Every service requires payment, be it related to business, shopping, or anything else. We pay for something or the other thing all the time and almost always get a bill, but what some of us forget to do is check the bill and see what we are paying for and how much. We don’t even glance at the charges and taxes that are included in the bill, we just see the total bill amount and pay, but that’s not how it should be. There are many kinds of taxes and fees that we pay and are not even aware of it. That is also the case with many AT&T customers, they pay many types of taxes for their telecommunication services and don’t even realize it. Let us know more detail about ‘AT&T Taxes And Fees’.
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 –
• Administrative Fee –
AT&T charges $1.99 per line per month to cover the cost of interconnecting with other carriers and for maintenance.
• Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee –
Charged $1.50 per line per month by AT&T to recover the fees applied by the government to the company.
• Federal Universal Service Fee –
23.8% is charged monthly to cover the fees paid by the company to the Federal Universal Service Fund.
• State Universal Service Fee –
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.
• Property Tax Allotment Fee –
An amount of $0.26 is charged to the corporate users to cover the expenses of property tax.
• State And Local Cost Recovery Fees –
A monthly fee of 0.02% to 11% or $0.01 to $4 to recover the amount paid by the company on government taxes.
• 911 Fees –
Fees up to $3 is charged but can change according to different states.
• State Telecommunications Relay Service Fee –
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.
• Activation/Upgrade Fee –
A fee of $30 is charged if you want to activate a line or upgrade your old device.
• Bill Reprint Fee –
An amount of $5 per reprint is charged if you want a paper billing statement.
• Detailed Billing Fee For Paper Bill –
It costs $1.99 per telephone line if you want more details about messaging, voice, and data use.
• Early Termination Fee –
If you decide to terminate your contract early, the amount of $58 to $325 is charged. It depends upon the time of cancellation.
• Equipment Restocking Fee –
An amount of $55 is charged if you choose to make a return before the buyer’s remorse period of 14 days.
• Payment Convenience Fee –
A fee of $5 is charged by the call center if you use customer service to make the payment.
• Restoral Fee –
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.
Frequently Asked Questions –
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.
2) What are the charges for changing a telephone number?
Answer – It costs $36 per line to change a telephone number.
3) What is the cost of replacing a SIM?
Answer – An amount of $5 is charged if you want to replace your SIM.
