Get your Free Cell Phone with Unlimited Talk/Text W/Data for One Year.
Upgrade Lifeline Cell Phones, Change Providers or Use Your Own
T-Mobile/AT&T Phone
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 such as:
Medicaid/Medi-Cal
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8)
CalFresh, Food Stamps or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC)
National School Lunch Program’s Free Lunch Program
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWorks)
Stanislaus County Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (StanWorks)
Welfare-to-Work (WTW)
Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN)
Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
Tribally-Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TTANF)
Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
Head Start Income Eligible (Tribal Only)
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
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 NOT able to qualify through participation in an assistance program, 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.
Household Size Annual Income Limits
1-2 Members $25,500
3 Members $29,700
4 Members $35,900
5 Members $42,100
For each additional member add: $6,200
NOTES:
1. Only one Lifeline account allowed per household. ***With exceptions
2. You must have a valid United States mailing address. (No, post office boxes are not acceptable because your cell phone must be mailed to a valid street address.)
To provide eligible people free cell phones with free voice minutes and free text.
Free cell phones with free voice minutes and free text.
