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Deadline guide

The December 31 deadline for the Mass Save heat pump rebate

Install by December 31 and Mass Save pays $2,650 per ton. Install on or after January 1 and it pays $2,350.

  • Checked: November 2026

See every date

A heat pump outdoor unit on a concrete pad beside a grey clapboard house, with frost on the lawn on an autumn morning
Time left to install at 2026 ratesUntil December 31, 2026Counted to the end of December 31, 2026 (Eastern time).
2026 install$2,650/tonwhole-home, up to $8,500
Installed from Jan 1, 2027$2,350/tonwhole-home, up to $7,500
Last install day at 2026 ratesDec 31the install date counts
2026 paperwork dueFeb 282027, then about 8 weeks

Rebate estimator

What does waiting cost your home?

Any of the 351 Massachusetts cities and towns.

What heats the home now?

We do not turn this into a system size. An installer measures your rooms to do that. We pass the number along with your request.

What will the heat pump do?
3 tons

Heat pumps are sized in tons. A ton is how much heating and cooling the system puts out, not what it weighs. Not sure of yours? Leave it at 3. The installer works out the real size for your home.

Every date, in order

  1. Dec 31, 2026Mass Save: last install day at 2026 ratesWhole-home $2,650 per ton up to $8,500. Partial-home $1,125 per ton up to $8,500.
  2. Jan 1, 2027Mass Save: new rates startWhole-home $2,350 per ton up to $7,500. Partial-home $1,000 per ton up to $7,500. Danvers resets its yearly maximum the same day.
  3. Jan 31, 2027Peabody (PMLP): applications dueFor heat pumps purchased January 1 to December 31, 2026.
  4. Feb 28, 2027Mass Save: 2026 rebate paperwork dueThe form and supporting documentation must be received. About eight weeks to process.

Sources: Mass Save, Air Source Heat Pumps; Peabody via NextZero; Danvers Electric Division. Checked November 6, 2026.

What the date costs you

Installed in 2026Installed from Jan 1, 2027

Whole-home, per ton

$2,650
$2,350

Whole-home, cap per home

$8,500
$7,500

Partial-home, per ton

$1,125
$1,000

Partial-home, cap per home

$8,500
$7,500
Mass Save's published rates. Whole-home drops $300 per ton; partial-home drops $125 per ton.
Mass Save rebate by size, 2026 against 2027
SystemInstalled 2026From Jan 1, 2027You lose
2-ton whole-home$5,300$4,700$600
3-ton whole-home$7,950$7,050$900
3.2 tons or more, whole-home$8,500$7,500$1,000
2-ton partial-home$2,250$2,000$250
3-ton partial-home$3,375$3,000$375
4-ton partial-home$4,500$4,000$500

Worked out from Mass Save's published per-ton rates and caps. A system of about 3.2 tons or more reaches the cap in both years, so the whole-home difference tops out at $1,000.

Light plant towns: different dates

If your electric company is a town department, Mass Save's electric side does not apply and your utility has its own dates. Read from each utility's page on November 6, 2026:

Utility (towns)Date rule
Peabody Municipal Light Plant
Peabody		Purchase between 1/1/2026 and 12/31/2026. Application due 1/31/2027.
Danvers Electric Division
Danvers		Apply within 365 days of purchase or installation. The $6,000 yearly maximum resets to zero on January 1.
Belmont Light
Belmont		Online application within 6 months after the install.
Reading Municipal Light Department
Reading		Submit the incentive application through Abode once you pick a quote, before the install. For the 0% loan, applications received after installation are not eligible.
Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light
Wakefield		The page lists no end date. Submit the Enhanced Heat Pump Rebate form once every insulation and heat pump step, including Abode's post-install QA, is done.

Each utility's page, and its amounts, are on the light plant towns guide. Confirm with your utility before you sign.

