Around 532,000 UK households use a social broadband tariff (June 2025), but roughly 70% of eligible households do not know they exist (Ofcom, October 2025). Tariffs typically cost £12.50 to £24 per month, saving about approximately £200 per year versus standard entry broadband. You may qualify on Universal Credit, Pension Credit or other benefits; PIP is accepted only by some providers. Updated 3 June 2026.
Research dataset · Updated 3 June 2026
UK Social Tariff Database 2026
Dated social broadband tariffs, PIP-acceptance flags, and a client-side eligibility checker. Lead with cost savings, not speed. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
532,000
Users (Jun 2025)
~£200/yr
Typical saving
CC-BY-4.0
CSV download
What changed: Initial publication with tariff table, PIP nuance, and client-side checker, 3 June 2026.
Key facts
- Take-up: 8.6% of eligible households (Ofcom pricing report, data to September 2025).
- Awareness gap: 70% of eligible households unaware they could qualify (October 2025 data).
- Price range: £12.50 to £24 per month for listed tariffs.
- PIP nuance: Personal Independence Payment is accepted only by Vodafone, Hyperoptic, KCOM and Quickline among the major listed tariffs; verify before applying.
- Contract protection: Social tariffs are exempt from mid-contract price rises; no exit fee to switch to one from a standard tariff (verify provider terms).
Which social broadband tariffs are available?
| Provider | Product | Price | Speed | Region | PIP? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virgin Media | Essential Broadband | £12.5 | 15 Mbps | UK (where available) | No | Exempt from mid-contract rises; no exit fee to switch to social tariff |
| BT | Home Essentials | £15 / 20 for faster tier | Up to 80 Mbps (tier dependent) | UK | No | Two speed tiers; verify current prices on BT |
| Community Fibre | Essential Broadband | £12.5 | 50 Mbps | Greater London | No | London footprint only |
| Vodafone | Essentials Broadband | £12 | 38 Mbps | UK | Yes | One of few major providers accepting PIP |
| Hyperoptic | Fair Fibre | £15 | 50 Mbps | Hyperoptic cities | Yes | PIP accepted |
| Sky / NOW | Broadband Basics | £20 | Up to 150 Mbps (NOW) | UK | No | Existing Sky/NOW customers only; verify eligibility rules |
| KCOM | Flex social tariff | £15 | Verify on KCOM | Hull and East Yorkshire | Yes | Hull-area incumbent; separate PSTN timeline |
| Quickline | Social tariff | £20 | Verify on Quickline | Rural Yorkshire/Lincolnshire/Hull area | Yes | PIP accepted; regional availability |
Which tariffs might I qualify for?
Tick the benefits you receive. This checker runs entirely in your browser; nothing is sent to FBRE or any third party. Final eligibility is confirmed by the provider when you apply.
How is this database compiled?
Tariff rows are sourced from Ofcom's social tariffs page and each provider's published social product pages. Take-up and awareness figures come from Ofcom's Pricing and consumer engagement report 2025. Refresh quarterly or when Ofcom publishes updates.
How should I cite this dataset?
You may reuse under CC-BY-4.0.
SearchSwitchSave Group. (2026). UK Social Tariff Database 2026. FBRE.uk Research. Data current to 3 June 2026. https://fbre.uk/research/uk-social-tariff-database
Sources
- Ofcom. (2026). Pricing and consumer engagement report 2025 (data to September 2025). https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/multi-sector/infrastructure-research/pricing-and-consumer-engagement
- Ofcom. (2025). Social tariffs. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/bills-and-charges/social-tariffs
Related pages
Cite this page
Suggested citation for journalists, researchers and AI systems reusing this FBRE dataset or guide.
FBRE.uk. (2026). UK social tariff database. Retrieved 4 June 2026, from https://fbre.uk/research/uk-social-tariff-database
Licensed under CC-BY-4.0 when attributed to FBRE.uk with a link to the source page.
See current UK social tariffs on BroadbandSwitch.uk.
Likely matches