Social tariffs are cheaper broadband rates available for people who receive certain benefits, including Universal Credit.

Most cost £12 to £20 a month for superfast speeds, meaning they’re sufficient for typical users who want to stream TV and make video calls. Standard broadband packages cost around £30 a month.

Only around 5% of the 4.3 million eligible households are signed up to social tariffs.

Contents of this page



Category index


Who qualifies for a social tariff?

Depending on your broadband provider, you will be eligible if you already receive Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Job Seekers allowance, Income support, Employment and Support allowance or Housing Benefits.

Applying for a social tariff

You can check if your provider offers a social tariff by looking at the table below, and then request to switch online or by phone. If your provider doesn’t offer one, you can switch to one that does.

To apply for a social tariff yourself, it’s a good idea to have your National Insurance number and proof of Universal Credit or other benefits payment to hand.

Social tariff package Price Average speed Where it's available
https://the4thutility.co.uk/social-tariff £13.99 a month 30 Mbit/s England
https://www.bt.com/exp/broadband/home-essentials £15 a month Around 36 Mbit/s UK
https://www.bt.com/exp/broadband/home-essentials £20 a month Around 67 Mbit/s UK
https://communityfibre.co.uk/35-mbps £12.50 a month 35 Mbit/s England (London)
https://www.connectfibre.co.uk/basic-essentials-full-fibre-social-broadband £20 per month 50 Mbit/s England (Cambridgeshire, Essex, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Derbyshire)
https://www.country-connect.co.uk/residential-social-tariff/ £15 a month 50 Mbit/s Wales (Newport)
https://countybroadband.co.uk/category/faq-socialtariff/ £15 per month 15 Mbit/s England (East of England)
https://ee.co.uk/mobile/basics £12 a month Up to 25 Mbit/s UK
https://www.g.network/home-broadband/essential-fibre-broadband £15 a month 50 Mbit/s England (London)
https://www.grayshottgigabit.com/socialconnect £19 a month 100 Mbit/s England
https://heybroadband.co.uk/everydayfibre £16 per month 100 Mbit/s England (South East England)
https://www.hyperoptic.com/broadband/home/price-plans/social-tariff-broadband/ £15 a month 50 Mbit/s England, Scotland, Wales
https://www.hyperoptic.com/broadband/home/price-plans/social-tariff-broadband/ £20 a month 150 Mbit/s England, Scotland, Wales
https://www.kcom.com/home/packages/flex/ £14.99 a month 30 Mbit/s England (Hull)
https://www.lightningfibre.co.uk/social-tariff £15 a month 50 Mbit/s England (East Sussex and Kent)
https://lothianbroadband.com/worried-about-rising-costs-lothian-broadband-are-here-to-help/ £19.99 a month 100 Mbit/s Scotland (Lothian)
https://help.nowtv.com/article/now-broadband-basics £20 a month 36 Mbit/s UK
https://quickline.co.uk/social-tariff/ £16.50 a month 100  Mbit/s England (Yorkshire and Lincolnshire)
https://runfibre.co.uk/pricing £20 a month 100 Mbit/s England (South Gloucestershire)
https://www.shellenergy.co.uk/broadband/essentials-broadband £15 a month 11 Mbit/s UK
https://www.shellenergy.co.uk/broadband/essentials-broadband £20 a month 38 Mbit/s UK
https://www.sky.com/help/articles/sky-social-tariff £20 a month 36 Mbit/s UK
https://smarty.co.uk/social-tariff £12 a month 5G where available UK
https://www.truespeed.com/truespeed-basic/ £20 a month 30 Mbit/s England (South West)
https://www.virginmedia.com/broadband/low-income-families £12.50 a month 15 Mbit/s UK
https://www.virginmedia.com/broadband/low-income-families £20 a month 54 Mbit/s UK
https://www.vodafone.co.uk/broadband/essentials-broadband £12 per month 38 Mbit/s UK
https://www.vodafone.co.uk/broadband/essentials-broadband £20 per month 73 Mbit/s UK
https://www.voxi.co.uk/for-now £10 a month 5G where available UK
https://wildanet.com/wildanet-social-tariff/(currently only available to those receiving Universal Credit) £20 a month 30-100 Mbit/s England (Cornwall and Devon)
https://www.wightfibre.com/social-tariff-wightfibre-essential-broadband/ £16.50 a month 100 Mbit/s England (Isle of Wight)
https://www.youfibre.com/socialtariff/ £15 a month 50 Mbit/s UK (various locations)

Source: Ofcom

How much could I save?

Ofcom estimates that the average household could save £144 a year by moving to a social tariff, whereas other research has estimated the typical saving at around £234 a year. Let’s have a look at a couple of examples:

<aside> 🧮 Example #1 If you’re in-contract for 36MB broadband with BT at £26.99/month, you could get the same speed for £15/month on BT’s social tariff, saving £143.88/year.

</aside>

<aside> 🧮 Example #2 If you’re out of contract paying Sky £35.50/month for 36MB broadband, you could get the same speed for £20/month on Sky’s social tariff, saving £184.80/year.

</aside>

My provider’s social tariff is slower than my current broadband

Social tariffs are there to help those on low incomes save money on a reasonable internet connection. They may not be the highest speed your provider offers as generally these are considered a premium and more expensive product. They will however be at a speed which for most people is suitable for browsing, video calling and streaming.

I currently get broadband in a bundle, can I still get a social tariff?

Currently, it depends on your provider. The fairest providers do offer a discount on broadband as part of bundled packages to those eligible for a social tariff, but some don’t. We think all broadband providers should match their promise, rather than punish some households who are already struggling with the rising cost-of-living.