People on Universal Credit and other benefits could cut broadband bill to £12.50 this month

Linda Howard
·4-min read

The run-up to the festive season is one of the best times of year to make sure you are not overpaying for broadband by checking to see if you may be eligible for a cheaper deal or a social tariff, especially with Black Friday just a couple of weeks away. A broadband social tariff can reduce bills to as little as £12.50 per month.

If you are planning to contact your broadband provider, make sure you look at their website first to get an idea of the deals on offer as these are often only available to new customers. However, if you speak to them and ask for a cheaper deal, it’s worthwhile highlighting any current offers, especially if you find one that has the same speeds and service you are paying for, but at a lower price - this is known as haggling.

READ MORE: Full list of monthly benefits and one-off payments only people living in Scotland can claim

READ MORE: Save £90 on energy bills this winter by doing these five checks now

Consumer champion Martin Lewis is a big believer in haggling for cheaper broadband and streaming subscription services - if you don’t ask, you don’t get. However, while that mighty bring the monthly cost down considerably, checking if you qualify for a broadband social tariff is an even simpler solution and could save you up to £200 over the coming year.

State Pensioners on a low income claiming Pension Credit, or those claiming benefits such as Universal Credit, Attendance Allowance, Income Support, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) may be able to switch to a social tariff. A full list of participating providers can be found on the Ofcom website here.

Social Tariffs in a nutshell

A social tariff could bring savings of around £200 each year. The quickest way to find out if you might qualify for a social tariff is to contact your supplier directly and ask - even if you do not qualify, they may be able to offer other ways to reduce your broadband bill.

It can be quite confusing knowing if the benefit you are claiming is eligible for a social tariff so we have compiled a list of all the social tariffs available and the benefits that qualify for them.

A system put in place in 2022 makes it quicker for broadband providers' to check eligibility by accessing a special Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) IT system - with the claimant's permission.

Benefits the DWP’s system will be able to verify entitlement for are:

  • Universal Credit

  • Pension Credit

  • Income Support

  • Income-Based Jobseeker’s Allowance

  • Income-Related Employment Support Allowance

Benefits and social tariff for broadband

The providers listed below are taken from the latest guidance on social tariff broadband packages from Ofcom. You can get direct links to the broadband provider websites here.

The broadband providers listed may not be available in your area, we’ve marked those that cover the entire UK as ‘UK’.

Universal Credit

  • BT - UK

  • EE Basic (Now offered through BT) - UK

  • 4th Utility - UK

  • Hyperoptic - Scotland, England and Wales

  • KCOM

  • NOW Broadband - UK

  • Sky Broadband - UK

  • Virgin Media - UK

  • Vodafone - UK

Pension Credit

  • BT - UK

  • EE Basic (Now offered through BT) - UK

  • 4th Utility - UK

  • Hyperoptic - Scotland, England and Wales

  • KCOM

  • NOW Broadband - UK

  • Sky Broadband - UK

  • Virgin Media - UK

  • Vodafone - UK

Attendance Allowance

  • Hyperoptic - Scotland, England and Wales

  • KCOM

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) / Adult Disability Payment (ADP)

  • Hyperoptic - Scotland, England and Wales

  • KCOM

  • Vodafone - UK

Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

  • Vodafone - UK

Income Support

  • BT - UK

  • EE Basic (Now offered through BT) - UK

  • 4th Utility - UK

  • Hyperoptic - Scotland, England and Wales

  • KCOM

  • NOW Broadband - UK

  • Sky Broadband - UK

  • Virgin Media - UK

  • Vodafone - UK

Jobseeker's allowance

  • BT - UK

  • EE Basic (Now offered through BT) - UK

  • 4th Utility - UK

  • Hyperoptic - Scotland, England and Wales

  • KCOM

  • NOW Broadband - UK

  • Sky Broadband - UK

  • Virgin Media - UK

  • Vodafone - UK

Employment and support allowance

  • BT - UK

  • EE Basic (Now offered through BT) - UK

  • 4th Utility - UK

  • Hyperoptic - Scotland, England and Wales

  • KCOM

  • NOW Broadband - UK

  • Sky Broadband - UK

  • Virgin Media - UK

  • Vodafone - UK

Care Leaver's Support

  • Hyperoptic - Scotland, England and Wales

  • KCOM

  • Housing Benefit

  • Hyperoptic - Scotland, England and Wales

Reduced Earnings Allowance

  • Vodafone - UK

10 social broadband tariff deals

Here are 10 to give you an idea of monthly costs, speeds available and eligibility.

BT Home Essentials (No Income)

  • Monthly cost: £15

  • Average broadband speed: around 36mbps

  • Eligibility: various benefits, see above list

BT Home Essentials (Unlimited 36Mbps)

  • Monthly cost: £20

  • Average broadband speed: around 36Mbps

  • Eligibility: various benefits, see above list

BT Home Essentials (Unlimited 67mbps)

  • Monthly cost: £23

  • Average broadband speed: around 67Mbps

  • Eligibility: various benefits, see above list

EE Basic (Now BT Home Essentials)

Monthly cost:from £15 - see BT social tariffs Average broadband speed: around 36mbps Eligibility: various benefits, see above list

Lothian Broadband Social Tariff

  • Monthly cost: £19.99

  • Average broadband speed: 100 Mbps

  • Eligibility: open to all

Sky Broadband Basics

  • Monthly cost: £20

  • Average broadband speed: 36Mbps

  • Eligibility: various benefits, see above list

NOW Broadband Basics

  • Monthly cost: £20

  • Average broadband speed: 36Mbps

  • Eligibility: various benefits, see above list

Virgin Media Essential Broadband

  • Monthly cost: £12.50

  • Average broadband speed: 15Mbps

  • Eligibility: various benefits, see above list

Virgin Media Essential Broadband Plus

  • Monthly cost: £20

  • Average broadband speed: 54Mbps

  • Eligibility: various benefits, see above list

Vodafone Fibre 2 Essentials

  • Monthly cost: £20

  • Average broadband speed: 73Mbps

  • Eligibility: various benefits, see above list

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