Do I qualify?
Free phone for seniors: how older adults qualify for Lifeline
Independent site, not the FCC, USAC or a phone company. Lifeline applications are made only on the official National Verifier or through your state.
Most seniors live alone or as a couple: try one or two people in the checker above with your yearly income before taxes.
Your income qualifies
$9.25 off per month
| 2026 income limit, 1 person | $21,546 |
| Your income is under it by | $2,346 |
| Share of the poverty guideline | 120% |
| Discount over a year | $111 |
| Where to apply | National Verifier (USAC) |
- Income route: proof of a full year of income, or 3 consecutive months of pay stubs.
- One Lifeline per household (48 states, DC and territories table). How to apply
Everything you enter stays in this browser: nothing is sent or stored. This is an estimate from the published rules; the decision is made by the National Verifier or your state.
There is no separate free phone program for seniors. Older adults get the same federal Lifeline benefit as everyone else, up to $9.25 a month off one phone or internet plan, and the only age rule is the minimum of 18: nothing changes at 60, 65 or 80. What helps many seniors is that their household is small, so the income limit that applies is the lowest line of the table. In 2026, a person living alone qualifies with gross income up to $21,546 a year, about $1,795 a month, and a couple up to $29,214, about $2,434 a month, in the 48 states and DC. Seniors who receive Supplemental Security Income, Medicaid, SNAP, public housing assistance or a VA pension qualify whatever their income. A Social Security or pension statement of benefits is an accepted proof of income, and the plan can be a mobile phone, a home phone line or internet.
Rules and figures read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Three seniors, three routes
A widow in Pittsburgh living alone on $1,600 a month. Her yearly income is $19,200, which is $2,346 under the one-person limit of $21,546. She qualifies on income and proves it with her Social Security statement of benefits, one of the documents the National Verifier accepts.
A married couple in Phoenix with $2,600 a month in pensions. That is $31,200 a year, $1,986 over the two-person limit of $29,214. On income they do not qualify. If one of them is enrolled in Medicaid, the household qualifies anyway, because the program route ignores income.
A man of 82 receiving SSI, who lives with his daughter’s family. His SSI qualifies the household. But if his daughter already holds Lifeline and he is supported by her, the household definition puts him in her household: an adult with little or no income who lives with someone who supports him belongs to that person’s household, and one benefit covers them all. If he keeps his money separate and pays his own share, he is his own household and can apply after filling in the household worksheet.
The limits that matter for one or two people
| Household | 48 states and DC | Alaska | Hawaii |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person, per year | $21,546 | $26,933 | $24,786 |
| 2 people, per year | $29,214 | $36,518 | $33,602 |
| 1 person, per month | $1,795 | $2,244 | $2,065 |
| 2 people, per month | $2,434 | $3,043 | $2,800 |
Income means gross income of everyone in the household, before taxes. For pay stubs, 3 consecutive months are needed; a yearly document such as a tax return, a pension statement or a Social Security statement of benefits covers the year on its own. Compare your figure with the calculator:
Lifeline income limit for your household
2026 limit (135% of the guideline)
$36,882
| Your income | $32,000 |
| Room under the limit | $4,882 |
| Your income as a share of the guideline | 117% |
| Monthly equivalent of the limit | $3,073 |
Under the limit: the income route is open.
Choosing a plan that suits an older user
The FCC rule on Lifeline plans, 47 CFR 54.401, lets companies apply the discount to any residential plan that meets the minimum standards, including plans with caller ID, call waiting, voicemail or three-way calling. A senior who mostly makes calls can choose a home phone line, a mobile plan meeting the minimum standard of at least 1,000 minutes a month, or a bundle with data for video calls with family. On a voice-only plan with no toll charges, the company may not ask for a service deposit, and no Lifeline plan may carry a monthly number-portability charge.
One rule catches older users who rarely call: a plan with no monthly fee must be used at least once every 30 days, by a call, a text, data or answering a call, or it can be ended after a 15-day notice. A phone kept in a drawer for emergencies can lose its service that way.
Help and caution
Eligibility is checked again every year. A senior whose benefit is matched automatically by a government database usually passes without doing anything; one who qualified on income, or whose program is not matched in the state, receives a form and has 60 days to send it back with proof. Missing that window ends the benefit a few business days later, so it helps to have a relative watch the mail. The FCC directs people with a disability who need help with the application to the Lifeline Support Center at 1-800-234-9473. Older adults are also a target of fake offers: the rules set no enrollment fee, and companies cannot take a National Verifier application by phone. The scams page lists the warning signs, and the SSI page explains why an SSI letter often has to be uploaded.