Disbursement Schedules

Pursuant to the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (DCIA), all universal service disbursements must be made by electronic funds transfer (EFT). The FCC indicated that recipients of universal service support must provide their financial institution information and other relevant information on the FCC Form 498.

For more information on how disbursements are made, visit the Disbursement Remittance page.

When will I receive the disbursement?

Universal Service Program Disbursement Payment Schedule

High Cost Program

Once a month (end of the month)

Lifeline Program

Once a month (end of the month)

Rural Health Care Program

Twice a month (usually the 1st and 3rd weeks of the month)

Schools and Libraries Program

Twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays with few exceptions)*

*FY2015 and prior invoices will run on the first and third Wednesday of each month, with few exceptions

(Table developed based on approved disbursement payments from on-time filings.)

Researching the Status

If you have questions about the status of your disbursement, research your disbursement or contact the program team using the information listed below to verify that your disbursement was approved.

Disbursement Help

Once the service provider confirms that the disbursement has been approved, but has not been received by the date indicated in the chart above, contact Customer Support with any further questions relating to your disbursement.
Contact Customer Support via email; be sure to provide the following information:

  • The 498 ID associated with the disbursement
  • The program you participate in that is associated with this disbursement (HC, LI, RHC, or SL)
  • The date the disbursement amount was approved by the program team
  • The approved amount of the disbursement