Illinois Solar for All Program: Who Qualifies and How to Apply

Do you qualify? Check the five gates in order

Each gate is a rule from the program’s 2026 plan. If you don’t pass one, the “If not” line shows where to go instead, so you won’t hit a dead end.

1. 1Gate 1: Your electric utility

   Pass if: ComEd or Ameren Illinois sends your electric bill. Customers of MidAmerican, Mt. Carmel, electric co-ops and city utilities can also qualify, but they are rare: only 43 approved projects were in co-op, city-utility or Mt. Carmel areas as of October 2025 (IPA 2026 Long-Term Plan).

   If not: if a city utility or co-op serves you, ask it first whether it offers net metering and allows third-party-owned solar. ILSFA projects must use net metering, and the Citizens Utility Board says many of these utilities restrict third-party ownership (CUB).

2. 2Gate 2: Your household income

   Pass if: your total household income is at or below 80% of the area median for your county and household size (see the income table). You can prove it with your latest federal tax return or a third-party income check. You can also show that you’re enrolled in LIHEAP, the state weatherization program (IHWAP) or a HUD housing program with an income limit of 80% of the area median or lower. In a census tract where at least half of households are under the limit, you can sign a statement instead, though the program may audit some of them.

   If not: you can still get state money through Illinois Shines, which is open to any income but has no savings guarantee.

3. 3Gate 3: Your home

   Pass if: you own the home or building. For a single-family home, your household must qualify. In a 2 to 4 unit building, at least two households must qualify. In a building with 5 or more units, at least half must qualify, or the building must meet the state’s affordable-housing definition. Owners of buildings with two or more units must agree to keep at least half the units affordable for 10 years.

   If not: renters and condo owners can join ILSFA community solar instead. You need your own electric account, and nothing goes on the roof.

4. 4Gate 4: Your roof and wiring

   Pass if: the roof is in good shape, has little shade and can carry the panels, and the electrical panel is modern. CUB says the roof should have at least 15 years of life left. The vendor must give you a site report, and if that report says the project won’t work, your contract must let you cancel at no cost.

   If not: the ILSFA Home Repairs and Upgrades pilot pays for roof and electrical work that solar needs, up to a per-project cap. It used up its full budget in both 2024-25 and 2025-26, so ask your vendor early. You must first seek help from other home repair programs, such as the Illinois Housing Development Authority, Habitat for Humanity affiliates or USDA Rural Development. Or choose community solar.

5. 5Gate 5: Timing and money left

   Pass if: your vendor can submit your project while money is left. Rooftop projects for 1 to 4 unit homes have about $8.9 million for 2026-27. The first window ran September 14 to 25, 2026. If it drew more projects than the budget covers, the program picks projects on January 13, 2027, and the rest go on a waitlist. If money was left, projects are taken first come, first served from October 12, 2026 until May 31, 2027 or until the money runs out.

   If not: ask the vendor to put your project on the waitlist, or plan for the 2027-28 window. Waitlists don’t carry over to the next program year.

Pass all five? Use the program’s eligibility tool, then contact companies on the Approved Vendor list.

ILSFA income limits for 2026-27

State law sets the limit at 80% of area median income, adjusted for household size and updated each year. The program uses HUD’s income limits and HUD’s areas: a metro area, or a single county outside metro areas (IPA plan, section 8.10.3). These are HUD’s 2026 figures for 80% of median. Your household income must be at or below the amount for your area and household size.

Source: HUD FY2026 HOME income limits for Illinois (“low income” row), the HUD table the Power Agency’s plan cites; HUD’s Section 8 80% figures are the same for every Illinois area. Across Illinois, the four-person limit runs from $71,750 (38 of 102 counties) to $106,800 (Kendall County). The program’s income lookup tool gives the official figure for your address.

The ILSFA sub-programs and their 2026-27 budgets

The program pays solar companies for renewable energy credits (RECs). One REC stands for 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of solar power. The program signs 15-year contracts to buy those credits, and that money is what lets the company charge you nothing upfront.

