How To Qualify For ACP
In California, 45% of households are eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)! To qualify, you or a family member must either be enrolled in an assistance program, or your household income is below a certain threshold. There are 10 “Instant Approval” methods where approval is immediate through backend integrations with federal databases. Those under “Additional Programs” and “Household Income” require uploading documentation and a manual approval process.
What is a Household?
A household means any group of individuals living at the same address that share income and expenses. This can include people who are related or not. A household may not receive more than one ACP benefit, even if there are multiple eligible people in the household. Multiple households can live at the same address (such as roommates) and each can be eligible for the benefit.
Qualify Through Your Child or Dependent
If your child or dependent participates in an assistance program, you can qualify for ACP through them. For example, if your child or dependent participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), or is enrolled in a California school participating in the USDA Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), your household qualifies for the ACP benefit.
If your child or dependent participates in an assistance program, you can qualify for ACP through them. For example, if your child or dependent participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), or is enrolled in a California school participating in the USDA Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) , your household qualifies for the ACP benefit.
Instant Approval
California LifeLine
Children's Healthcare
Provides Health Insurance to 1.3 million
MEDI-CAL
Provides Health Coverage to 12.9 million
Project-Based (PBRA)
Provides Rental Assistance to 189,989
Federal Pell Grant
Provides Federal Grants to 938,931
Public Housing
Provides Public Housing to 49,308
Section 8
Provides Housing Vouchers to 601,014
Survivor Benefit
Provides Financial Support to 27,324
Veterans Pension
Provides Pension Benefits to 145,308
Transfer ACP
Enrolled Subscribers can change providers
Number of participants in California.
Instant Approval
Number of participants in California.
California LifeLine
Children's Healthcare
Provides Health Insurance to 1.3 million
MEDI-CAL
Provides Health Coverage to 12.9 million
Project-Based (PBRA)
Provides Rental Assistance to 189,989
Federal Pell Grant
Provides Federal Grants to 938,931
Public Housing
Provides Public Housing to 49,308
Section 8
Provides Housing Vouchers to 601,014
Survivor Benefit
Provides Financial Support to 27,324
Veterans Pension
Provides Pension Benefits to 145,308
Transfer ACP
Enrolled Subscribers can change providers
Additional Programs
CalFresh
CEP School
NSLP
Provides School Lunches to 3.5 million
SBP
Provides School Breakfast to 908,000
SSI
Provides Cash Payments to 1.1 million
WIC
FDPIR
General Assistance
Head Start
Tribal TANF
Number of participants in California.
Additional Programs
Number of participants in California.
CalFresh
CEP School
NSLP
Provides School Lunches to 3.5 million
SBP
Provides School Breakfast to 908,000
SSI
WIC
FDPIR
General Assistance
Head Start
Tribal TANF
Household Income
Single Person Income
Single Person Household with income below $29,160
Family Household
For each additional person, add $10,280
Household Income
Single Person Income
Family Household
What documents do I need?
Manual Eligibility Verification
When information is not found during the instant approval process, the consumer will need to provide documentation for ACP eligibility verification. The information can be submitted online through the consumer or our service provider portal. Submitting supporting documentation to the National Verifier initiates a manual review process by agents at the ACP Support Center during business hours (6 a.m. – 6 p.m.) and are reviewed within minutes. Users are notified through the online portal when the information is reviewed.
Acceptable Documentation
- Your (or your dependent’s) first and last name.
- The name of the qualifying program, such as SNAP.
- The name of the government, Tribal entity, program administrator, school, school district, university, or college that issued the document.
- An issue date within the last 12 months or a future expiration date
- For the Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program, including at US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Community Eligibility Provision schools, documents must be from the current school year or the school year immediately preceding the application.
- For USDA Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools, documents must show that the student is enrolled in a CEP School for the relevant school year (the student must still be enrolled in the CEP school at the time of the application). Acceptable documentation shows the student’s name, the relevant school year, the name and address of the school, and contact information for the school.
- For Federal Pell Grants, documents must be from the student’s school (college or university, community college, or career school) or the Department of Education and show the student has received a Pell Grant for the current award year.
Household Income
- Your (or your dependent’s) first and last name
- Your annual income
- To show documentation of income that does not cover a full year, such as current pay stubs, the documentation must cover three months in a row within the past twelve months
- Prior year’s state, federal, or Tribal tax return
- Current income statement from your employer or a paycheck stub
- A Social Security statement of benefits
- Veterans Administration statement of benefits
- Unemployment or Worker’s Compensation statement of benefits
- Divorce decree, child support award, or a similar official document showing your income
- A retirement/pension statement of benefits
Identity Verification
Documentation must include:
- Your first and last name
- Your date of birth
Document Examples:
- Valid government, military, state or Tribal ID
- Birth Certificate
- U.S. Driver’s license
- Passport
- Certificate of U.S. Citizenship or Naturalization
- Permanent Resident Card or Green Card
- Government assistance program document
- Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) document (does not need to include date of birth)
Address
Documentation must include:
- Your first and last name
- Your physical address
Document Examples and Tips:
- To prove your address using the online application, you will use the online mapping tool in the application to help USAC find your address
- If you choose to mail in documentation, you can send a map that clearly shows your physical address or location, including latitude and longitude coordinates (coordinates are required if you live on Tribal lands)
- Other options include:
- Driver’s license or other valid government, state, or Tribal ID
- Utility bill
- Mortgage or lease statement
- Most recent W-2 or tax return
Emancipated Minor
You must be at least 18 years old to participate in the ACP on your own, unless you are an emancipated minor.
Documentation must include:
- Your first and last name
- Confirmation of emancipated minor status
Document Examples:
- Court document
- Certificate of emancipation
