Monthly carrier fees per phone line: T-Mobile $5.49, Verizon $4.04 from November 1, AT&T $4.99
From October 12, 2026, T-Mobile charges $5.49 a month per postpaid phone line as its Regulatory Programs & Telco Recovery Fee, on plans that bill it separately. AT&T charges $4.99 per line as its Administrative & Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee. Verizon charges two flat surcharges per voice line that total $3.99 and rise to $4.04 on November 1, 2026. These are the carriers' own figures, read on their fee pages on October 11, 2026. Universal service charges, state and local fees and taxes come on top and vary by location.
- T-Mobile, per voice line
- $5.49 from October 12, 2026 ($4.49 before)
- Verizon, per voice line
- $3.78 + $0.21 = $3.99; $4.04 from November 1, 2026
- AT&T, per line
- $4.99
- Four phone lines, per month
- T-Mobile $21.96; Verizon $16.16; AT&T $19.96
- Government tax?
- No. Each carrier says its fee is not a government tax
Figures above were read from T-Mobile's support page, Verizon's surcharges and Important Plan Information pages, and AT&T's Mobility Fee Schedule on 2026-10-11. Four-line totals use the October 12 and November 1 amounts and are our arithmetic. See sources.
Per-line carrier fees side by side
| Carrier | Fee name on the carrier's page | Phone (voice) line | Data-only line | Latest change | Carrier page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile | Regulatory Programs & Telco Recovery Fee | $5.49 from Oct 12, 2026 ($4.49 before) | $2.60 per Mobile Internet line from Oct 12, 2026 ($2.10 before) | October 12, 2026 | Support: Your bill and what's impacting it |
| Verizon | Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge | $3.78 | $3.97 | 2025 (reported; no date on Verizon's pages) | Important Plan Information |
| Verizon | Regulatory Charge | $0.21; $0.26 from Nov 1, 2026 | $0.02 | November 1, 2026 | Government taxes and fees and Verizon mobile surcharges |
| Verizon, both charges | Our total of the two rows above | $3.99; $4.04 from Nov 1, 2026 | $3.99 | November 1, 2026 | Our arithmetic |
| AT&T | AT&T Administrative & Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee | $4.99 | One per-line amount listed ($4.99) | August 5, 2026 (reported; no date on AT&T's page) | Mobility Fee Schedule |
Each carrier says its fee is not a government tax:
- T-Mobile: "This fee is not a government tax or imposed by the government".
- Verizon: "Please note that these surcharges are Verizon charges, not taxes or government imposed fees."
- AT&T: "This fee is not a tax or charge which the government requires AT&T collect from its customers".
What changed recently
| Effective date | Carrier | Change per line per month | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 1, 2026 | Verizon | Regulatory Charge, voice-capable line: $0.21 to $0.26 | Verizon surcharges page |
| October 12, 2026 | T-Mobile | Voice line $4.49 to $5.49; Mobile Internet line $2.10 to $2.60 | T-Mobile support page |
| August 5, 2026 | AT&T | Consumer fee $3.99 to $4.99; business Administrative Fee $2.49 to $3.49 | Reported by Droid Life (June 23, 2026) and Money Talks News (July 14, 2026), both citing AT&T's fee schedule; the schedule now lists $4.99 and up to $3.49 |
| January 21, 2026 | T-Mobile | Voice line $3.99 to $4.49; Mobile Internet line $1.60 to $2.10 | Reported by Droid Life (January 7, 2026), quoting T-Mobile's support page |
| December 1, 2025 | AT&T | Consumer fee $3.49 to $3.99 | Reported by Android Headlines (December 2, 2025) |
| September 2025 (day not confirmed) | Verizon | Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge: voice $3.50 to $3.78, data-only $1.60 to $3.97; Regulatory Charge $0.19 to $0.21 | Reported by Tom's Guide (August 1, 2025); the new amounts match Verizon's current page |
| April 23, 2025 | T-Mobile | Voice line $3.49 to $3.99; Mobile Internet line $1.40 to $1.60 | Reported by Droid Life (April 8, 2025), quoting T-Mobile's support page; the $3.49 and $1.40 amounts also appear on T-Mobile's page as archived on February 10, 2025 |
| December 18, 2024 | Verizon | Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge: voice $3.30 to $3.50, data $1.40 to $1.60 | Reported by Tom's Guide (December 6, 2024); the date and the $0.20 increase come from a Verizon spokesperson's statement quoted there |
What the flat fees add up to for 1 to 5 phone lines
| Phone lines | T-Mobile per month | Verizon per month | AT&T per month | T-Mobile per year | Verizon per year | AT&T per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5.49 | $4.04 | $4.99 | $65.88 | $48.48 | $59.88 |
| 2 | $10.98 | $8.08 | $9.98 | $131.76 | $96.96 | $119.76 |
| 3 | $16.47 | $12.12 | $14.97 | $197.64 | $145.44 | $179.64 |
| 4 | $21.96 | $16.16 | $19.96 | $263.52 | $193.92 | $239.52 |
| 5 | $27.45 | $20.20 | $24.95 | $329.40 | $242.40 | $299.40 |
Charges that vary by location
Each carrier also bills charges that are set as a percentage or vary by state and locality. These are on top of the flat fees above.
