Who qualifies for a free cell phone?

There are a few rules and restrictions to the Lifeline phone service, and while not everyone qualifies for this free phone from the government, if you’ve got financial problems you most likely are eligible.

Do you qualify for your own free mobile phone and up to 250-1,000 an even unlimited voice minutes and unlimited texting each and every month? It’s very quick and simple to find out. And like we said, if you do quality, there’s absolutely no cost to you for the phone or the service.

Although it’s the cell phone companies that verify your information, send out the phone, and manage your account, this is a federal government-sponsored and regulated program, so the eligibility requirements are very similar no matter where you live and who you choose to get your phone from.

Be aware that there may be small differences depending on the state in which you live, but those differences are pretty minor. Generally, you will qualify if you participate in any of the following federal benefit programs:

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps or SNAP)
• Medicaid
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8)
• Veterans Pension and Survivor's Benefit.
• Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance (BIA)
• Tribally Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF)
• Tribal Head Start (only those households meeting its income qualifying standard)
• Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)

In addition, if you are trying to qualify on your low-income, maximum income levels allowed in a few states vary from the norm of 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. For example, if you and your spouse live in Hawaii and have six kids, you cam earn up to $62,249 of total household income.

With that in mind, there are two ways to qualify for a free cell phone from the government:

Lifeline Eligibility via Participation in Federal or State Assistance Programs

Most people will qualify for a Lifeline cell phone and service through their participation in a federal or state assistance program. The theory goes, if you are on these designated programs then you have already proven yourself to be in financial need; so no need to prove it all over again. Here are the universal federal assistance programs you’ll find in every state:

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps or SNAP)
• Medicaid
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8)
• Veterans Pension and Survivor’s Benefit.
• Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance (BIA)
• Tribally Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF)
• Tribal Head Start (only those households meeting its income qualifying standard)
• Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)

Important: Each state has the option to allow eligibility based on some of their own state assistance programs. For example, in Massachusetts the MassHealth program qualifies you and in California participating in the Women, Infants and Children Program gets you a phone. So, even if you do not qualify according to the list above, check if your state has other programs under which you might be eligible. To check your own state, CLICK HERE.

OR, you can qualify by your income level, explained below…

Lifeline Eligibility via Total Household Income

Qualifying through participation in an assistance program is the easiest way to enroll, as you will not have to prove your income level. But if you are able to qualify that way, you can enroll based upon your Total Household Income. Household income includes all incomes received by everyone in your household, whether taxable or non-taxable, including, but not limited to: wages, salaries, interest, dividends, spousal support and child support, grants, gifts, inheritances, allowances, stipends, public-assistance payments, social security and pensions, rental income, lottery winnings, income from self-employment and cash payments from other sources, and all employment-related, non-cash income. The only exceptions are student financial aid, military housing and cost-of-living allowances, irregular income from occasional small jobs such as baby-sitting or lawn mowing, and the like.

All states other than Alaska, California and Hawaii require income levels that are at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. But we see conflicting documentation for the levels in Florida, Michigan, Texas and New Jersey–some carriers say it’s 150% and some say 135%, for the same state. We cannot definitively say which it is, so check with each provider. And depending on whether you’re 65 or older, Vermont may allow your household income to be as much as 234%.

NOTES:

1. Only one Lifeline account allowed per household.

2. You must have a valid United States mailing address. (Sorry, post office boxes are not acceptable because your cell phone must be mailed to a valid street address.)