Start here
The free tool below runs entirely in this browser — no account, nothing stored or transmitted. Redact anything you would not want kept before you type it.
Open the companion tool →Why one page beats three accounts
The three costs interact: a cheaper tier can carry a smaller data allowance, a subsidy applies to one service only (Lifeline is one per household), and a device replacement can reset a contract term. Households that track them together avoid the classic outcome — saving $9 a month on one line while paying more for data on another.
It is also the honest record for the seasonal question, which is where the free routes: school-year hot spots, seasonal work, and energy-assistance recertification all land on the same calendar.
The protocol
- List each household line: provider, plan, monthly cost, data allowance, and the discount applied.
- Note each discount's basis, renewal date, and the document needed to keep it.
- Write the device status: age, condition, whether a repair or replacement is pending, and its cost.
- Check the totals against the household budget and mark the one change with the largest monthly effect.
- Diarise the renewal dates and the review date on the same page, and keep the confirmations with it.
What the tool does
Keep a household's phone, data, device, and subsidy record on one page with the renewal dates that matter. It runs locally in this browser and sends nothing.
Limit first: This is a planning and referral aid, not legal or financial advice. It cannot enrol you in a programme, connect a service, or guarantee that free help is available where you live.
Open the companion tool →Cost and free path
Cost: Free: one complete run in this browser, no account. Optional $4 one-time unlock allows unlimited runs of this tool on this browser. The free path and safety guidance never require payment.
Rule status (mixed route): in force: Lifeline provides one discount per household ($9.25/month, $34.25 on Tribal lands) and provider low-income tiers sit alongside it; the ACP ended in June 2024. Renewal and eligibility rules are set by the programme and the provider, so the renewal dates on the plan are the ones that matter.
Automated decision this documents: eligibility and renewal rules across subsidy programmes and provider tiers
Free path, in order (no cost):
- Lifeline Support Center — 1-800-234-9473 (lifelinesupport.org)
- FCC broadband consumer resources (fcc.gov/broadband-consumer-resources)
- 211 — local digital-inclusion programmes and device help (211.org)
- benefits.gov — cross-programme eligibility screening (benefits.gov)
What this cannot do: It cannot enrol you in a programme, connect a service, or guarantee that free help is available where you live.
Sources checked 2026-10-03 · source bank reviewed against the live pages listed in metadata.
One human next step
Take the one-page plan to your provider or to 211 and ask for the change with the largest monthly effect — the renewal dates on the page are what keep the discounts from being lost.
Research log and safety checks
AI-assist path: not used for a verdict. This builder organises the reader's own documents and names an independent source; it does not infer authenticity, eligibility, or legal rights. §6.9/§6.10/§6.11 disclosed in the batch report; §6.12 status line carried in metadata as `status_line`.
§0.5 protection result: category is access-and-digital-affordability; crisis-adjacent: no; fear/urgency/scarcity toolkit used: no. The protective function is free and the paid feature is convenience only.