Late fees at T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T: the greater of $10 or 5% at T-Mobile and Verizon, up to $7 at AT&T, and no grace period stated by any of them
A late phone bill costs the greater of $10 or 5% at T-Mobile and at Verizon, and up to $7 per bill cycle at AT&T, as each carrier's own pages state them on October 24, 2026. None of the three states a grace period: Verizon says a late fee can be charged as early as the day after the due date. Getting service back after a suspension for non-payment adds $20 per line at T-Mobile (for up to three lines) and at Verizon, and up to $35 at AT&T.
- T-Mobile late fee
- Greater of 5% of applicable monthly charges or $10, or the state-law maximum
- Verizon late fee
- Up to 5% per month of the unpaid balance or a flat $10 per month, whichever is greater, if state law allows
- AT&T late fee
- Up to $7 per bill cycle; device installment charges are not subject to it
- Grace period
- None stated by any of the three carriers
- Restore after non-payment suspension
- T-Mobile $20 per line (first three lines) plus tax; Verizon $20 per line; AT&T up to $35
- Paying with a representative
- T-Mobile $10 by phone, $5 in a store; Verizon $10; AT&T $5 through the call center
- Returned payment
- T-Mobile varies by state; Verizon $20 to $30 by state; AT&T up to $30
Figures above were read from T-Mobile's support pages, Verizon's Customer Agreement and payment FAQs, and AT&T's Mobility Fee Schedule and support articles on 2026-10-24. See sources.
Late fees side by side
| Carrier | Late fee | Figured on | When it is charged | How it appears | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile | Greater of 5% or $10, or the maximum allowed under state law | Applicable monthly charges | If the bill is not paid by the due date | "Late Fee for invoice" | T-Mobile support page; Terms and Conditions |
| Verizon | Greater of up to 5% per month or a flat $10 per month, if state law allows | Unpaid balance | As early as the day after the due date; each month until the account is current | Not stated on the pages we read | Verizon Customer Agreement; payment FAQs |
| AT&T | Up to $7 per bill cycle | Not a percentage; device installment charges are excluded | If the bill is not paid by the due date | In the Account charges section of the bill | AT&T Mobility Fee Schedule; support article |
T-Mobile late fee: $10 minimum since November 2025
T-Mobile's support page says: "A late fee of the greater of 5% of applicable monthly charges or $10 or the maximum amount allowed under state law is applied to your account if not paid by the due date." It shows on the bill as "Late Fee for invoice". The page adds: "Late fees can be avoided by paying your bill by the payment due date or setting up AutoPay, which can be through your account online or in T-Life."
The $10 floor is recent. Android Police reported on October 13, 2025 that T-Mobile's minimum late payment fee would rise from $7 to $10 starting November 1, based on user reports of T-Mobile's notice. With the 5% rate, $10 is the fee until the applicable charges pass $200, by our arithmetic. T-Mobile's Terms and Conditions, effective September 1, 2026, keep the wider limit: "We may charge a late fee of up to the highest amount allowed by law if you do not pay by your due date."
A late bill also ends T-Mobile's AutoPay discount for that period. The AutoPay page says: "Any AutoPay discount(s) will not apply if your account is or becomes past due."
Verizon late fee: 5% or $10, from the day after the due date
Verizon's Customer Agreement says: "If you're a Postpay customer and we don't get your payment on time, we will charge you a late fee of up to 5 percent per month on the unpaid balance, or a flat $10 per month, whichever is greater, if allowed by law in the state of your billing address."
Verizon's payment arrangement FAQ also says when the fee can start: "A late payment fee can be charged to your account as early as the day after the original bill's due date." It also says a late fee is charged "any time a past due balance is greater than $10", and gives its own example: an unpaid balance of $50 gets a $10 late fee each month until the account is current. A payment arrangement does not stop it; the FAQ says "A payment arrangement doesn't stop the late fee".
