A comprehensive guide to receiving a free or heavily discounted laptop for students, seniors, and low-income families through U.S. federal digital equity and ACP programs.
Access to a personal computer is critical for online education, remote work, telehealth appointments, and government service applications. Several federally-funded programs now provide free or deeply discounted laptops to qualifying American households in 2026.
The ACP provides a one-time $100 device subsidy toward a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer when you enroll with a participating ISP or carrier. With the mandatory minimum $10.01 co-pay rule, you can receive a refurbished or entry-level laptop for as little as $14.99 depending on provider and model.
K-12 students from low-income districts may receive a free Chromebook or laptop directly through their school district's E-Rate federal funding allocation. Contact your school's IT department for availability.
Organizations like Human-I-T, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, and state-level ARPA-funded programs distribute free refurbished laptops and PCs to qualifying low-income individuals and seniors throughout the year.
11.6" touchscreen, MediaTek MT8183 chip, 4GB RAM, 32GB storage. Perfect for schoolwork and Google apps.
14" HD display, Intel Celeron N4020, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage. Lightweight Windows 11 laptop for basic productivity.
14.0" HD display, AMD Athlon Silver 3050U, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD. Reliable performance for work-from-home.
Alongside your laptop benefit through ACP, don't forget that you may also qualify for a completely separate Free 5G iPhone through the FCC Lifeline Program — with $0 upfront cost and $0 monthly phone bills. Visit our homepage to check your local availability.
Claim a free 5G iPhone and check laptop program eligibility in 2 minutes.