Learn about taxes, surcharges, and fees

Here are some, but not all, of the charges you may see on your bill:

• Federal Universal Service Fee (USF)
  
• State Telecom Relay Service Surcharge
• State Universal Service Charge
  
• State Cost Recovery Charge
• Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge
  
• Sales and Use Taxes
  
• E911 Charges
  
• Administrative Fee
  
• Cost Assessment Charge
• Other AT&T surcharges
  

Good to know: Actual charges vary and depend on the type of tax, the taxing authority, and your physical address (place of primary use), which may differ from your billing address. Learn how to move your service to a new address.

Federal USF - customer responsibility
The Federal USF ensures affordable telecommunications service for all. It also provides discounted services for schools, libraries, and rural healthcare facilities. We may bill this fee to recover Federal USF contribution costs from customers buying interstate service. You’ll see this on your bill under Surcharges & Fees.

Each quarter, the government revises the total Federal USF we’re required to pay. So, we may also adjust the amount we recover from our customers each quarter. Your USF won’t be more than the rate set by the government and, in many cases, may be lower.

State Telecom Relay Service Surcharge
Your state may use this surcharge to fund services like relay calls for people with hearing or speech impairments.  

Starting July 1, 2017, the Hawaii Telecommunications Relay Service surcharge contribution factor was increased from 0.0012 to 0.0023.

Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge
We pay certain government-imposed fees so we can provide you with service. We assess the Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge to cover some of those costs. It isn’t a tax or charge that the government requires us to collect. 

This charge may change from time to time if our costs and the associated government fees change. Components of the Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge include Federal Regulatory Fee, Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fee, North American Numbering Plan Fee, and support for Local Number Portability administration.

State Cost Recovery Charge
We pay certain taxes to state governments to provide you with service. We assess the State Cost Recovery Charge as a percentage-based fee to cover some of these costs. It isn’t a tax that the state requires us to collect.

AT&T Phone Administrative Fee
The Phone Administrative Fee is a per-line, per-month fee. It isn’t a tax or charge that the government requires us to collect. It’s a fee that helps defray certain costs associated with providing phone services. 

Cost Assessment Charge
The Cost Assessment Charge is a per-line, per-month fee. It isn’t a tax or charge that the government requires us to collect. It helps us recover the costs of supporting and administering government programs and requirements.