Virginia PIPP Program: Eligibility, Application, and Bill Calculation

The Virginia PIPP program caps your monthly electric bill at a fixed share of your household income: 10% if you heat with electricity, or 6% if you heat with anything else.¹ It’s open to Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power customers whose gross household income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty level, and it’s run by the Virginia Department of Social Services. On top of the reduced bill, PIPP forgives past-due electric balances a little each month as long as you keep paying on time.

How Your Monthly Bill Is Calculated

Two facts set your PIPP bill: your gross monthly household income and your primary heating source. If electricity heats your home, you pay 10% of gross monthly income. If you heat with gas, oil, wood, or anything else, you pay 6%.¹ Those percentages come straight from Virginia Code § 56-585.6.²

In practice, a household earning $2,500 a month with electric heat would pay $250 for electricity under PIPP no matter how much power it actually used. The same household with gas heat would pay $150. The program does not publish a guaranteed minimum bill, so a household with very little income can see a very small bill.

Who Qualifies

Three things have to be true:

You are a customer of Dominion Energy or Appalachian Power (APCo/AEP).¹
Your gross household income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty level.¹
You have an active electric account in someone’s name in the household. If electricity is bundled into your rent, you cannot enroll.³

For 2026, 150% of the federal poverty level is $23,940 a year for one person, $32,460 for two, $40,980 for three, and $49,500 for four.⁴ Those figures are gross, meaning before taxes and deductions.

You don’t have to be the person named on the electric bill. Another household member can apply on behalf of the account holder.³ But if you live in a master-metered building or subsidized housing where electricity is included in the rent, there is no individual account to attach the discount to, and PIPP will not work for you.

Documents to Gather Before You Apply

Missing paperwork is the most common reason applications stall. Have these ready:

Social Security numbers for every person in the household.¹
Proof of income for every adult over the last 30 days: pay stubs, Social Security award letters, pension statements, or similar records.
A current electric bill showing your account number and service address.¹

On the application you’ll list everyone in the household, add up gross monthly income across all adults, and identify your primary heating source, which sets whether you’ll pay 6% or 10%. Gross income is the amount before taxes, insurance, and retirement contributions are taken out. Make sure the name and address on your electric bill matches what you enter on the application; mismatches slow down verification.

How to Apply

There are two ways to submit a PIPP application:¹

Online through the Virginia CommonHelp portal, where you can fill out the form and upload documents.
On paper, delivered to your local Department of Social Services office by mail or in person.

DSS reviews the application and, if it approves you, notifies your utility to switch your account to PIPP billing. The new rate usually shows up within one or two billing cycles.¹ From that point your bill reflects the income-based amount instead of your actual usage.

Past-Due Balance Forgiveness

If you owe money on your electric account when you enroll, PIPP doesn’t erase the balance right away. Instead, for every month you pay your reduced PIPP bill in full and on time, one-twelfth of the old balance is forgiven.¹ After 12 consecutive on-time payments, the entire past-due amount is gone.⁵

A household carrying $1,200 in back-owed electric bills effectively earns $100 in forgiveness each month just by paying on time. Miss a payment and you can lose those credits along with your place in the program.

Staying Enrolled

Enrollment is not permanent, and the rules are stricter than people expect.

You must pay the reduced PIPP bill in full every month. Partial payments count as missed payments. Missing a payment, paying only part of the bill, or failing to reverify your income can each get you removed from the program.¹ Removal costs you both the income-based rate and any remaining arrearage-forgiveness credits.

Every 12 months you have to recertify by giving DSS updated proof of income and household size.¹ You also have to report changes in income or household size when they happen, not at recertification. A new job, a raise, someone moving in or out: report it. Failing to report a change is treated like a missed payment.

If Your Application Is Denied

A denial is not the end of the road. The Appeals and Fair Hearings Unit at DSS conducts an independent review of whether your local office followed the rules and reached the right decision.⁶ You have 30 days from the date of your denial notice to file.⁷

You can appeal by:

Submitting the B&S Appeal Form online through CommonHelp.
Calling the Appeals and Fair Hearings hotline at (800) 552-7096 or (804) 664-0612.
Writing to: Manager, Appeals and Fair Hearings Unit, Virginia Department of Social Services, 5600 Cox Road, Glen Allen, Virginia 23060.
Faxing (804) 726-7656.

A written appeal should include your name, address, case number, the program you’re appealing, what the local agency decided, why you think it was wrong, and which office made the decision. One thing to keep in mind: the hearing officer looks at the facts as they were when DSS decided your case. If your circumstances have changed since the denial, such as fewer work hours or a household member moving out, contact your caseworker and ask for a fresh review instead of filing an appeal.⁶

1
Virginia Department of Social Services. Percentage of Income Payment Program
2
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 56-585.6 – Universal Service Fee; Percentage of Income Payment Program
3
Dominion Energy. Billing Options and Energy Assistance
4
HHS ASPE. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
5
Virginia Department of Social Services. Benefit Programs
6
Virginia Department of Social Services. Benefits and Service Appeals
7
Virginia Department of Social Services. How to Appeal