With the goal of providing mobile phone services to low-income families, T-Mobile, one of the United States’ most popular and trusted communications companies, is offering the T-Mobile government phone program.
This is a special service that recognizes the need of everyone in the US for quality and reliable mobile phone service.
Known as one of the companies that offer the best free government cell phone plans, T-Mobile’s Lifeline Program provides qualified customers a discount on their monthly service and other T-Mobile deals for existing customers.
What is the T-Mobile Lifeline Program?
The T-Mobile Lifeline Program is a government mobile phone plan that provides discounted and affordable telecommunications services to qualified families and customers.
Under this program, applicants must complete an application form and submit supporting documents before they can choose the type of T-Mobile phone plan to match their needs.
Where is the T-Mobile Lifeline Program available?
Similar to other free government cell phone companies, T-Mobile has a specific coverage area, and thus, not everyone in the US can avail of this special service.
If you are located in Florida, Minnesota, Kentucky, New Mexico, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Washington, Virginia, Texas, and Puerto Rico, then you may qualify for the T-Mobile Lifeline Program. Here’s what to expect.
Minnesota and Florida
The states of Minnesota and Florida are covered by the Lifeline Plan of T-Mobile, but you must apply through the Lifeline National Verifier Application Form.
You must download the form in pdf format, fill out all the sections, place your initial on all the agreement statement, and sign your name on page number six. Bring or send this form to the USAC Lifeline Support Center at PO Box 7081 London, KY 40762.
Kentucky, New Mexico, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Virginia
If you live in any of these states, visit the National Verifier and apply directly here. You may also download and fill out the pdf form at the Lifeline National Verifier Application Form site and send this to the address mentioned above.
After completing the application and you have received your eligibility notification brought by the National Verifier, print the T-Mobile Lifeline Enrollment form and submit this to a T-Mobile office near you to get your discounted government phone service.
Texas
It’s a bit different when you’re from Texas. You must apply at the Texas Low Income Discount Administrator. Call their hotline number at 1-866-454-8387 to apply using the self-enrollment form. If you need more information about Texas T-Mobile’s free government phone, check out the company’s special brochure for Texas customers.
According to the T-Mobile Texas brochure, you may be qualified for the Lifeline Plan if you are receiving Medicaid, Food Stamps or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, Supplemental Security Income, Federal Public Housing Assistance or The Veteran’s Pension or Survivor’s Pension benefit. If you’re a tribal land resident, then check if you qualify.
Texas residents who think that they are qualified for the Lifeline Plan should visit the lifeline application steps from their place of residence. They may also call 1-800-9937-8997.
Puerto Rico
Residents from the country of Puerto Rico may apply for the T-Mobile government phone service. They may know more from the company’s Puerto Rico Lifeline Plan site.
According to T-Mobile Puerto Rico site, applicants may qualify for the Lifeline Plan if they receive any of the following: Medicaid, Section 8 Program, Federal Veterans and Survivors Program, Nutritional Assistance Program or PAN, and if your family income is below or at the level set by the federal guidelines for poverty income rates.
The ideal plan for Puerto Rico customers is the T-Mobile $9.25 a month per line, after subsidies. This includes unlimited calls and texts in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Canada.
This monthly includes taxes and any regulatory changes. You will also get free T-Mobile Tuesdays if you have Wi-Fi access.
To get more information about the Lifeline Plan in the area, check out the T-Mobile Lifeline information brochure. You may need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader to check the link and to download application forms.
How to qualify for the T-Mobile government phone program?
To qualify for the T-Mobile government phone program, your household income should be at or below 135% of the guidelines set (Federal Poverty Guidelines). You must also be a recipient or a participant of any of the following programs:
- Supplemental Security Income or SSI
- Medicaid
- Federal Public Housing Assistance or FPHA
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP
- Food Stamps
- Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations or FDPIR
- Head Start
T-Mobile plans with Lifeline rate
T-Mobile offers postpaid lifeline plans for qualified customers, and their most popular one is a plan that costs $19.99 a month minus any Lifeline discount.
This plan comes with unlimited minutes of voice calls. T-Mobile may also provide different offers for customers in other states. And to find out the different offers in your state, you may check this out by contacting T-Mobile.
How to contact T-Mobile
Their quick access numbers are:
- 1-800-T-MOBILE –for personal plans
- 1-844-428-9675 – for business
For general questions about your Lifeline Plan or for technical support
- Dial 611 from your T-Mobile phone
- Call 1-800-937-8997 from your T-Mobile phone
If you need technical assistance, call from a different phone, so the representative can help you with troubleshooting steps.
Aside from calling T-Mobile, you may use Short Codes to get information. You must type these codes on your phone as if you’re making a call and not creating a text message.
- #BAL# or #225# to get your account balance and to get your latest payment information.
- #MIN# or #646# to get your number of minutes used for the current billing period.
- #MSG# or #674# to get your number of messages used for the current billing period.
Savings you’ll get with the Lifeline program
The Lifeline Plan can save you around $9.25 a month. Meanwhile, residents from Federally Recognized Tribal Lands may get as little as $1 a month.
You may use the money you saved for other things, such as your family’s home needs, medication expenses, medical expenses, and home maintenance needs.
Some restrictions of the Lifeline program
As with other government phone programs, there are some limitations and restrictions of the T-Mobile Lifeline program.
The T-Mobile Lifeline service is only available in selected states where it is considered an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier. Being considered for a Lifeline plan is a federal benefit, and this benefit is not transferable to anyone.
The Lifeline service is only available for one person per household. Also, a household cannot receive Lifeline service from different providers. To define a “household” for the Lifeline service, it is a group of individuals or one individual that occupies the same address. These people share expenses and income.
Any violation of the one service per household rule will lead to the person’s de-enrollment from the Lifeline Plan. It may also result in criminal charges by the federal government.
Also, Lifeline plans are limited to one landline phone number for every household. This benefit is not applicable to charges that you paid or incurred before qualifying for the program.
Using the Lifeline National Verifier
For quick verification or to easily find out if you qualify for the Lifeline program, visit the Lifeline National Verifier page. Why visit the National Verifier?
This will help you find out if another member of the household has Lifeline, and thus, you may not be able to qualify anymore. The National Verifier is also where you should go first to recertify. Some subscribers receive a notice to recertify, and this is simply one way to know if you still need the service.
From the National Verifier page, you must first check your qualifications. Simply enter your information on the page, starting with your state or territory. This is an important part of the verification process because every state comes with different Lifeline plans.
You may need to provide documents to provide proof that you qualify. If you are verifying online, you may be asked to send documents as soon as you can.
You can find the list of accepted documents from the National Verifier site. You don’t need to rush because you will be given up to 45 days to complete the application process.
If the National Verifier states that you qualify for the Lifeline program, then the next step is to select phone or an internet provider. Don’t rush as you can decide for 90 days as to what company you would like to go with.
Once you have decided, sign up for the company’s Lifeline service. If you already have a mobile phone plan, talk to your current provider about Lifeline, and look for plans or services from your provider.
When all these are set, you may now get phone or internet plans using the lifeline program. T-Mobile government phone plans vary from state to state so, contact customer service or visit T-Mobile’s official site to get more information.
