In this document we will walk you through the new regulation in the US referred to as A2P/10DLC. A2P 10DLC refers to a system in the United States that allows businesses to send Application-to-Person (A2P) type messaging via standard 10-digit long code (10DLC) phone numbers.
Quick Summary: Prior to 10DLC regulations, text messaging in the United States was a lot like the Wild West with little to no regulation. It was possible for businesses to send one off text messages and bulk text messages to consumers. This lack of regulation led to a lot of unhappy consumers who were fed up with receiving unsolicited text messages they never opted in to receive.
As this problem grew the phone companies figured it was wise to start regulating themselves before the government stepped in and did it for them. This led to the creation of A2P/10DLC.
The ultimate goal of 10DLC is to stop spammers from sending unwanted messages. This new regulation requires businesses to register their brand with the phone companies while providing examples of the types of messages they intend to send.
Prior to the roll out of 10DLC phone companies began blocking text messages they perceived as spam. This means that businesses were sending text messages, but they were never reaching the intended recipient. The messages were blocked by spam filters.
Once a business successfully completes the 10DLC registration it should result in the following:
Higher SMS message volumes
Better deliverability
To learn more about A2P/10DLC scroll down the page further until you get to our FAQ section.
Now let’s go through the registration screens together:
Let's get your business brand registered.
Screen #1: Getting Started With Brand Registration
Click Register My Business.
Screen #2:
On this screen simply click Yes or No. The answer for 99.99% of our clients is going to be Yes.
Screen #3: EIN vs. Sole Proprietor
If you have a tax ID (EIN#) answer yes. If you don’t have a tax ID your only option will be to register as a sole proprietor.
It is important to understand that there are limitations to registering as a sole proprietor. Sole proprietor registrations only allow you to have 1 phone number. If you need to access to multiple phone numbers and/or have multiple employees using the CRM, this option won’t work for you and you’ll need to obtain an EIN#.
Screen# 4: Sending Volume
Select an option based on your current sending volume.
Screen #5: Registration Fees
There are a variety of fees associated with registering your business. Unfortunately, these are unavoidable and are enforced industry-wide regardless of the platform you are using to send texts. These fees are paid directly to the phone companies.
The screen below will display the fees associated with your registration.
Screen #6: General Information
On this screen you will need to provide some basic information about your business.
*It is critical that the information you provide on this page is 100% accurate and matches up with your official IRS documentation. (EIN documents, W2, W9, or CP575). Any discrepancies can lead to a failed registration.
Screen #7: Business Information
On this screen you’ll need to provide some additional info about your business structure (sole proprietor, partnership, LLC, etc), the industry you work in, your EIN#, and a link to your business website.
*It is critical that the information you provide on this page is 100% accurate and matches up with your official IRS documentation. (EIN documents, W2, W9, or CP575). Any discrepancies can lead to a failed registration.
Screen #8: Point of Contact
On this screen you’ll need to provide information to the registry in case they need to contact you. Complete the questions on this form. If you’d like to add a second point of contact (Authorized Representative) you can, but it isn’t necessary.
Screen #9: Terms & Privacy Policy
On this page just click the box indicating the info you provided is accurate then click Submit.
Once you click submit your information will be submitted to the phone companies to complete your brand registration. Your registration is typically approved or rejected in just a few seconds, but there can be delays.
If your brand registration FAILS, you will need to resubmit your information again.
Here are some common reasons brand registrations fail:
Inaccurate business information
It is critical that the info you provide is 100% accurate. Any discrepancies in your business name, address, etc can cause your registration to fail.
Before you re-submit reference your official IRS documentation (EIN documents, W2, W9, or CP575
Now let's register your campaigns:
After you successfully register your brand, it's time to register your campaigns. Campaign registration is meant to give the phone companies an idea of the types of text messages you will be sending. They are also looking to confirm that you are only sending messages to contacts that have opted in to receive messages from you.
Screen #1: Campaign Details
On this screen you will need to select your campaign use case and provide a description of the types of messages you plan to send.
Campaign Use Case:
There are a variety of options you can choose from based on your use case.
Here is a breakdown of the different use cases available:
Table 1: List of standard campaign use cases
Campaign use case description:
In this section you just need to let the phone companies know the types of messages you plan to send.
Example: We reach out to clients and prospects who have opted in to receive information about the products and services that we offer.
Example: We use this campaign to confirm appointments and send appointment reminders.
Screen #2: Sample Messages
On this screen you’ll need to provide some sample messages for the phone companies to review. The examples you provide should be as close to the exact messages you intend to send in your CRM.
If for example on the previous step you indicated that you will send messages to confirm appointments then a good example would be something like this:
“Hi Julie this is Jeff at ABC Family Practice reaching out to confirm your appointment on Tuesday, July 3 at 8:30 am.”
If you indicated that you will be sending messages to clients and prospects who have inquired about your products/services then a good example would be something like this:
“Hi Joe this is Jerry at XZY Insurance. I received your request for a quote and I’d be happy to help out. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.
*Note: In order to be in compliance with 10DLC regulations you must properly identify yourself and your company in the first message you send to the contact. You must also include opt-out language at the end of the first message.
Sender identification in the example above = Jerry at XYZ Insurance
Opt-out language in the example above = Reply STOP to unsubscribe
If you intend to include links or phone numbers in the texts you send then you’ll want to check the appropriate boxes below. You will also want to make sure the example messages you provide match your selection below.
