Practically 5 million individuals lacking out on £220 a 12 months, broadband consultants warn

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Your help makes all of the distinction. Learn extra Hundreds of thousands of persons are lacking out on easy-to-access reductions price a mean £220 on their broadband regardless of being eligible, consultants have warned.

Broadband social tariffs are typically accessible to low-income households, or these in receipt of sure advantages like Common Credit score. Actual eligibility varies between suppliers, with many main companies now providing some type of cheaper product.

Round 5.3 million UK households are eligible for the decrease tariff, analysis by Broadband Genie discovered, however round 4.8 million aren’t at present claiming.

This implies £1.05bn is “left on the desk,” the broadband consultants say, urging those that could also be eligible to look into the scheme.

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BT provides three separate social broadband tariffs (BT/PA) (PA Media) Georgina Colman, founding father of Purpl, a platform which helps join disabled individuals with reductions, mentioned the problem was a “price of residing scandal hiding in plain sight”.

She added: “Hundreds of thousands of individuals on low incomes, together with disabled individuals and people on Common Credit score, are overpaying for broadband just because they don’t know assist exists”.

There are a number of social tariffs at present available on the market. BT has three choices for individuals relying on their revenue and desires, referred to as the ‘Residence Necessities’ tariff.

This begins at from £16 a month for 12 months of 36Mb broadband for these with no revenue. The subsequent degree is £22 a month for 36Mb for these on low-income, and eventually there's an providing for 67Mb at £25 a month. Every comes with an £11.99 set up price.

Different big-name suppliers providing social broadband tariffs embody Now, Sky, Virgin and Vodaphone, all costing £20 a month at most.

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<img src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2026/02/11/11/43/cost-of-living-crisis-stock.jpeg" srcset="https://static.independent.co.uk/2026/02/11/11/43/cost-of-living-crisis-stock.jpeg?quality=75&width=320&crop=3%3A2%2Csmart&trim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0&auto=webp 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2026/02/11/11/43/cost-of-living-crisis-stock.jpeg?quality=75&width=640&crop=3%3A2%2Csmart&trim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0&auto=webp 640w" loading="lazy" alt="" class="sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn"/> open picture in gallery

(Getty/iStock) There are additionally some smaller-name suppliers that supply social tariffs that aren’t accessible nationwide. This contains Group Fibre, Hyperoptic, and Kcom.

Mrs Colman added: “Broadband is a vital service, and when households could possibly be saving round £220 a 12 months, the lack of expertise round social tariffs is letting individuals down. Suppliers must do way more to actively inform clients what they’re entitled to.

“If broadband turns into unaffordable, disabled individuals don’t simply lose an web connection, they lose a significant lifeline. For a lot of, it’s how they keep in contact with household, entry help, handle their well being and keep away from isolation. Disabled persons are already extra prone to expertise loneliness, and pricing them out of broadband dangers chopping them off from the world at a time when digital entry is now not non-compulsory.”

Round £24bn of help is estimated to go unclaimed in 2025/26, in line with analysis unit Coverage in Follow, on account of causes like stigma, complexity lack of expertise. Broadband represents the largest social tariff that's missed out on, with missed Common Credit score claims being the main missed profit at £11.1bn unclaimed.