Verizon lets some customers ask for a late fee to be removed in My Verizon. Its payment FAQ says it cannot remove one if the requester is not the Account Owner or Account Manager, has been with Verizon for less than 2 years, if the fee was billed over 30 days ago, or if the account was credited for another late fee in the last 6 months.
AT&T late fee: up to $7 per bill cycle
AT&T's Mobility Fee Schedule lists the Late Payment Fee as "Charged if you don't pay your bill by the due date." The amount is "Up to $7 per bill cycle", with a note that "device monthly installment plan charges are not subject to a Late Payment Fee". AT&T's support article says: "We may charge a late fee and suspend your service until your balance is paid." The AT&T PREPAID section of the same schedule lists no late fee. For business accounts, the schedule lists a different formula of up to 1.5% per month.
What a late month costs, by bill size
| Amount the fee is figured on | T-Mobile | Verizon | AT&T |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50 | $10 | $10 | Up to $7 |
| $150 | $10 | $10 | Up to $7 |
| $200 | $10 | $10 | Up to $7 |
| $300 | $15 | $15 | Up to $7 |
| $500 | $25 | $25 | Up to $7 |
Is there a grace period?
None of the three carriers states one on the pages we read. T-Mobile and AT&T tie the late fee to the due date itself. Verizon says the fee can be charged as early as the day after the due date.
What the carriers do describe is a window for payment arrangements, which is not the same as a grace period:
- T-Mobile: a Payment Arrangement is available to postpaid customers whose account is "less than 30 days past the due date". T-Mobile's page also says: "Late fees may apply if the payment date is past your original due date."
- Verizon: the extra time "is based on your account history. It's usually about 2 weeks past your original bill's due date." A promise to pay "Doesn’t stop any late fees but can stop suspension due to non-payment if the full balance due is included."
- AT&T: an arrangement is offered only when payment dates after the due date show in the calendar. AT&T's page says: "Late fees apply if you pay your bill after the due date."
Suspension and the fee to restore service
None of the three carriers gives a number of days before service is suspended for non-payment.
- T-Mobile: "Anytime your account is past due, your service may be partially suspended." In a partial suspension, outgoing calls are blocked except 611, 911 and 988; in a full suspension, incoming calls stop as well. The restore fee is "$20 per line, for the first three lines, plus tax", according to the support page; the account suspensions page describes it as a $20 fee per line plus taxes without the three-line limit, and the payment arrangement page gives "(up to three lines)".
- Verizon: the Customer Agreement lets Verizon limit or suspend service if a postpaid customer does not pay on time, and says "you may have to pay a fee to have service reactivated." The payment arrangement FAQ gives the amount: "A $20 per line reconnection fee is charged to your next bill." Service comes back "when we receive the full amount that's past due."
- AT&T: the fee schedule lists a Restoral Fee of "Up to $35", charged "if you restore service after it was suspended." AT&T's support article says to pay the full past-due balance and wait five minutes, and that the next bill "will contain a service reconnection or restoral fee."
| Lines restored | T-Mobile | Verizon | AT&T |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 line | $20 plus tax | $20 | Up to $35 |
| 3 lines | $60 plus tax | $60 | Not stated per line |
| 4 lines | $60 plus tax (three-line limit on the support page) | $80 | Not stated per line |
Other payment fees
| Fee | T-Mobile | Verizon | AT&T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paying with a representative | $10 Payment Support Fee with Customer Care; $5 plus tax in a retail store | $10 Agent Assistance Fee by phone with Customer Service | $5 with a Customer Service or Collections Representative (postpaid); $5 by phone or automated system (prepaid) |
| Payment arrangement set up by a person | $10 through Customer Care | $10 by phone or with a Live Chat Representative | A convenience fee if made by phone or chat; the amount is not stated in AT&T's article |
| Free ways to pay | T-Life app, online | My Verizon, Bill Pay Kiosk in a Verizon store, #PMT automated system | The fee schedule charges the $5 only for payments made with a representative |
| Returned payment | Varies by state | $20, $25 or $30 depending on the state; the lesser of $30 or the legal maximum | Up to $30, varies by state |
| Account sent to collections | A percentage of the amount due, as the law allows | Maximum percentage the law allows, not over 18 percent | Costs and fees, including attorneys' fees, as the law allows |
Verizon's payment FAQ lists the returned check fee by state: "$20 in CO, CT, ID, IN, NY, UT", "$25 in AZ, CA, FL, IL, LA, MI, MO, NH, NV, OK, RI, WV" and "$30 in all other states". It also says non-Verizon payment locations "may charge a convenience fee up to $3." T-Mobile's page lists its free options as paying in T-Life or online and setting up a payment arrangement yourself. Other one-time fees, such as activation and restocking, are on our activation and upgrade fee comparison, and the monthly charges are on our page on carrier fees per line.
