California LifeLine Eligibility

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.

 

Limitations Effective June 1, 2017

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:

  1.  The Administrator sends the final eligibility decision to the consumer;
  2.  The consumer or California LifeLine service provider cancels the enrollment request; and
  3.  30 days have passed since the Administrator generated the application packet or confirmed that the request is an inter-carrier transfer request.

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. 

Types of Discounts Available

Discounted home phone services available to California LifeLine participants may include the following:

  • Specific Support Amount Effective January 1, 2024 - Up to $19.00

    • Monthly flat rate service discount of up to $19.00*
    • Monthly cell phone service discount of up to $19.00 

  • Service connection discount of up to $39

  • Service conversion discount for home phone services of up to $39  

  • Free from paying the public purpose program surcharges, CPUC’s user fee, federal excise tax, local franchise taxes, and State 911 tax associated with your phone service

  • Discounts on two telephone lines if you use a teletypewriter (TTY) or are part of the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program. If you use a TTY, you must have immediate and continuous access to it. If the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program did not give you other proof, provide a copy of a medical certificate indicating your need for a TTY is required to receive the discount on the second home phone line.

*Does not account for Extended Area Service rates, which provides a higher level of support.