| Carrier | Universal service | Other charges that vary |
|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile | Federal and State Universal Fund Assessment; T-Mobile says the federal rate "can vary quarterly" with the FCC's contribution factor | Gross Receipts Recoveries in some places; plan labels list "Federal & Local Surcharges (periodically set by gov. & vary by location) Typically $0.08–$4.57/line"; 911 surcharges and state and local taxes vary |
| Verizon | Federal Universal Service Charge: 42% of the interstate and international telecom charges, varying quarterly; a State Universal Service Charge where applicable | Verizon says taxes, other governmental charges and its surcharges together "can add between 15% and 56%" to standard monthly access and other charges |
| AT&T | Federal Universal Service Fee "up to 42.0%"; State Universal Service Fee 0.32% to 18.39% or $0.72 to $1.35 per line in the states AT&T lists | State and Local Cost Recovery Fees 0.02% to 11.00% or $0.01 to $4.00 per line; 911 and 988 taxes up to $5.00 |
Where the fee is already in the price or does not apply
- T-Mobile: its support page says "Some T-Mobile plans include recurring monthly taxes and fees in the service plan price." Every phone plan label on T-Mobile's plans page on October 11, 2026 listed the fee separately at $5.49 per line. Magenta MAX (2021) and Go5G Plus (2023) were launched with taxes and fees included, according to T-Mobile's launch releases.
- Verizon: its Important Plan Information page says Verizon Home Internet (Wireless) is not subject to these charges, and leaves out a "Verizon One plan or Simplicity plan added to a Verizon One plan which includes these charges".
- AT&T: its fee schedule lists the fee for postpaid consumer service. We did not find an AT&T page that names a postpaid phone plan with the fee included in the price.
Business lines
AT&T bills business, government and other non-consumer lines differently. Its fee schedule lists an Administrative Fee of "Up to $3.49 per line per month", a separate Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee of "Up to $1.50 per line per month" and a Property Tax Allotment Fee of $0.20 to $0.45 per line (currently $0.26). Verizon's surcharges page tells business customers to check their agreement or business representative. T-Mobile's business support link for this topic opens the same support page as for consumers.
What we could not confirm
- AT&T's effective date for $4.99 on AT&T's own page. The fee schedule now shows $4.99 with no date; the August 5, 2026 date comes from Droid Life and Money Talks News, which cited AT&T's schedule before the change.
- The day in September 2025 when Verizon's Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge reached $3.78 and its Regulatory Charge $0.21. Verizon's pages give the amounts but not the date.
- Earlier amounts on archived carrier pages, beyond four captures of T-Mobile's page from December 2023 to February 2025. The Internet Archive refused our later requests as automated traffic.
- Whether AT&T charges the same $4.99 on tablet and smartwatch lines. Its schedule gives one per-line amount and does not break it down by device.
- The FCC's current quarterly contribution factor. The FCC page refused our request (HTTP 403); AT&T lists "up to 42.0%" and Verizon lists 42%.
Questions
Which carrier has the highest fee per line: T-Mobile, Verizon or AT&T?
On a postpaid phone line, T-Mobile's flat fee is the largest from October 12, 2026 at $5.49 a month, then AT&T's at $4.99, then Verizon's two flat charges at $4.04 combined from November 1, 2026.
Are these fees government taxes?
No. T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T each say on their own pages that the fee is not a government tax. Government taxes and 911 fees are billed separately.
What is the Admin and Telco Recovery Charge?
It is Verizon's Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge: $3.78 per voice line and $3.97 per data-only line a month. T-Mobile's similar fee is the Regulatory Programs & Telco Recovery Fee, and AT&T's is the Administrative & Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee.
Does a price lock stop these fees from rising?
T-Mobile's FAQ says taxes and fees are not covered by its 5-Year Price Guarantee or Price Lock. Verizon's 3-year price lock on myPlan excludes taxes, fees and surcharges. We did not check AT&T's plan terms on this point.
Why is my phone bill higher than the plan price?
Plan prices are shown before these carrier fees, universal service charges, state and local fees and taxes. Verizon says those together can add 15% to 56% to standard monthly charges.
Sources
- T-Mobile fee amounts, date and description; universal service note - T-Mobile Support: Your bill and what's impacting it, read 2026-10-11
- T-Mobile plan labels and surcharge range - T-Mobile: Cell phone plans, read 2026-10-11
- T-Mobile price guarantee exclusions - T-Mobile: Price Lock FAQs, read 2026-10-11
- Verizon Regulatory Charge change and surcharge descriptions - Verizon Support: Government taxes and fees and Verizon mobile surcharges, read 2026-10-11
- Verizon amounts as of October 1, 2026 - Verizon Support: Important Plan Information, read 2026-10-11
- Verizon 3-year price lock terms, April 3, 2025 - Verizon News Center, read 2026-10-11
- AT&T consumer and business fees - AT&T Mobility Fee Schedule, read 2026-10-11
- T-Mobile's support page as captured on February 10, 2025 - Internet Archive, read 2026-10-11
- Reported by Droid Life, April 8, 2025 (T-Mobile, April 23, 2025) - Droid Life, read 2026-10-11
- Reported by Droid Life, January 7, 2026 (T-Mobile, January 21, 2026) - Droid Life, read 2026-10-11
- Reported by Droid Life, June 23, 2026 (AT&T, August 5, 2026) - Droid Life, read 2026-10-11
- Reported by Money Talks News, July 14, 2026 (AT&T, August 5, 2026) - Money Talks News, read 2026-10-11
- Reported by Android Headlines, December 2, 2025 (AT&T, December 1, 2025) - Android Headlines, read 2026-10-11
- Reported by Tom's Guide, August 1, 2025 (Verizon, September 2025) - Tom's Guide, read 2026-10-11
- Reported by Tom's Guide, December 6, 2024 (Verizon, December 18, 2024) - Tom's Guide, read 2026-10-11
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