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PY26 WHEAP Manual

Revised: August 2025 SSI), the unearned income shall be counted in the household where the income is being received. 3. Interest and Dividends

Count interest and dividends as gross amounts received/earned in the 12 months prior to application, or during the previous tax year. Interest payments from land contract sales are recorded as land contract payments and can be recorded monthly if the amortization (payments) schedule is available (if an amortization schedule is not available it may be necessary to use amounts based on prior year’s taxes).

Ignore this income only if the interest and dividends combined is less than $120 per year ($10/month). Ignore interest and dividends if the household member does not have access to the funds, such as interest on IRAs and CDs. To the extent it can be identified, ignore the interest from asset account for applicants with a PASS plan (SSI Plan for Achieving Self Support).

Count the full 12 months and enter the monthly average amount for the prior month test period. Interest and dividends should be added together as one entry per household member. Document in the source field or in a System Note each source of the interest and dividends reported.

For verification, do not accept statements that show only the interest earned for the prior month test period. The 1099 form issued by the payer or Schedule B of the 1040 tax return are acceptable forms of verification.

Interest income is reported on line 2a and 2b of the 1040 tax return. The amounts on line 2a (tax exempt interest) and 2b (taxable interest) should be added together to calculate the interest income.

Dividend income is separated as Qualified Dividends on line 3a and Ordinary Dividends on line 3b of the 1040 tax return. Use line 3b (Ordinary Dividends) only as this represents the total dividends reported which includes the Qualified Dividends. 4. Some residents of buildings with income-based requirements for occupancy live in a building where their energy costs (both heat and electric) are included in their rent. Such residents are not eligible for WHEAP benefits because they have no energy burden. Applications can be taken from the tenants of such buildings to determine eligibility for Weatherization. The local WHEAP agency will follow processes below in determining eligibility: a. Collect copies of waivers signed by the tenants allowing the property manager (landlord, housing authority) to release income information to the local WHEAP agency. b. Collect household information (SSN for each resident in the household, number of rooms, income, and any other information needed to complete the HE+ Application) from the property manager. c. Obtain from the property manager an assurance that the case head for each application is who they say they are.