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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 the deadline is the whole tool
The National Verifier notifies subscribers about 90 days before the anniversary date and recertifies automatically where it can; where it cannot, the household has to act — online, by phone, or by mail — and the benefit stops if the window passes. The ACP's June 2024 end left Lifeline as the remaining federal discount, so the $9.25 is worth defending with a calendar entry rather than a memory.
The same record answers the second question: whether the household is on the cheapest eligible service for its usage, which is where the larger monthly difference usually sits.
The protocol
- Confirm the current status: provider, plan, the Lifeline discount applied, and the anniversary date.
- Check the eligibility basis that applies — income at or below 135% of the federal poverty guidelines, or participation in SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, federal public housing, or Veterans Pension.
- Complete recertification through the National Verifier (online, by phone, or by mail) before the date on the notice.
- Keep the confirmation, the application ID, and the date, and diarise the next anniversary date.
- If the discount stops, ask the provider and the Lifeline Support Center to reinstate it and re-check the plan against cheaper eligible tiers.
What the tool does
Keep the Lifeline discount through recertification and re-check the plan it is applied to. 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 (federal route): in force: Lifeline provides up to $9.25/month, or $34.25/month on qualifying Tribal lands, at or below 135% of the federal poverty guidelines or through programme eligibility; recertification is annual and the National Verifier notifies subscribers about 90 days before the anniversary date. The ACP ended in June 2024 with no federal successor of the same scale.
Automated decision this documents: the National Verifier's automated eligibility and recertification check
Free path, in order (no cost):
- Lifeline Support Center — 1-800-234-9473 (lifelinesupport.org)
- 211 — local screening and referral (211.org)
- benefits.gov — check the programmes that create Lifeline eligibility
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
Recertify through the National Verifier before the anniversary date, keep the confirmation and application ID, and call the Lifeline Support Center at 1-800-234-9473 if the discount stops without explanation.
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.