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What is a broadband social tariff?

Written by
Matthew Brewer
Broadband and mobile expert
Last Updated
13 SEPTEMBER 2024
5 min read
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Social tariffs are discounted broadband deals for low-income households on Universal Credit or other state benefits.

Broadband is considered an essential service but, as the cost of living crisis continues to bite, many households are facing digital exclusion. Social tariffs are designed to make getting online more affordable for those struggling to pay their bills.

Research by telecoms regulator Ofcom shows that an estimated 4.3 million households in the UK could save around £200 a year by moving to a social tariff. Despite that, it’s believed only 220,000 of those homes currently use the tariff to save money on their bills. That’s just 5.11% of those who could. Most are still missing out because they’re not always aware that low-income broadband is available.

Am I eligible for social tariff broadband?

If you receive a means-tested state benefit like Universal Credit or Pension Credit, you’re likely to qualify for a social tariff broadband deal.

Each broadband provider has slightly different criteria for social tariffs, so it’s worth checking to see which ones you’re eligible for. Some only offer Universal Credit broadband discounts, while others include customers on Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and other benefits.

Some providers also extend eligibility to people who receive non-means-tested benefits, such as Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment.

How could a broadband social tariff help me?

Switching to a social broadband tariff can have several advantages for low-income families:

  • It’s cheaper than standard broadband, with prices starting from around £12 a month.
  • Some plans cover a range of government benefits, not just Universal Credit.
  • Most social tariffs offer superfast broadband speeds of over 30Mbps – fast enough to browse online and stream TV.
  • You can usually switch to a social tariff free of charge and, in most cases, won’t pay set-up fees.
  • There’s no price rise mid-contract, so you won’t pay more than you agreed at the start of the plan.
  • You won’t be hit with fees if you want to leave the tariff before the end of your contract.

Which providers offer broadband social tariffs?

According to Ofcom, 8 million households are having problems paying for their phone, broadband and streaming bills. That’s nearly a third of the entire country – 28% to be precise.

To tackle the digital divide, a growing number of providers now offer substantially cheaper broadband to people on a low income so they can access a fast, reliable internet connection. Read on for more details about the discounted broadband deals available:

BT social tariff

The social tariff offered by BT is close to half the rate of its standard package. The BT Home Essentials 'No Income' plan is available at £15 a month, offering a 36Mbps speed internet connection. Those who qualify for the No Income plan will also receive unlimited free calls to anywhere in the UK.

A similar plan is also offered for those who receive a low monthly income, which is priced at £20 a month. This does not include the unlimited calls to UK landlines and mobiles.

BT’s plan also extends to superfast broadband. The BT Home Essentials 'Fibre 2' deal is eligible at £23 a month for anyone who qualifies for the social tariff.

Who’s eligible?

Anyone who’s on any of the following support systems will be able to qualify for the low-income support from BT:

  • Universal Credit
  • Income Support
  • Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Employment and Support Allowance
  • Pensions Credit

Those looking to qualify for the full No Income tariff can receive support from a social plan, but not people with regular income from paid employment.

Sky social tariff

Sky’s tariff was launched in 2023, under the name Sky Basics. Its sister company NOW also introduced a scheme at the exact same time (named NOW Basics). Both deals offer 36Mbps broadband for £20 a month, and include pay-as-you-go landlines.

Who’s eligible?

This particular tariff is only available to existing Sky and NOW customers. As well as that, those who qualify need to already be claiming either Universal Credit or Pension credit.

Virgin Media social tariff

Virgin Media makes two separate plans available to customers. These are charged at a fixed monthly rate for as long as you’re receiving Universal Credit. Depending on the speed and internet requirements of your home, you can choose from either of the following:

  • Plan 1 (The Essentials package). For £12.50 a month, you’ll receive 15Mbps. This is roughly half the average speed of fibre broadband, but at a greatly reduced cost compared to some providers.
  • Plan 2 (The Essential Plus Package). The £20 package is slightly more expensive, but gives customers access to 54Mbps speeds. This would allow most small households to use the internet without being impacted much by lagging.

Virgin Media only needs a broadband connection to work, so it doesn’t offer a landline as part of either of its plans.

Who’s eligible?

