What the program does
CARE applies a monthly bill discount to income-qualified residential electric and natural gas customers. The discount is applied automatically each billing cycle once enrollment is approved. There is no separate claim or rebate process.
Categorical (automatic) eligibility
Households enrolled in any of the following public-assistance programs typically qualify for CARE automatically without separate income documentation:
- CalWORKs (TANF)
- CalFresh (SNAP)
- Medi-Cal for households at or below 200% of the federal poverty guideline
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
- Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
- National School Lunch Program (NSL)
- Head Start (Tribal Only)
- Tribal TANF
- Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
Income-based eligibility
Households not on any of the above programs may still qualify by meeting CARE’s income limits, which are tied to the federal poverty guideline (FPG) and updated annually. As of the most recent CPUC update, the limits scale with household size from roughly $40,880 (household of 1) up to roughly $103,500 (household of 4); verify the current year’s limits with your utility before relying on a specific figure.
How to enroll
Apply through your utility:
- PG&E CARE: pge.com · CARE
- SCE CARE: sce.com · CARE
- SDG&E CARE: sdge.com · CARE
- SoCalGas CARE: socalgas.com · CARE
Recertification
CARE participants are typically recertified every two to four years. Recertification requirements vary by utility. Some categorical-eligibility participants are recertified longer based on their underlying program enrollment.
Where to verify
- CPUC CARE program page: cpuc.ca.gov/care
- Statute (Public Utilities Code §739.1): leginfo · PUC §739.1
Source: California Public Utilities Commission CARE program rules, codified at Public Utilities Code §739.1. Discount percentages and income limits are set by the CPUC and updated periodically. Always verify the current year’s figures with the CPUC or your utility.