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Seniors › Guide

Lifeline and Other Utility Discounts for Seniors on Fixed Incomes

By CalculateBenefits Editorial Team · Reviewed by Mark Phaneuf, Publisher · September 2026

A screen-print image shows older hands with a phone linked to a home and utility symbols.
Lifeline, LIHEAP, and weather aid use separate rules for phone, internet, and home energy help. Original illustration created for CalculateBenefits.

Lifeline can cut a phone or internet bill by up to $9.25 a month. The benefit can be as high as $34.25 on some Tribal lands. It is for people with low income, not only for older adults.

Other programs may help with heat, power, or home repairs. You must apply for each program on its own.

Who may get Lifeline?

You may qualify if someone in your home gets one of these:

You may also qualify by income. The limit is 135% of the federal poverty guide. In 2026, the yearly limit for one person in most states is $21,546.

Age, Social Security, or Medicare alone does not make you eligible. Yet one of the programs tied to them may.

How much does Lifeline pay?

The standard help is up to $9.25 each month. It can be used for an eligible phone, internet, or set of both services.

Only one Lifeline benefit is allowed for a household. Two people at one address may be separate homes if they do not share money, but proof may be needed.

The company must take the credit off an eligible plan. Ask about the full bill after the credit, data limits, and any phone cost.

How do you apply for Lifeline?

  1. Go to LifelineSupport.org.
  2. Use the National Verifier to check your case.
  3. Send proof if the system asks.
  4. Pick a phone or internet company that takes Lifeline.
  5. Check the first bill for the credit.

You may need to prove that you still qualify each year. Read each notice so the credit does not end.

Is the Affordable Connectivity Program still open?

No. The Affordable Connectivity Program, or ACP, ended on June 1, 2024. A site that still promises a new ACP discount is out of date or unsafe.

Lifeline is a different program and is still open. Do not pay a fee to apply.

Can you get help with heat or power?

LIHEAP may help with a heat or cooling bill. It may also help in a shutoff crisis. A state or local office runs it, and funds can run out.

Read our LIHEAP guide to find the right office. Call the utility too. Ask about a senior rate, budget bill, late-fee help, and a shutoff plan.

Can your home get free weather work?

The Weatherization Assistance Program may add work that cuts energy use and makes a home safer. The local agency decides what the home needs.

It may seal air leaks, add insulation, or check heat equipment. It is not a cash grant and may have a wait.

Renters may apply, but the owner may need to agree.

What should you gather?

Do not send your only copy. Save the form and date.

What else should older adults check?

Phone and energy help are only two paths. Medicare costs, food, rent, and drug bills may have their own aid.

Use our yearly senior benefits checkup to work through them one at a time.

Run your numbers. The free Medicare Savings Program calculator checks the four cut-offs that can erase the Part B premium and cut drug costs. Nothing you type is saved. All calculators →

Sources

Programs mentioned in this guide

Lifeline Program (Phone and Internet Discount)

Lifeline is a federal program that lowers the monthly cost of phone, internet, or bundled service for eligible subscribers by up to $9.25 pe…

Utilities & PhoneIncome Support