Our prices are shown before tax. Phone service is taxed differently from most things you buy: the state, your town and the 9-1-1 system each charge a tax or fee on it. We add those lines at cost, under their legal names, and keep nothing extra. We don't add our own "regulatory recovery" or "administrative" fees, and there is no federal fund surcharge.
Example: Starter in Lincoln, Illinois
| Starter, billed monthly | $9.00 |
| Illinois Telecommunications Excise Tax 8.65% of $9.00 | $0.78 |
| Lincoln Municipal Telecommunications Tax 6% of $9.00 | $0.54 |
| Illinois Telecom Infrastructure Maintenance Fee 0.5% of $9.00 | $0.05 |
| Illinois 9-1-1 Surcharge 1 x $1.50 | $1.50 |
| ITAC Telecom Access Assessment 2 x $0.004 | $0.01 |
| Total for the month | $11.88 |
Example: Starter with 3 extensions in Lincoln, Illinois
| Starter with 3 extensions, billed monthly | $17.00 |
| Illinois Telecommunications Excise Tax 8.65% of $17.00 | $1.47 |
| Lincoln Municipal Telecommunications Tax 6% of $17.00 | $1.02 |
| Illinois Telecom Infrastructure Maintenance Fee 0.5% of $17.00 | $0.09 |
| Illinois 9-1-1 Surcharge 3 x $1.50 | $4.50 |
| ITAC Telecom Access Assessment 4 x $0.004 | $0.02 |
| Total for the month | $24.10 |
Your own amounts depend on where your phones are: the town's telecom tax runs from 0% to 6%, and places outside town limits pay none. The lines follow the business address you give us at signup.
What each line is
- Illinois Telecommunications Excise Tax: the state tax on phone service, including the 9-8-8 crisis line surcharge. Paid to the Illinois Department of Revenue.
- [Your town] Municipal Telecommunications Tax: set by your town, collected by the state for it. Not charged outside town limits.
- Illinois Telecom Infrastructure Maintenance Fee: a state fee the law requires us to show separately on your bill.
- Illinois 9-1-1 Surcharge: funds local 9-1-1 call centers. Paid to the Illinois State Police 9-1-1 Bureau.
- ITAC Telecom Access Assessment: a small state assessment per line that funds Illinois telecom access programs.
Taxes and 9-1-1 fees aren't part of the 30-day money-back guarantee, because we pay them to the government.
Outside Illinois
We serve businesses in every state except the City of Chicago, for now. Outside Illinois we don't add state phone taxes or 9-1-1 fees yet. When that changes for your state, the lines will appear itemized on your invoice, at cost, and we'll tell you first.