Scotland’s £5,000 broadband voucher closes in 6 weeks

The Scottish Government will close its £5,000 broadband voucher scheme to new applications on 20 November 2026.

The Scottish Government confirmed the closing date on its official scheme page, leaving eligible homes and businesses six weeks to apply.

“The Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) will close to new applications on 20 November 2026,” the Scottish Government said.

The voucher pays up to £5,000 towards a faster connection and covers all direct installation costs carried out by a registered supplier.

It is open to homes and businesses with connections slower than 30Mbps and no planned superfast upgrade through the R100 contracts or commercial build.

R100, short for Reaching 100%, is the Scottish Government’s programme to bring superfast broadband to every premises in Scotland.

The voucher therefore targets the properties that neither R100 nor commercial operators plan to reach.

Applications before the deadline still count

The Scottish Government said it will continue processing requests submitted before 20 November against the scheme’s existing eligibility criteria.

It added that the closure does not affect existing connections or applications it has already approved.

The date a request goes in therefore matters, not the date a supplier completes the installation.

Households can check their eligibility using the Scottish Government’s broadband address checker before contacting one of roughly 30 registered suppliers.

Over 2,000 Aberdeenshire premises yet to claim

Aberdeenshire Council’s officer for digital connectivity said the area has recorded the highest take-up of the scheme in Scotland for some time.

Residents in Aberdeenshire had used 1,189 vouchers as of October 2026, according to the council.

A further 2,089 premises in the council area remain eligible but have not yet claimed a voucher.

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