Upcoming Dates

04/08
2026
April 2026 Monthly Webinar
05/13
2026
May 2026 Monthly Webinar

See full calendar

Resources

How It Works

Lifeline is a federal program that offers a monthly benefit of up to $9.25 towards phone or internet services for eligible subscribers (up to $34.25 for those living on Tribal lands).

Eligible Consumers

A consumer can qualify for the Lifeline benefit if their income is 135% or less than the federal poverty guidelines, or if they participate in SNAP, Medicaid, or other federal programs. See the full list of qualifying factors.

Eligible Services

Lifeline subscribers can apply their benefit to home or mobile phone service or to high-speed broadband.

The Process

These steps will help service providers navigate the process to join Lifeline as an eligible telecommunications carrier (ETC).

1

Become an ETC

2

Create a Compliance Plan

3

Obtain a Study Area Code

4

Obtain a 498 ID

Get Started

Announcements

March Monthly System Maintenance

Mar 18, 2026

USAC will perform scheduled monthly system maintenance on Friday, March 20, from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 21.

The production environments of the following systems are impacted:

  • National Verifier Portal
  • National Verifier Carrier API  
    • ...

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Lifeline Claims System Updates

Mar 11, 2026

On March 18, 2026, USAC will make updates to the Lifeline Claims System (LCS) that will prevent...

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Lifeline Newsletter – February 2026

Feb 26, 2026

  • SAM.gov UEI Requirement
  • FCC Form 481 Filing...

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Updated Lifeline Income Qualifications for 2026

Feb 25, 2026

USAC has updated its forms, systems, and resources to reflect the 2026 Federal Poverty Guidelines which were...

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Ad – Hoc System Maintenance

Feb 23, 2026

USAC will perform an ad-hoc system maintenance on Thursday, February 26, from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m....

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Read more announcements