The two residential budgets ($17.8 million in total) are held separately until January 1, 2027, then pooled first come, first served. A quarter of each sub-program’s money is set aside for projects in environmental justice communities, which are areas the state has identified as carrying more pollution and other burdens. Another quarter goes to projects that lead to ownership by the household or community (IPA budget memo; IPA plan). Check whether your address is in either area on the program’s community maps.

How the 50% savings rule works

Your bill goes down because you buy less power from the utility and you get net metering credits for power you send to the grid. Net metering means the utility credits your bill for the extra power your panels send back. The rule: what you pay the solar company each year can be no more than half the value of that power. You keep at least the other half (IPA plan, sections 8.2.2 and 8.11).

The community solar example follows the Citizens Utility Board’s ILSFA guide. Fixed utility charges stay on your bill either way. To keep you from paying for credits you can’t use, rooftop systems are capped at 150% of your past year’s electricity use, or up to 200% if you’re adding an electric car or heat pump.

How to apply for Illinois Solar for All

1. Check your income with the eligibility tool and gather your latest tax return or a LIHEAP or IHWAP approval letter.
2. Contact two or three Approved Vendors from the official list. Fewer vendors install homes in southern Illinois; CUB offers help there. For community solar, the program lists projects that are taking new subscribers.
3. Read the Disclosure Form. The vendor must give you this program form before you sign. You sign it first, then the contract. It shows your estimated monthly savings and how the deal stays at or under the 50% limit.
4. Site visit and contract. The vendor checks your roof and wiring and writes a site report. You can cancel a residential contract within 14 days of signing.
5. The vendor submits your project. There’s no application fee. If the window is oversubscribed, projects are scored. Points go to projects in environmental justice and income-eligible communities and to vendors that are women-owned, minority-owned, or small and emerging businesses.
6. Approval and install. The Illinois Commerce Commission approves batches of projects. The vendor then installs and connects the system, and your bill credits start.

Contract protections every ILSFA deal must include

ILSFA requires extra protections that an ordinary solar contract doesn’t have. If a contract is missing one of these, it isn’t an ILSFA contract, or it’s out of line with the program (IPA plan, section 8.11):

• No upfront payment for home rooftop projects and no upfront fee for community solar.
• Ongoing payments of no more than 50% of the value of the power, shown in writing with a monthly savings estimate.
• Full system warranty plus maintenance for 15 years at no extra cost, whether you buy, lease or sign a power purchase agreement (PPA). With a PPA, you pay for the power the panels make instead of a fixed monthly fee.
• A 14-day right to cancel after signing a residential contract.
• Loans based on your ability to repay, not secured by your home, with no prepayment penalty.
• For loans, payment relief if you hit hard times: up to three months without payments, six months without interest, or a lower rate for up to a year.
• At least seven days after the due date before a late fee.
• Marketing and contracts in the language you ask for, where the program has it.

If someone at your door says they’re “from Solar for All”, ask for the company’s name and check it against the Approved Vendor list. More warning signs are in our solar scams guide.

ILSFA vs. Illinois Shines vs. federal Solar for All

Three programs with similar names cause a lot of confusion. Only the first two are open to Illinois homeowners today.

EPA awarded Illinois $156 million in April 2024. That included $85 million to expand ILSFA: $11 million a year for five years for community solar and $10 million a year for three years for small rooftop projects. It also covered Climate Bank grants for roof repairs and batteries. The Power Agency received only the first $11 million of its $85 million share before EPA notified the Illinois Finance Authority on August 7, 2025 that the grant was terminated. Illinois sued on October 16, 2025, and the Power Agency says it will adjust ILSFA budgets if the money returns (IPA plan, section 8.8.4). Two federal courts ruled in September 2026 that EPA’s termination was unlawful, but the rulings don’t by themselves restart individual grants. See our low-income solar programs guide for the court cases.

You can’t use ILSFA and Illinois Shines for the same project. A project that fails the ILSFA income check can apply to Illinois Shines separately.

Illinois Solar for All questions