Virgin Media makes its service available to anyone who already qualifies for Universal Credit. You don’t necessarily need to be receiving this. Just being eligible will qualify you for its social tariff. You’ll be asked to prove that you are eligible during the application process itself.

Vodafone social tariff

Vodafone also offers two packages for its customers, allowing you to choose between the price point and internet speed requirements which work for you:

  • Vodafone Essentials 1 – 38Mbps internet speeds for £12 per month
  • Vodafone Essentials 2 – 73Mbps internet speeds for £20 per month

These are offered in 12-month contracts, with a guarantee of no mid-contract price rises. There’s also no early exit fees if you want to change your provider at any point.

Who’s eligible?

Vodafone ask that those who apply for its social tariff qualify for any of the following specific government benefits:

  • Universal Credit
  • Disability Allowance
  • Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Personal Independence Payment
  • Employment and Support Allowance

Hyperoptic

Hyperoptic is another provider who give its customers a choice between two packages:

  • Hyperoptic Fair Fibre 50. Priced at £15 a month, this deal comes with 50Mpbs of broadband speed. Installation is free, and you have the option to add a landline to your package for an additional cost of just £3 a month. This includes free weekend and evening calls.
  • Hyperoptic Fair Fibre 150. This package is offered at £25 a month, but comes with an additional 100Mbps of internet speed, taking the total to 150Mbps. The same £3 landline offer also applies.

Both plans are offered on rolling 30-day contracts, which allow you to cancel for free at the end of every monthly cycle.

Who’s eligible?

Anyone who qualifies for and uses at least one of the following schemes is able to apply for Hyperoptic’s tariff:

  • Universal Credit
  • Income-related Jobseeker's Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance
  • Personal Independent Payment (PIP)
  • Housing Benefit
  • Pension Credit

You’ll also need to have access to Hyperoptic’s full fibre network in order to be eligible.

Community Fibre

Community Fibre offers its package at £12.50 a month with total speeds of 35Mbps. This is the flat rate for all customers, with no ability to customise your deal.

Who’s eligible?

Community Fibre’s requirements are slightly less stringent than other providers. You just need to be able to prove you’re on any form of income support in order to apply. The one thing to consider here is that Community Fibre currently only services specific areas of London. This makes it quite restrictive for those outside of its primary catchment area.

TalkTalk social tariff

While not technically a social tariff, TalkTalk’s voucher scheme offers free broadband to jobseekers on Universal Credit who don’t have an internet connection. The programme, in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), offers eligible customers six months of TalkTalk’s Fibre35 broadband without charge.

Once the six months is up, you can either roll onto a TalkTalk contract or cancel the service without being charged a fee.

Who’s eligible?

You’ll be referred by your Jobcentre staff if they feel like you need the internet to be able to properly search for jobs. As most roles now require online application, this will likely be the case.

Other providers that offer social tariffs include KCOM and Air Broadband, although these are only available in certain parts of the country.

The full list of broadband social tariffs can be found on Ofcom’s website.

Is a social tariff as good as a regular broadband deal?

Switching to a social tariff doesn’t mean switching to a sub-standard service. It’s delivered in exactly the same way as regular broadband, just at a lower price.

Most of the discounted packages currently available offer broadband speeds of over 30Mbps – fast enough to handle a typical household’s internet demands, from shopping online and streaming HD films to applying for jobs and keeping in touch with family and friends.

Larger households who may be working, streaming and gaming all at the same time might be better off with speeds of over 50Mbps, although this is likely to cost you more.

How do I apply for a broadband social tariff?

Firstly, if you already have a broadband provider, check whether they offer a social tariff. You can apply for most tariffs online, or you can phone your provider to ask to switch.

If your provider doesn’t offer a social tariff, you can switch to one that does if you meet the eligibility criteria. Your provider might let you leave your current contract without paying a penalty fee, but this isn’t a given.

It’s worth noting that social tariffs won’t show up on comparison sites. You can find out more by going to the provider’s dedicated social tariffs webpage.

Most broadband providers will now do an instant eligibility check when you apply, which means you no longer have to provide evidence of your benefits statement. You will, though, need to supply your National Insurance number, and the provider may carry out a credit check.

How do I get cheaper broadband if I’m not eligible for a social tariff?

