What you get
Lifeline phone: what the plan and the device must offer
Enter the minutes and data of a plan in the calculator above to see whether it earns the full federal discount, the voice-only amount or nothing.
Does this plan earn the full discount?
Federal support
$9.25
| Data standard | 4.5 GB |
| Meets the broadband standard | Yes |
| Meets the voice standard | Yes |
Full support of $9.25.
A Lifeline phone is an ordinary phone used with a plan that carries the federal Lifeline discount. The discount pays for service, not hardware: the FCC states that it does not subsidize any phone or other device, so a handset that comes with a Lifeline plan is the company’s own offer. What the rules do control is the plan. To earn the full $9.25 a month, a mobile plan must include at least 4.5 GB of data a month at 3G speed or better; a home internet plan needs 25/3 Mbps and 1,280 GB. A mobile plan that only meets the voice standard of 1,000 minutes earns $5.25, available through November 30, 2027. These standards are frozen until December 1, 2027 by an FCC waiver. When a company does hand out devices, they must be Wi-Fi enabled, and a mobile company must offer at least one that can work as a hotspot. A free plan must also be used once every 30 days.
Rules and figures read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
The minimum service standards, in one table
A company is reimbursed only for plans that meet the minimum service standards. USAC publishes the current levels, and the FCC notice of July 29, 2026 confirmed them until December 1, 2027:
| Service | Standard | Support if met |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile voice | 1,000 minutes a month | $5.25 |
| Mobile broadband | 3G or better, 4.5 GB a month | $9.25 |
| Home (fixed) broadband | 25/3 Mbps, 1,280 GB a month | $9.25 |
| Home (fixed) voice only | no minimum standard | $5.25 |
A bundle that meets both the voice and the broadband standards earns $9.25; a bundle that meets only the voice standard earns $5.25. On qualifying Tribal lands, up to $25 more is added in every case. For mobile speed, the company must advertise as well as provide 3G or better.
Why voice-only plans still exist
The 2016 reform planned to end support for voice-only service. That final step has been postponed every year since 2021, most recently by the Bureau order of July 1, 2026, which keeps $5.25 available through November 30, 2027 while the FCC reviews the program. Where a Census block has only one Lifeline company, voice support continues anyway. For a household that mostly calls, a voice plan of 1,000 minutes still carries a discount; for one that needs data, only a plan with at least 4.5 GB earns the full amount.
The device: what the company must and need not do
The FCC is explicit that it does not subsidize hardware, including mobile phones a company provides; problems with a device go to the company. The rules on devices only apply when a company chooses to provide them. All such devices must be Wi-Fi enabled, and a mobile broadband company must offer at least one model that can work as a hotspot. A company may not charge extra for tethering on data used below the standard. Nothing in the rules requires a company to give a phone at all, or a particular brand.
So the cost of a phone is a separate decision from the discount. The calculator below shows what you pay over a year when a phone is bought and a plan is discounted:
Phone price against what Lifeline pays
You pay the first year
$618
| Lifeline off the plan, per year | $111 |
| Lifeline toward the phone | $0 |
| Plan after discount, per month | $15.75 |
The FCC does not subsidize any hardware: a phone offered with Lifeline is the company’s own offer.
For example, a $200 phone used with a $25 plan costs $389 over the first year: the full phone price plus $15.75 a month of service. The iPhone page looks at offers of free smartphones.
Plans the discount can go on
Companies may let you apply the discount to any residential plan that meets the standards: fixed or mobile voice, broadband, or a bundle, including plans with caller ID, call waiting, voicemail or three-way calling, and family shared data plans if the company allows it. Under 47 CFR 54.403, the company subtracts the support from the plan’s price and charges you the rest. Plans with no monthly fee carry one extra condition under 47 CFR 54.407: use within every 30 days, by a call, a text, data or answering a call, or the company must warn you and end service after 15 days. The non-usage page explains that rule, and the transfer page covers moving your benefit to another company with a better plan.