PIPP program participant - ONLINE
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Visit energyhelp.ohio.gov, which hosts the Ohio Department of Development's Energy Assistance Programs portal
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Create a user account
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Complete your Energy Assistance Programs application online. The application will ask if you want to enroll in the Percentage of Income Payment Plan as a check box option. Select "Yes."
Three steps to becoming a first-time PIPP program participant - MAIL
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Visit energyhelp.ohio.gov, which hosts the Ohio Department of Development's Energy Assistance Programs portal
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Download and print the Energy Assistance Programs application
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Complete your Energy Assistance Programs application online. The application will ask if you want to enroll in the Percentage of Income Payment Plan as a check-box option. Check "Yes."
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Mail your signed, completed application to Energy Assistance Programs, P.O. Box 1240, Columbus, Ohio 43216. Unsigned applications are ineligible for processing.
To reverify for PIPP
You need to verify that you qualify every year.
  
You can either:
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Reverify online using the Online Reverification Portal link 
OR 
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you can mail your application to:
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Energy Assistance Programs
P.O. Box 1240
Columbus, Ohio 43216
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Note: Step Forward does not accept applications as drop offs and no applications should be directly mailed to the agency.
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Here’s what you’ll need in order to be reverified, whether you do it online or mail your documents:
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Your completed Utility Assistance Programs Application 
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Proof of income for each household member
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Copies of your most recent utility bills
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A list of Social Security Numbers and birth dates for each person who lives with you
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Proof of U.S. citizenship/legal residency for all household members
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We can accept any one of these per person living with you:
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Social Security card
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Birth Certificate
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U.S. passport
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Naturalization Paper
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Permanent VISA
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INS ID card.
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Disability Verification (if applicable)
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What to do if your heating or cooling is disconnected right now
Emergency assistance is available for Greater Cleveland residents experiencing the following utility crisis conditions:
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Services are already off
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Services are in disconnect status
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Need to establish new service
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Need to transfer service
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Have a PIPP default with disconnection
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Step Forward handles emergency utility needs separately through an appointment process.