If you’re worried about the amount your broadband is costing you, speak to your provider to see if there’s anything they can do to make your bill more manageable.

It’s also worth comparing broadband to see if you can find a better deal elsewhere. There are plenty of low-cost broadband deals out there as the market is very competitive when trying to attract new customers.

If you’re tied into a fixed-term contract, get in touch with your provider to see if they’ll let you leave without paying an early exit fee.

See more tips on how to choose the right broadband package.  

What could you do if you’re not eligible for a social tariff?

It could be that you’re struggling to meet your monthly broadband payments, but still aren’t eligible for a social tariff. If that’s the case, there are options you could consider taking:

  • Have a chat with your provider. Having an open and honest chat with your current provider could be useful. Ofcom has taken a firm stance when it comes to ensuring broadband providers continue to support their customers. As such, most companies are willing to work with you to make it easy to afford your bills. That could mean:

     - Giving you more time to pay
     - Agreeing on a payment plan 
     - Switching you to a better deal 
     - Reducing your costs outright

    The more information a customer provides, the easier it is for an internet company to understand what could be done to make their situation a little easier.

  • Consider switching services. If you feel like you could get better value elsewhere, think about swapping providers. While you may have to wait for your current contract to end, letting your existing provider know of your intentions could see you save – as they’ll have an incentive to offer you a better deal. Before you commit to a new deal, make sure you understand any cost implications due to exit fees from your current provider.

  • Think about what you actually need. It might be that you signed up for an expensive plan with a lot of bandwidth. If you find yourself often not using most of your allowance, you could just swap your package for a cheaper one. Looking at your monthly usage rates should show you if jumping down a bracket will work.

Remember, everyone’s individual circumstance is different. These options may not necessarily be best for you. Think about which, if any, you could pursue in order to better manage your internet bills.

Does a social tariff have a fast broadband connection?

Each social tariff offers its own unique speed. That means those wanting to choose between them can make a well-rounded decision about which provides the best value for money. If you're not sure how much speed you need to be able to do what you want on the internet, keep these recommended amounts in mind:

  • Browsing the web – 5-10Mbps
  • Using social media – 10Mbps
  • Making a video call – 10-20Mbps
  • HD streaming – 10-20Mbps
  • Online gaming – 25-35Mbps
  • 4K streaming – 35Mbps

Source: Cnet

Most tariffs offer a minimum of 15Mbps, and the average tends to stretch to around 35-60Mbps. Some even reach in the hundreds. It’s also important to think about how many people are using the internet. The more users trying to connect at once, the slower the connection will be for everyone.

Is there an exit fee to move over to a social tariff?

If you’re moving from an existing contract to a social tariff with the same provider, you are very unlikely to be charged a fee. However, whether you have to pay an exit fee if you want to swap broadband companies is assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Speaking to your provider about how this could affect you is a useful way to know if you’re going to face a fee. If you are, this could be taken into account when deciding whether or not swapping to a social tariff is worth it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get free broadband?

Free broadband isn’t generally available in the UK. But jobseekers on Universal Credit who don’t already have a broadband connection may be able to get six months’ worth of free fibre broadband from TalkTalk, under a partnership with Jobcentre Plus. Speak to your work coach if you think you might be eligible for this scheme.

Can I get free broadband installation?

UK broadband network Openreach will install broadband for free to UK households on Universal Credit who don’t have any other income. Many major broadband providers run on Openreach, including BT, Sky and TalkTalk, so by waiving connection fees it’s hoped that thousands more people can get online. 

Can pensioners get cheaper broadband?

While there are currently no deals for older people specifically, you might be able to qualify for a social tariff if you receive certain benefits, including Pension Credit. Otherwise, you can shop around for a standard broadband package that best fits your needs.

How long do broadband social tariffs last?

It varies among providers. Some offer a rolling 30-day contract, while others sign you up for a year or more at a fixed price. Don’t worry too much about being locked into a deal because most providers will let you leave early without having to pay a penalty. Just make sure you’re clear on what your options are once the contract ends, as you might be automatically rolled onto a much more expensive plan unless you take action.

Matthew Brewer - Broadband and mobile expert

With more than 10 years’ experience working with a wide range of digital brands, Matthew knows how to deliver great outcomes for customers.

Learn more about Mattew

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