California LifeLine provides discounted home phone and cell phone services to qualified households. Only one California LifeLine discounted phone is allowed per household (except for teletypewriter users and for Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program participants). The California LifeLine discounts can only be for the individual’s primary residence. An individual can only have one primary residence.
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. Households that do not follow the one discounted service per household rule will lose their discounts, and may be prosecuted by the U.S. government. Receiving multiple discounted phone services violates the California LifeLine Program’s rules.
Penalties for violating the California LifeLine Program’s rules can include imprisonment, losing the discounts, monetary fines, and being banned from the California LifeLine Program. The California LifeLine Program can also seek repayment of the discounts that should not have been received.
30 Day Enrollment Request Freeze for Wireless Telephone Service
The limitation requires a consumer who submitted an enrollment request, in an attempt to receive California LifeLine wireless telephone services, to wait a maximum of 30 days to submit another enrollment request to another service provider. This restricts consumers’ ability to submit enrollment requests for California LifeLine wireless telephone services. The 30-day clock for the enrollment request freeze duration starts when the California LifeLine Administrator (Administrator) generates an application packet for a consumer or confirms that the request is an inter-carrier transfer request. The CPUC adopted three types of activities that would stop the enrollment request freeze duration, which are as follows:
As soon as one of these three activities occurs, the 30-day clock stops for the particular enrollment request. The consumer may then submit another enrollment request for California LifeLine wireless telephone services. A consumer cannot have multiple enrollment requests for California LifeLine wireless telephone services going at the same time.
How to Cancel an Enrollment Request
A consumer can independently cancel an enrollment request by contacting the Administrator. The phone company can also cancel an enrollment request.
How to Contact the Administrator
Consumers can contact the Administrator by phone or going online at www.californialifeline.com. For the Administrator’s phone numbers, go to California LifeLine Contacts.
Discounted home phone services available to California LifeLine participants may include the following:
*Does not account for Extended Area Service rates, which provides a higher level of support.
There are two ways to qualify for the California LifeLine Program. You may qualify for California LifeLine via Program-Based OR Income-Based. Documentation of proof of eligibility is required. Submit COPIES of proof of eligibility with the completed and signed application. Make sure that your signature is very clear and legible.
You can qualify for California LifeLine if you or another person in your household is enrolled in any one of these qualifying public assistance programs:
You can qualify for California LifeLine if your household's total annual gross income is at or less than these annual income limits:
Household Size | Annual Income Limits |
1 | $23,400 |
2 | $31,700 |
3 | $40,000 |
4 | $48,400 |
Each Additional Member | $8,400 |
Effective June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2025 |
Documentation is required to show your household’s total annual gross income meets the annual income limits if you are qualifying by Income-Based. A household’s total annual gross income consists of money received BEFORE TAXES by everyone in your household (adults and children), from whatever source derived, whether taxable or non-taxable, including, but not limited to: wages, salaries, interest, dividends, alimony and child support, grants, gifts, allowances, stipends, lottery winnings, inheritances, worker’s compensation, unemployment and public assistance benefits, social security payments, pensions, rental income, income from self-employment, and cash payments from other sources, and all employment-related, non-cash income.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR NEW APPLICANTS
Beginning July 1, 2009, new applicants for the California LifeLine Program must be approved before the California LifeLine discounts are received. If you apply to be in California LifeLine, you will pay the regular rates for basic home phone service until your application is approved. Please be sure to ask the telephone company what they are so you will be aware of these rates and fees.
To help you pay the up-front costs of establishing your home phone service like the service installation/connection fee, service conversion fee, and deposits, you can request to be on an interest-free payment plan. This will spread out your payments in more manageable amounts while you wait for your eligibility to be approved for California LifeLine. Payment plans can vary between the different home phone companies.
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 fee, service conversion fee, and deposits for basic home phone service.
You will receive a bill credit with the California LifeLine discounts 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 your home phone company. Otherwise, the refund will just be a credit on your account.