Work backward from December 31

Mass Save does not publish how long installs take, and neither do we. These are the steps that have to happen before the install date, in order. Put a date next to each with your installer:

  1. Pick a Mass Save network installer. The rebate requires a contractor in the Heat Pump Installer Network.
  2. Know which rebate you qualify for. Whole-home needs the weatherization test. Gas, oil and propane homes apply through different accounts. Find your town.
  3. Get the load calculation and the design. For partial-home, the $500 sizing bonus needs a copy of the ACCA Manual J load calculation with the application.
  4. Pre-verify online if you can. Mass Save offers a pre-verification form in its portal.
  5. Order equipment and pull the permit. The equipment must be on the ENERGY STAR Cold Climate qualified list.
  6. Install and keep the paperwork. Invoice, equipment model numbers, the whole-home verification form where it applies.
  7. Submit by February 28, 2027, sooner is better.

The same steps with the document list: steps and timeline.

Is it worth rushing?

The most the date costs on a whole-home system is $1,000. That is real money and worth planning around. It is not worth a rushed design or a crew you do not trust. Choose the installer and the design first. Then ask for a committed date before December 31, in writing, and ask what happens to the date if equipment is late.

Income-qualified households are on a different table, up to $16,000. See income-eligible and the HEAT Loan. Mass Save had not published 2027 numbers for those when we checked.

Common questions

What is the deadline for the 2026 Mass Save heat pump rebate?

The heat pump has to be installed between January 1 and December 31, 2026. Mass Save must receive the rebate form and supporting documents by February 28, 2027, and asks you to allow eight weeks for processing.

Does the Mass Save heat pump rebate really drop on January 1, 2027?

Yes. Mass Save's page says whole-home projects installed on or after January 1, 2027 drop to $2,350 per ton, capped at $7,500, and partial-home projects drop to $1,000 per ton, capped at $7,500.

Who do I call if my install might slip past December 31?

Mass Save words both rates by installation date, so a contract signed in 2026 does not hold the 2026 rate on its own. Mass Save's rebate line for heat pump questions is 1-888-855-0340 (MARebates@resource-innovations.com). Call before the date moves, not after.

How much do I lose if the install slips into January?

For a whole-home system at the cap, $1,000: $8,500 becomes $7,500. A 3-ton whole-home system goes from $7,950 to $7,050. A 3-ton partial-home system goes from $3,375 to $3,000.

Do town light plant rebates have the same deadline?

No. Each utility has its own. Peabody requires purchase between January 1 and December 31, 2026 and applications by January 31, 2027. Danvers takes applications within 365 days of purchase or installation and resets its yearly maximum on January 1. Belmont wants the application within 6 months of the install. Reading wants the incentive application before the install. Wakefield's page lists no end date. Check the table above and your utility.

Is the federal heat pump tax credit still available?

The IRS says the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit covered improvements made through December 31, 2025. A heat pump installed in 2026 does not qualify for it.

Should I rush a heat pump install to beat December 31?

Only if the design is right. The 2027 cut is up to $1,000 on a whole-home system. A heat pump sized or placed wrong costs more than that over its life, so choose the installer and the design first, then ask what date they can commit to.

Can I still apply if the install is in December and paperwork comes later?

Yes. For a 2026 install, Mass Save accepts the rebate form and supporting documentation until February 28, 2027. Your installer's final invoice and the equipment details are part of it.

Rebate guides for your town

Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Medford, Arlington, Watertown, Waltham, Woburn, Winchester, Lexington, Stoneham, Melrose, Malden, Everett, Revere, Lynn, Salem, Beverly, Wakefield, Reading, Danvers, Peabody, Belmont.

Mass Save sets the amounts and decides eligibility. We help with the paperwork. Call (781) 210-8400 or send two photos to book an install date.

Get an install date before December 31.

Send two photos and your town. We look at them and get back to you with a price. Or call (781) 210-8400.

Send photos, get a price
Call (781) 210-8400Rebate