I’m on Universal Credit, can I get cheaper broadband?

If you are in receipt of Universal Credit then you can save around £144 a year (on average) on the price of your broadband.

It sounds almost too good to be true, and if you are one of those people who thinks that nothing is free, then don’t be too cynical just yet…

Of course, there are some exceptions to be aware of. But if you are receiving Universal Credit currently, then read on to find out how to apply.

Introducing… social tariffs!

You might have heard the radio adverts or seen the TV ads. More and more people are learning about the new Social Tariff system. In a nutshell, it’s a way for people on Universal Credit to save around £12 a month off the usual price they pay for their broadband.

It was introduced by Ofcom and the government in 2021 – but only now are broadband deals starting to come onto the market.

And the good news is that the social tariff discount system is slowly being applied to different sectors too: energy, water, even SIM Only deals.

How do I get the social tariff discount?

The social tariff broadband discount is being handled by the broadband providers themselves.

We’ve reviewed the top offers from the biggest broadband and fibre providers in the UK, as of today:

Broadband product	Price	Avg. Speed (/s)	Eligibility
BT Home Essentials	£15 – £20 a month	36 – 67 Mb	See eligibility
G.Network Essential Fibre	£15 a month	50 Mb	See eligibility
Hyperoptic Fair Fibre	£15 – £28 a month	50 – 150 Mb	See eligibility
KCOM Full Fibre Flex	£19.99 a month	30 Mb	See eligibility
NOW Broadband Basics	£20 a month	35 Mb	See eligibility
Sky Broadband Basics	£20 a month	35 Mb	See eligibility
Virgin Media Essential	£12.50 a month	15 Mb	See eligibility
Vodafone Essentials Broadband	£12 a month	38 Mb	See eligibility

Generally, most of these broadband offers are available to both new AND existing customers, though this is not the case for every single one – so make sure to read each page individually first to be sure, by clicking on “See eligibility”.

The only requirement is that you are receiving Universal Credit.

Select your broadband provider from the list above to find out about the application process.

What about other types of benefit?

Not everyone has been moved over to the Universal Credit ‘unified’ system yet. And in some cases, certain benefits will continue to be separate from Universal Credit.

Therefore, if you are in receipt of benefits like PIP, JSA, ESA and so on, you may wonder if you are eligible to receive these kinds of discount on your monthly broadband price.

The answer is: you probably can still get the discount. But be selective with which internet provider you use.

For example, Virgin Media told us that they only accept Universal Credit (UC) and cannot check or verify other benefit claimaints details. But others like Vodafone told us that they accept everything from ESA to Pension Credit to Income Support.

Find out more about broadband social tariffs and check your eligibility now.