Picture two neighbors on the same street in Worcester County, with the same style of house and the same heat pump. One system goes in on December 30. The other goes in on January 4, and that homeowner can get up to $1,000 less back from Mass Save.
The equipment is identical. What's different is the install date, because the Mass Save heat pump rebate deadline goes by the day your system goes in. To get the 2026 amounts, that day has to be December 31 or earlier.
The Short Version
If your heat pump is installed by December 31, 2026, you get the 2026 amounts. If it's installed on or after January 1, 2027, these two rebates drop:
• Whole-home (heat pumps do all your heating and cooling): up to $2,650 per ton in 2026, capped at $8,500. From January 1, it's up to $2,350 per ton, capped at $7,500.
• Partial-home (you keep your old system as a backup): up to $1,125 per ton in 2026, capped at $8,500. From January 1, it's up to $1,000 per ton, capped at $7,500.
"Tons" here means your system's rated cooling capacity divided by 12,000 BTUs, so ask your installer for the rated number. A few examples:
• 3-ton whole-home system: up to $7,950 in 2026, up to $7,050 in 2027.
• 4-ton whole-home system: up to $8,500 in 2026 (the cap), up to $7,500 in 2027.
• 2-ton partial-home system: up to $2,250 in 2026, up to $2,000 in 2027.
What Counts as Installed by December 31
Signing a contract or paying a deposit doesn't lock in the 2026 amounts. The equipment has to be purchased and installed between January 1 and December 31, 2026, and your invoice has to show the install date. If you sign in December but the work can't happen until January, you get the 2027 amounts. If your job might run close, ask your contractor whether it can be finished in time.
You get a little longer for the paperwork. The rebate form and your documents need to arrive by February 28, 2027, so don't leave it to the last day in the mail. Apply online if you can. Online requests usually take 6 to 8 weeks to process.
Two things can hold up your check. Since October 1, 2026, every application needs a clear photo of each outdoor unit's nameplate showing the serial number. Mass Save also picks some projects for a random inspection, and it recently started inspecting more homes. If yours is picked, the rebate waits until you schedule that visit.
Mass Save Heat Pump Rebate Amounts for 2026
Besides the whole-home and partial-home amounts above, there are two more:
• Basic: up to $250 per ton, capped at $2,500. This covers cases like a summer home or a new addition.
• Income-based: up to $16,000, or possibly no cost to you, for income-qualified homes replacing oil, propane, or electric resistance heat. Homes replacing natural gas aren't eligible for this one.
If you're also adding a heat pump to a space that had no heating or cooling before, the basic rebate can go on top of a whole-home or partial-home rebate. The total is capped at $8,500 per account. Partial-home projects can also earn a weatherization bonus of up to $500 and a sizing bonus of up to $500.
Whichever rebate you go for, the equipment has to be on Mass Save's qualified product list, and your installer has to be part of its Heat Pump Installer Network. Residential split systems that use R-410A refrigerant came off that list on January 1, 2026, so it's worth checking the model numbers on any quote.
Whole-Home vs Partial-Home Rebate Requirements
The whole-home rebate pays more, but it asks more of you. The heat pumps must be your only source of heating and cooling. Your old system gets removed or disconnected, or it stays only to make hot water. The new system needs to be sized to cover 90 to 120 percent of your home's heating load, based on a proper load calculation (Manual J).
Your home also has to be lived in full time through the winter, and that goes for partial-home rebates too. There's one whole-home rebate per account.
Then there's a weatherization check. Your home passes if it was built in 2000 or later. It also passes if a Home Energy Assessment recommended less than $1,000 of weatherization, or if you've already done the weatherization an assessment recommended any time since 2013. If your home doesn't pass, a whole-home install may still qualify for the partial-home amount.
Partial-home is for homes keeping their old system as a backup. Any zone where oil, propane, or gas heat stays in use needs an approved integrated control, which uses the outdoor temperature to decide when the old system turns on. Our guides to replacing a gas furnace and converting from oil walk through how that setup works.
Other Savings and Financing for a 2026 Install
The New England Heat Pump Accelerator takes up to $650 off each qualifying outdoor unit, up to two per home, for existing homes. It stacks with Mass Save and comes straight off the contractor's invoice, with no paperwork on your end. Ask your installer to confirm the current amount.
