How to recertify your Lifeline benefit (and what happens if you miss it)

Once a year, USAC checks that you still qualify for Lifeline. In Oregon and Texas, the state does the check. Most people never have to do anything, because USAC confirms eligibility against government databases first. If it cannot confirm you, you get a letter or email and have 60 days to recertify online, by mail, or by phone. If you miss the 60 days, you are de-enrolled and have to reapply from scratch.

Why recertification exists

Lifeline is limited to one benefit per household, and eligibility changes. Your income can rise, you can leave SNAP or Medicaid, or someone else in your home can sign up. The FCC’s consumer page states the rule in one line: recertify your eligibility every year or you will be de-enrolled, and it notes that in some cases recertification is automatic and you do not need to take any action. The underlying regulation, 47 CFR 54.410(f), requires every provider to re-certify all subscribers annually.

When it happens

It is annual, but no longer tied to the date you signed up. USAC’s 2026 recertification training says “the use of anniversary dates for recertification was eliminated by the 2019 Lifeline Order.” USAC now considers “the last time a subscriber’s eligibility was checked” when deciding who is due. The 2026 cycle began on February 16, 2026, and the automated checks run “daily throughout the year,” so your check can land in any month.

Step one: the automated check

USAC’s recertification page says “every subscriber in National Verifier recertification will go through an initial automated data source check.” USAC looks for you in the benefit databases it is connected to before it asks you for anything. The consumer page puts it simply: “If USAC can confirm you still qualify, there is nothing else that you need to do.”

Step two: the notice and the 60 days

If USAC cannot confirm you, it sends a letter or email from USAC’s Lifeline Support Center. The notice says you have to recertify and that you have 60 days to respond. During the window you may also get up to three pre-recorded phone messages and a reminder postcard. A mailed notice includes a barcoded Recertification Form (FCC Form 5630) and your application ID number.

There are two kinds of notice. One only asks you to sign and return the form. The other also asks for proof documents, such as a benefit award letter or income statement, dated within the past 12 months. Our eligibility guide lists what counts.

The three ways to respond

Online. Sign in at lifelinesupport.org and complete the form in the National Verifier consumer portal. You get an immediate confirmation, and you can upload proof documents if they are required.

By mail. Fill out the Recertification Form from your letter and send it, with copies of any required proof, to Lifeline Support Center, PO Box 1000, Horseheads, NY 14845.

By phone. Call (855) 359-4299, enter the application ID from your letter, and follow the prompts. The phone option is only available if you do not have to provide proof documents. If you are recertifying with a Tribal ID number, call (800) 234-9473 instead.

Respond early. USAC’s training notes that a subscriber can fail “if they do not provide the necessary documents or if their application expires before being approved.”

How to tell a real notice from a scam

A real notice comes from USAC’s Lifeline Support Center, includes an application ID, asks you to confirm eligibility rather than pay anything, and sends you to lifelinesupport.org, the Horseheads PO Box, or (855) 359-4299. If a message feels off, do not use the number or link in it. Call the Lifeline Support Center directly at (800) 234-9473, seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET, or email LifelineSupport@usac.org. The FCC adds: “Please do not share any sensitive personal information via email.”

The FTC’s rule for government impersonators applies: “Government agencies will never call, email, text, or message you on social media to ask for money or personal information.” Caller ID can be faked. Recertifying is free, so anyone charging a fee to “keep your benefit active” is not USAC. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or to the FCC’s Lifeline Fraud Tip Line at 1-855-455-8477.

What happens if you miss the deadline

You lose the benefit. USAC de-enrolls you “five business days after the conclusion of their recertification window.” Your provider stops being reimbursed for you, so the consumer page warns that “your monthly bill may increase or your free minutes will stop. Your service may be turned off.”

There is no grace period. If you still qualify, you can reapply: a new application through the National Verifier or your provider, fresh proof if the databases cannot confirm you, and a gap in service while it is processed. Our main guide walks through the application, the eligibility checker tells you whether it is worth doing, and the provider comparison helps if you want to switch companies.

The separate 30-day rule if you no longer qualify

Recertification is USAC checking on you. A second rule puts the duty on you. When you applied, you certified that “the subscriber will notify the carrier within 30 days if for any reason he or she no longer satisfies” the eligibility criteria (47 CFR 54.410(d)). The FCC’s consumer page says to contact your provider “immediately” to de-enroll, and adds: “Otherwise, you may be subject to penalties.”

If a company has a reasonable basis to believe you are no longer eligible, it sends a notice of impending termination, and you have 30 days to show you still qualify or the provider must end your Lifeline service.

The 30-day non-usage rule

The FCC states it this way: “If your provider does not charge and collect a monthly fee from you for your Lifeline service, you must use it at least once every 30 days.” Under 47 CFR 54.407, usage means completing an outbound call or using data, buying minutes or data from the provider, or answering an incoming call from someone other than the provider.

After 30 days without use, your provider sends a notice giving you 15 more days. Use the phone in that window and you stay enrolled. Ignore it and you are de-enrolled and must reapply. If your service is already off and you do not know why, USAC’s advice is to call your provider first.

Oregon and Texas

Oregon and Texas run their own eligibility systems instead of the National Verifier, so the annual check comes from the state. The consumer page says it directly: “Every year, USAC or your state (for Oregon and Texas) will check to confirm you still qualify for the benefit.”

In Oregon, the Oregon Public Utility Commission runs Oregon Lifeline; the number is 800-848-4442, weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. In Texas, the Public Utility Commission of Texas uses an administrator, Solix, and posts a “Renew Your Lifeline Benefit (Annual Recertification of Federal Benefits)” form; the number is 1-866-454-8387.

California in 2026

California used to run its own checks as well. The FCC revoked California’s opt-out status in an order released November 20, 2025, and starting February 1, 2026, California providers must use the National Verifier and enroll subscribers in NLAD.

For 2026, California subscribers fall into two groups. People whose eligibility was determined through the National Verifier go through the normal recertification above. People previously found eligible by the California Public Utilities Commission got a separate “continued eligibility” process that USAC started on August 6, 2026, which “fulfils the 2026 recertification requirement for affected subscribers in California.” On September 30, 2026, USAC sent corrected outreach to affected subscribers “with a new 60-day deadline.” If you got a USAC letter this fall, that is why.