Free government phone in Maryland

Maryland residents who qualify for Lifeline can get free or discounted phone service. Here is who qualifies, where to apply, and which companies serve the state.

Who qualifies in Maryland

Under the federal rules, either one of these is enough:

• Someone in your household gets one of these benefits:
  • SNAP (food stamps)
  • Medicaid
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  • Federal Public Housing Assistance (including Section 8)
  • Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit
  • a qualifying Tribal program
• Your household income is at or below 135% of the federal poverty guidelines. These are the government's yearly income levels by household size.

Each household can get only one Lifeline benefit.

What to know in Maryland

• The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) page still lists LIHEAP (energy bill help).
• That is an older list. LIHEAP is no longer on the federal list, and Maryland has no state program, so LIHEAP alone does not qualify you.
• Maryland's Office of People's Counsel says the program is called Tel-Life in Maryland.
• The PSC page describes only the federal benefit. It gives no state dollar amount.

Check if you qualify with our quick tool, or read the full rules.

How to apply in Maryland

In Maryland, the National Verifier checks who qualifies. It is the federal system for Lifeline. You can apply on your own, or through a provider. Both lead to the same check.

Apply at getinternet.gov. This is the FCC's official National Verifier site. Have proof of who you are ready, and proof of your income or your benefit.

Companies that give Lifeline service in Maryland

In May 2026, 18 companies gave Lifeline cell phone service in Maryland. These are the 8 with the most customers. The counts come from USAC, which runs Lifeline. They show who serves Maryland, not who is best.

* SafeLink Wireless: This count also includes Lifeline customers of Straight Talk, Total Wireless, Simple Mobile, Walmart Family Mobile and TracFone. USAC counts them together with SafeLink.

Free plan data is from each company's own site. We show it for the companies we have a page on.

Some local phone companies give Lifeline on a home phone instead. In Maryland, 5 companies did this, with 5,009 customers in all.

Not every company serves every part of Maryland. To see who serves your address, enter your ZIP code in the official company finder.

If you don't qualify

Lifeline is only for households that get one of the benefits above or have a low enough income. If yours doesn't, you can still get a phone line for little or nothing. These are this month's picks from our plans page:

• Best free plan: TextNow Free, $0 a month (550 MB, select apps)
• Best under $15: Red Pocket Essentials, $10 a month (3 GB)
• Best free trial: Visible Free Trial, $0 for 15 days (Unlimited)

Each one has a catch, and the plans page says what it is. Our guides compare more options: plans that are genuinely free and free trials. The plans page also lists every plan at $15 or less.

If you applied and were turned down, read why Lifeline applications are denied first. It covers each reason and the document that fixes it.

How many people use Lifeline in Maryland

Phone companies claimed Lifeline for 116,630 subscribers in Maryland in May 2026, down 6.2% since May 2025 (USAC). That is the 21st highest count among the 50 states and DC. Lifeline enrollment in every state.

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