Massachusetts doesn't charge sales tax on heat pump system equipment for your primary home. The federal tax credit, on the other hand, only covered improvements made through December 31, 2025, so it won't help with a 2026 install.
If you'd rather spread out the cost, Mass Save's HEAT Loan offers 0 percent financing up to $25,000. You have to set it up before the work is installed. To use the loan on a whole-home project, or on a partial-home project claiming the bonuses, you'll need a Home Energy Assessment first.
Once your whole-home or partial-home rebate is paid, Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil usually move you onto the seasonal heat pump electric rate automatically. It lowers the per-kWh delivery rate on all your household electricity from November 1 through April 30. If you replaced gas heat, your rebate probably went through your gas account, so call your electric company to get enrolled.
How to Make the December 31 Deadline
Install timelines depend on the size of the job, and your contractor is the one who can give you a real date. Here's what you can do on your end:
1. Check which company delivers your electricity. If your town only buys your power supply for you, Eversource, National Grid, or Unitil still delivers it, and that's the company that counts. Some towns run their own electric company instead of using Eversource, National Grid, or Unitil. In those towns, you can get the whole-home or partial-home rebate only if you're replacing natural gas heat from a gas company that's part of Mass Save. The basic and income-based rebates need an electric company that's part of Mass Save.
2. Book the assessment early if you need one. A Home Energy Assessment is free. Call 866-527-SAVE or book online. You'll need it for some HEAT Loans, for the weatherization bonus, or if that's how your home passes the weatherization check.
3. Get a properly sized quote. Ask for the load calculation, the model numbers, and a written installation date.
4. Line up financing before the install. Once the HEAT Loan authorization letter is issued, it's good for 30 days.
5. Expect a deposit. Some jobs that involve ordering equipment need one before the work can be scheduled.
6. Keep your paperwork together. You'll need the invoice with the install date, proof of payment, and a nameplate photo for each outdoor unit. A whole-home rebate also needs the signed Whole-Home Heat Pump Verification Form.
One Date on Your Invoice
The Mass Save heat pump rebate deadline comes down to the day your system is installed. If that's December 31, 2026 or earlier, you get the 2026 amounts. For a whole-home system of about 3.25 tons or larger, waiting until January can cost you up to $1,000.
Mass Save rebate amounts in this post are verified as of October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Mass Save heat pump rebate deadline?
To get the 2026 amounts, your system has to be installed between January 1 and December 31, 2026, and the invoice has to show the install date. The rebate form and documents need to arrive by February 28, 2027. Anything installed on or after January 1, 2027 gets the 2027 amounts.
How much is the Mass Save heat pump rebate in 2026 and 2027?
For 2026 installs, whole-home pays up to $2,650 per ton and partial-home up to $1,125 per ton, both capped at $8,500. From January 1, 2027, whole-home is up to $2,350 per ton and partial-home is up to $1,000 per ton, both capped at $7,500.
How does the Mass Save heat pump rebate work?
An installer in Mass Save's Heat Pump Installer Network puts in equipment from the qualified product list. Then you send in the rebate form with the invoice, proof of payment, and a nameplate photo showing each outdoor unit's serial number. Whole-home rebates also need the signed verification form, and the partial-home sizing bonus needs the load calculation. Online requests usually take 6 to 8 weeks.
Are Mass Save heat pump rebates ending?
No. Mass Save has already published lower whole-home and partial-home amounts for installs from January 1, 2027. It hasn't announced 2027 amounts yet for the basic and income-based rebates, the partial-home bonuses, or heat pump water heater rebates.
Talk to a Local Heat Pump Installer
Want your heat pump in before the rebates drop? Give us a call to see whether a 2026 install date is still open. LaCroix Heating and Cooling installs heat pumps for homeowners across Worcester and Middlesex Counties, and our office staff helps with the Mass Save rebate process. We're a Fujitsu Elite Contractor and a Mass Save Heat Pump Leader, which puts us in the Heat Pump Installer Network every rebate requires. Our work carries a 1-year installation warranty plus 12-year manufacturer parts coverage. Contact us or call (508) 762-9131.
