Apply and keep it
Lifeline application denied: find the reason, then the fix
Independent site, not the FCC, USAC or a phone company. Lifeline applications are made only on the official National Verifier or through your state.
Check your figures again first: the checker shows whether the refusal comes from the rules or from a step you can fix.
Not eligible on these figures
No discount
| 2026 income limit, 3 people | $36,882 |
| Your income is over it by | $1,118 |
| Share of the poverty guideline | 139% |
| Where to apply | National Verifier (USAC) |
- Over the limit and no qualifying benefit. Enrolling in SNAP, Medicaid or SSI later opens Lifeline.
- 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.
Most Lifeline refusals are not final decisions about your eligibility but errors the National Verifier could not resolve on its own. USAC lists them with the documents that clear them. The application can stop because your identity did not match, your address was not found by the Postal Service check, someone at your address already has Lifeline, you are under 18 without being an emancipated minor, or your benefit or income could not be confirmed in a database. Each has a fix: an unexpired ID showing your date of birth and the last four digits of your Social Security number, a pin dropped on your home on a map, the household worksheet, a court document, or a benefit letter dated within 12 months. A real refusal on the rules happens when no one in the household receives a qualifying benefit and income is above 135% of the poverty guidelines, $36,882 a year for three people in 2026. The checker above tells you which case you are in.
One Lifeline per household: how many at your address?
Benefits still possible
1
| Households (economic units) | 2 |
| Already enrolled | 1 |
| Worksheet needed | Yes, the household worksheet |
Each economic unit may hold one benefit, after the worksheet.
Rules and figures read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Errors and their fixes
USAC’s page on resolving application errors gives the documents for each error. Send copies, never originals; by mail, add the cover sheet.
| Error | What it means | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Identity: Social Security digits or date of birth | The identity check found no match | Unexpired document with your name and the last four digits, or your date of birth: driver’s license, passport, Social Security card, W-2, tax return |
| Address not found | The Postal Service check does not know the address | Online, a pin on your home; by mail, a map or a utility bill, lease or ID with the address |
| Duplicate address | Another subscriber at the same address | Household worksheet showing a separate economic unit |
| Duplicate subscriber | You already have Lifeline somewhere | Consent to a transfer, or a call to the support center if it is fraud |
| Under 18 | Applicant is a minor | Court document or certificate of emancipation |
| Eligibility not confirmed | No database found the benefit or income | Benefit letter within the last year, or income proof |
| Proof of life | The applicant may be listed as deceased | One document with date of birth and SSN digits, and one showing activity in the last three months |
Identity and address errors are usually the quickest to clear, because one document or a pin on a map is enough. Before sending anything, check that your name, date of birth and address are typed exactly as they appear on your ID and your mail.
A refusal on the rules
If every check passed and the answer is still no, the cause is eligibility itself. Under 47 CFR 54.409 you qualify only through a listed benefit or through income at or below 135% of the guidelines. Look at the household again: a dependent child on Medicaid, or a spouse receiving SSI, qualifies the whole household. Check that you counted gross income, before taxes, for all members, and that you counted every person who shares income and expenses with you, as defined in 47 CFR 54.400. A larger household has a higher limit:
| Household | Limit | Limit one person larger |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $21,546 | $29,214 |
| 2 people | $29,214 | $36,882 |
| 3 people | $36,882 | $44,550 |
| 4 people | $44,550 | $52,218 |
| 5 people | $52,218 | $59,886 |
One Lifeline per household: how many at your address?
Benefits still possible
1
| Households (economic units) | 2 |
| Already enrolled | 1 |
| Worksheet needed | Yes, the household worksheet |
Each economic unit may hold one benefit, after the worksheet.
Shared addresses and the household question
Shelters, group homes and shared apartments produce many duplicate address errors. The FCC treats residents of group living facilities as separate households, and roommates who keep separate finances are separate households too. The household worksheet page walks through the questions; the tool above counts how many Lifeline benefits your address can hold.
Who to call
The Lifeline Support Center answers at 1-800-234-9473 and can tell you which error stopped your application and which documents are missing. A company agent can also look at the error with you in person. Be wary of anyone who asks for money to fix an application: the process has no fee, as the scams page explains. Once the error is cleared, your application continues where it stopped; the National Verifier page explains what happens next.