AT&T Taxes And Fees

AT&T applies various kinds of taxes, fees, as well as surcharges to the services you have opted for. Here are the names of some of them. 

Federal Universal Service Fee, which is required by the company to pay according to the rate applied by the government, and in turn is billed to the customers to recover some or all of the amount. Another one is State Telecom Relay Service Surcharge, also called the State Disabled Telephone Users Fund (DEAF), which is also applied by the government to the telecommunication companies and by them to the customers. One of them is the Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge, imposed by the state on the providers and charged by them to the customers. One more is the State Cost Recovery Charge, the tax charged by the state on the companies and by them on the customers to recover some of the amounts. Another one is AT&T Phone Administrative Fee, to cover the cost of phone services provided. One more is Cost Assessment Charge, to cover the cost of meeting the requirements set by the government. 

Some others are State Universal Service Charge, E911 charges, Sales and Use Taxes, as well as other AT&T surcharges, which are also imposed.

AT&T: Taxes And Fees

AT&T Inc. or the American Telephone and Telegraph Company is the largest telecommunication company providing telephone services in the USA. It started as a District Telegraph company in 1878. AT&T consists of four units, that are – Communications, Warner Media, AT&T Latin America, and Advertising and Analytics, also called Xandr.

Charges By AT&T For Postpaid Services – 

1. Fees That Recur Each Month – 

AT&T charges $1.99 per line per month to cover the cost of interconnecting with other carriers and for maintenance.

Charged $1.50 per line per month by AT&T to recover the fees applied by the government to the company.

23.8% is charged monthly to cover the fees paid by the company to the Federal Universal Service Fund.

The fee can be from 0.38% to 11.44% or $0.36 to $1.75, to cover the payment made to the State Universal Service Fund by the company.

An amount of $0.26 is charged to the corporate users to cover the expenses of property tax.

A monthly fee of 0.02% to 11% or $0.01 to $4 to recover the amount paid by the company on government taxes.

Fees up to $3 is charged but can change according to different states.

A fee of up to $0.50  is also charged.

2. AT&T Transactional Fees – 

These are applied to provide certain services only and are not imposed monthly.

A fee of $30 is charged if you want to activate a line or upgrade your old device.

An amount of $5 per reprint is charged if you want a paper billing statement.

It costs $1.99 per telephone line if you want more details about messaging, voice, and data use.

If you decide to terminate your contract early, the amount of $58 to $325 is charged. It depends upon the time of cancellation.

An amount of $55 is charged if you choose to make a return before the buyer’s remorse period of 14 days. 

A fee of $5 is charged by the call center if you use customer service to make the payment.

If you wish to restore the services you have canceled earlier, a fee up to $35 can be charged.

Charges By AT&T For Prepaid Service – 

A fee up to $15 is charged for activation of a new line, $25 for changing your number, $30 if your payment method is declined, an amount of $55 for returning the device before the remorse period, and $1.99 per call if you need the directory assistance.

Conclusion- 

AT&T applies various kinds of taxes and fees on your bills, among them are some charges people are aware of and some charges many people are not aware of. Customers know about the payments they make for services like activating a new line or changing their number, but most people don’t check their bills for taxes and fees imposed on them like –  Administrative Fee, Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee, Federal Universal Service Fee, among various other fees that are applied. It is always good to know about these taxes and fees before choosing a service.

  1. Will I be charged if I’m late in making a payment?

Answer – Yes, a fee of $7 per bill cycle is charged as a late payment fee. 

  1. What are the charges for changing a telephone number?

Answer  – It costs $36 per line to change a telephone number. 

  1. What is the cost of replacing a SIM?

Answer  – An amount of $5 is charged if you want to replace your SIM.