Effective 2/1/26 if you are eligible for both Federal and California State Lifeline, you must apply separately for each.
You can qualify for the Lifeline discounts by either Method 1 (Program-Based) OR Method 2 (Income-Based). All applicants must submit copies of documentation showing their eligibility, along with their application form, to the California Lifeline Administrator before the response date. Applicants may use either the paper process or online process to submit their application form and any other required documentation. There are two ways to qualify for the program.
Method 1
For Method 1 (Program-Based), you must certify that you or a member of your household is enrolled in any one of the following public-assistance programs:
Method 2
For Method 2 (Income-Based), you can qualify for California Lifeline if your household’s total annual gross income is at or less than these annual income limits:
A household includes adults and children who are living together at the same address as one economic unit. An economic unit consists of all adults (persons at least 18 years old) contributing to and sharing in the household’s income and expenses.
Consumers applying for the California Lifeline Program must be approved before receiving the California Lifeline discounts. For more information, go to www.californialifeline.com.
ONLY ONE CALIFORNIA LIFELINE DISCOUNTED SERVICE PER HOUSEHOLD IS ALLOWED. Each household must choose to get the discount, either on a home phone or on a cell phone, but not on both. Households cannot get the discount from multiple phone companies (except for teletypewriter users and for Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program participants). Households that do not follow the California Lifeline one-discounted-service per-household rule will lose their discounts and may be prosecuted by the U.S. government. Individuals can also be punished for giving false information to get the discounts. Penalties can include imprisonment, losing the discounts, monetary fines, and being banned from the California Lifeline Program. The discounts can only be for the primary residence.
California Lifeline participants may transfer their discounts from one phone company to another, but you may NOT have more than one phone line active with the California Lifeline discounts. If you choose to transfer your California Lifeline discounts from Frontier to another California Lifeline provider, then Frontier will charge retail rates for you to continue using your phone service.
If you apply to be in California Lifeline, you will pay the regular rates for your phone service until your application is approved. To help you pay the up-front costs of establishing your phone service, like the service installation/connection fee, service conversion fee, and deposits, you may request to be on an interest-free payment plan. After being approved by the California Lifeline Administrator, you will be refunded the difference between the regular rates and the California Lifeline discounted rates for any applicable monthly service charges, service installation/connection fees, service conversion fees, and/or deposits for your phone service. The refund and the California Lifeline discounts will be retroactive to the date your service began or the date you requested to be enrolled, whichever is later. If your bill has a net credit balance of $10.00 or more, you may request a refund check from Frontier. Otherwise, the refund will simply be reflected as a credit on your account.
HOW TO APPLY FOR THE CALIFORNIA LIFELINE DISCOUNTS. If you think your household qualifies for the California Lifeline discounts, call Frontier at 1.877.430.1473. We will review the program and eligibility rules with you. Then we will inform the California Lifeline Administrator to send you an application form. The California Lifeline Administrator will mail you an application form in a PINK envelope with a Personal Identification Number (PIN). You can apply online at www.californialifeline.com, using your PIN or complete, sign and mail the form and any required proof to the California Lifeline Administrator. The form and any required documents must be completed and returned before the response date indicated on the form. If you do not return the form, or fail to provide requested documentation, you will not get the California Lifeline discounts and will continue to pay the regular rates.
SECOND CALIFORNIA LIFELINE DISCOUNT You may also qualify for the California Lifeline discounts on a second telephone line, if you or another person in your household is disabled and needs a teletypewriter (TTY) when using the phone. To get the 2nd California Lifeline discount, you must provide proof of participation in the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program or provide a medical certificate indicating the need for TTY. Note: additional discounts are also available through Federal Funding for qualified residents on federally recognized tribal lands.
HOW TO KEEP YOUR CALIFORNIA LIFELINE DISCOUNTS. Once you are a California Lifeline participant, you must renew your participation annually. The California Lifeline Administrator will mail you a renewal form in a PINK envelope with a Personal Identification Number (PIN). You can renew online at www.californialifeline.com, using your PIN, or you may complete, sign and mail the form to the California Lifeline Administrator. If you do not renew before the response date or get approved, you will lose the California Lifeline discounts, be removed from the program and be charged the regular rates. If you have questions about your renewal, contact the California Lifeline Administrator at 1.888.913.6494 or 1.833.772.0295 (TTY), from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Friday.
DE-ENROLLMENT RULES. Your household may lose the California Lifeline discounts if your household no longer qualifies, is already receiving the discounts (except for TTY), fails to use the California Lifeline discounted phone service for 60 consecutive days, violates the California Lifeline Program’s rules, and/or does not renew the discounts on an annual basis.
Lifeline service is a non-transferable (from one person to another) government assistance program that provides a discount on the cost of monthly telephone service only ($5.25) or qualified internet access service with or without telephone service ($9.25). Lifeline is limited to one discount per household, and only eligible customers may enroll. To receive the Lifeline, discount each month, you must certify that you or someone in your household currently receives benefits from one of these programs:
You may also qualify for the federal Lifeline discount if your annual income is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. You can either apply either by printing and mailing an application form or by submitting your application online.
Apply via mail:
Please download and fill out the application (también disponible en español) along with proof of eligibility and mail to the address on the application.
Apply online:
For faster processing, apply online at lifelinesupport.org.
After USAC receives your completed application and the required proof of eligibility, they will notify you of your eligibility status. Once you have been approved for Lifeline, call us to have the Lifeline discounts added to your account.
Customers who subscribe to Seasonal, Stay Connected, or Vacation Service are not eligible for the Lifeline discount. Existing Lifeline customers must remove Lifeline in order to enroll in Seasonal, Stay Connected, or Vacation Service, and reapply for Lifeline upon restoring service.
For further information, please call Frontier at 1.877.430.1473 and we will review the program and eligibility rules with you. Our representative will be happy to answer your questions and provide you with the information you need to follow through with the appropriate application process.