Late fee limits can depend on state law, as all three carriers note. This page is general information, not legal or financial advice; how the rules apply depends on the facts and the state.
What we could not confirm
- A grace period at any of the three carriers. We read T-Mobile's bill, account suspensions, payment arrangement and AutoPay support pages and its Terms and Conditions; Verizon's Customer Agreement, payment FAQs and payment arrangement FAQs; and AT&T's fee schedule, Consumer Service Agreement and its late fee, payment arrangement and restore articles.
- The number of days before a suspension for non-payment. None of those pages gives one.
- T-Mobile's returned payment fee amount. Its support page says only that it varies by state.
- Whether AT&T's Restoral Fee of up to $35 is charged per line or per account.
- Whether T-Mobile or AT&T will remove a late fee on request. We found no page from either carrier that says so; Verizon's conditions are listed above.
- The date T-Mobile's $10 minimum took effect on a T-Mobile page. The current page shows $10; the November 1, 2025 date is as reported by Android Police.
- Whether Verizon's or AT&T's AutoPay discount is removed for a past-due month. We found such a statement only on T-Mobile's AutoPay page.
Questions
How much is the T-Mobile late fee?
Does T-Mobile have a late fee grace period?
How much is the Verizon late fee?
How much is the AT&T late fee?
What does it cost to turn service back on after a suspension?
Sources
- Late fee, restore fee, payment support and returned payment fees - T-Mobile Support: Your bill and what's impacting it, read 2026-10-24
- Partial and full suspension for non-payment - T-Mobile Support: Account suspensions, read 2026-10-24
- Payment Arrangement eligibility and fees - T-Mobile Support: Payment Arrangement, read 2026-10-24
- AutoPay discount and past-due accounts - T-Mobile Support: AutoPay, read 2026-10-24
- Late, returned payment and collection fees - T-Mobile Terms and Conditions, effective September 1, 2026, read 2026-10-24
- Late fee, returned payment, collection and reactivation terms - Verizon Mobile Customer Agreement, read 2026-10-24
- Agent Assistance Fee, returned check fees by state, late fee removal - Verizon Support: Paying your Verizon mobile bill FAQs, read 2026-10-24
- When the late fee starts, payment arrangements, reconnection fee - Verizon Support: Make a payment arrangement to pay your mobile bill FAQs, read 2026-10-24
- Late Payment, Restoral, Payment Convenience and Returned Payment fees - AT&T Mobility Fee Schedule, read 2026-10-24
- Late-payment charge and collections terms - AT&T Consumer Service Agreement, read 2026-10-24
- Late fee and suspension - AT&T Support: Get details on late payment fees, read 2026-10-24
- Payment arrangement fees - AT&T Support: Learn about payment arrangements, read 2026-10-24
- Restoring service after non-payment - AT&T Support: Restore service after a nonpayment suspension, read 2026-10-24
- Reported: T-Mobile minimum late fee from $7 to $10 on November 1, 2025 - Android Police, October 13, 2025, read 2026-10-17
Source links are not affiliate links. This page is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.
