FCC Form 499-A Filing

We classify your business, calculate de minimis and LIRE eligibility, and file your Form 499-A with USAC.

Annual filing due April 1 De minimis & LIRE eligibility checked Quarterly 499-Q available in bundles

The short version: if you provide telephone or interconnected VoIP service, the FCC expects you to report your telecom revenue to USAC every year on Form 499-A. USAC uses it to work out what you contribute to the federal Universal Service Fund (USF). Getting the classification and the revenue split right is most of the job — and it is exactly what our questionnaire below is built to do.

Already know what you need? Start the questionnaire →

What is Form 499-A?

The annual telecommunications reporting worksheet filed with USAC, the administrator of the Universal Service Fund. You report the prior year’s revenue by service type, by jurisdiction (interstate, international, intrastate) and by customer type (end-user or wholesale). USAC and the FCC use those figures to calculate USF, telecommunications relay service (TRS) and other regulatory contributions. It is due April 1 each year.

What the rules say

  • Telecommunications carriers and certain other providers, including interconnected VoIP providers, must file the worksheet and contribute to USF (47 C.F.R. §§ 54.706 and 54.711).
  • Your filer classification and how you split revenue decide what you owe. A provider whose estimated annual USF contribution would be small (under $10,000) may qualify as de minimis, which can exempt it from contributing.
  • Late or missing filings can bring late-filing fees, interest and estimated billing from USAC, so it pays to file accurately and on time.
Our recommendation: most filers should not claim de minimis, even if they qualify. A de minimis provider is treated as an end user by its wholesale vendors, who bill it their USF pass-through charges — and it has no USF surcharge to pass on to its own customers, so the cost comes out of its pocket. A provider that files as a regular contributor can give its vendors its 499 Filer ID and a reseller certificate so they stop billing it USF, and it recovers what it remits as a surcharge on its own customers’ invoices. De minimis can still make sense if you sell mostly to end users and buy little wholesale service. Not sure which fits? Ask us before you file.

Source: 47 C.F.R. § 54.711 (contributor reporting)

Who this applies to

Any business that provides telecommunications or voice services to end users or to other carriers — for example:

  • Interconnected VoIP providers (users can call regular phone numbers)
  • Local exchange (CLEC) and long-distance carriers
  • Wireless and MVNO providers, prepaid calling card and audio-conferencing providers, satellite providers
  • Resellers as well as facilities-based providers

Probably not you if you only offer non-interconnected, app-to-app calling. The first questions below sort this out, and if you turn out not to need the filing we say so.

What we do for you

1You answer the questionnaireBusiness type, services, revenue and company details.
2We classify and calculateYour filer type, de minimis and LIRE eligibility, which filings you owe and which service fits.
3We file with USACWe prepare and submit your Form 499-A. Bundle tiers add the four quarterly 499-Qs, and the top tier adds CPNI, RMD and a compliance calendar.
What we don’t do: we are compliance filing support, not a law firm. We don’t give legal advice or represent you before the FCC, and you remain responsible for the accuracy of the revenue and business data you give us.

499-A Only

$499

Revenue analysis + single annual filing

Most Popular

499-A + 499-Q

$799

Annual + 4 quarterly filings

Full Compliance

$1,499/yr

499-A + 499-Q + CPNI + RMD + calendar

Business Classification

These questions determine your FCC filing obligations.

Do you provide telecommunications or voice services to end users or other carriers? *

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