Example: If you check the box indicating your messages will include an embedded link be sure to include a link in your sample message.
Note: Don’t use url shorteners. This is a red flag to the phone companies.
Screen #3: End User Content
With the new 10DLC regulations in place it is important to always obtain consent to send messages to your contacts. The phone companies will be looking for an explanation for how you are currently obtaining consent.
This is a very important part of the registration process. We see a lot of registrations fail because users don't provide the correct info here.
You can see a couple examples below, but everyone runs their business a little differently.
Common ways to obtain consent to text your contacts:
Website: It is common practice to have a form on your website to generate leads for your products or services. To obtain consent you will need to add a disclaimer to your forms indicating that by completing the form they are opting in to be contacted by your business via text.
Facebook Ads: If you are running facebook ads you are likely directing the traffic to a landing page in an attempt to get the visitor to fill out a lead form. To obtain consent you will need to add an opt-in disclaimer to the form.
Note: You never know when the phone companies are going to flag your account and audit you. When you get audited they will ask to see proof of opt in.
Here is an example of what a proper opt in form looks like:
All the elements that you see on this page are important. In order to obtain consent, contacts must check the box indicating you can send them messages. I would recommend copying the exact consent language that we use in the example above. You will also need to have a link to your company terms of service and privacy policy.
Forms like the one above can built built using our smart forms feature. When completing your campaign registration we recommend providing a link to the exact optin form for the phone companies to review.
See video explanation:
Opt-in Keywords:
Opt-in keywords are keywords your contacts can text you to automatically opt-in to receive messages from you. You can use the examples we provide or add your own.
Opt-in Message:
The opt-in message is the message that will automatically be sent to your contact after they text you using an opt-in keyword. Type your desired message in the box below.
If your brand registration FAILS, you will need to resubmit your information again.
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What if your campaign registration fails?
If your campaign registration fails, you will need to resubmit.
Common Issues:
- Users copy/paste our examples and use them for their submission
- The examples we provide are just that...examples. You need to provide the phone companies with examples of the actual messages you are sending. Don't just copy/paste what we provide as examples.
- The examples we provide are just that...examples. You need to provide the phone companies with examples of the actual messages you are sending. Don't just copy/paste what we provide as examples.
- Users don't include sender identification and opt-out language in their examples
- As part of the 10dlc regulations you are now required to include sender identification and opt-out language in the first text that you send to your contacts.
- Sender identification = Your name and your company name
- Opt-out language = A message that tells contacts how to unsubscribe from your messages
- Ex. Hi John, this is Jeff from XYZ Insurance. {insert your message here}. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.
- Ex. Hi John, this is Jeff from XYZ Insurance. {insert your message here}. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.
- If you check the boxes indicating your messages include links and/or phone numbers, make sure your examples match your selection.
- If you don't include links/phone numbers in your texts don't check the boxes.
- If you don't include links/phone numbers in your texts don't check the boxes.
- Opt-in info: As part of the 10dlc regulations you are required to receive opt-in info from the people you are messaging.
- If you state that you are buying leads from a vendor this could lead to your registration being rejected. When you buy leads from a vendor the vendor is a third party getting opt-in, not you. Make sure you explain how you are getting opt-in info from your contacts.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How does A2P 10DLC work?
There are two important requirements under the new A2P 10DLC system:
Businesses must identify who they are to the carrier networks (Brand registration).
Businesses must register what type of messages they are sending, i.e. notifications (Campaign registration).
What do I need to do?
If you do not send any messages to users in the United States using long code numbers, you do not need to do anything.
If you send messages to the United States using long code numbers you have the following registration options based on your Tax ID status, volume, and use case:
If you have a Tax ID (EIN) and send under 6,000 message segments per day, you should register for Low Volume Standard Brands
If you have a Tax ID (EIN) and send over 6,000 message segments per day, you should register for appropriate campaign types within Standard Brands
If you don’t have a Tax ID (EIN), you should register a Sole Proprietor Brand (available April 17th).
Enter your Legal Company Name exactly as registered with the IRS
If you’re registering a US entity, please enter the exact Legal Company Name as registered with the IRS, which can be found on the CP 575 EIN Confirmation Letter. An exact match between the Legal Company Name and the EIN as displayed on CP 575 is required for the Brand to be successfully registered. Please do not use the Legal Company Name found on the W2 or W9 forms as they may be different from what you have on the CP 575 notice.
If you do not have access to your company's CP 575 notice then contact your company's accountant or financing office and ask for it. If the CP 575 notice has been misplaced, you may request a 147c letter from the IRS and use the information there for registration.
How to find your EIN number (for US companies)
Review your CP 575 / 147c forms for your EIN
Contact your company's accountant or financing office and ask for the EIN
Do I need to register? If so, what’s the deadline?
Effective July 5, 2023, all 10DLC phone numbers used to send SMS and MMS messages to U.S. phone numbers must be fully registered to an approved campaign under your brand. Messages sent using unregistered phone numbers will be subject to a gradual increase of message blocking, beginning on July 5, 2023, ultimately leading to a full block of all unregistered U.S.-bound messages sent after August 31, 2023.
What’s a campaign use case?
This represents a messaging use case, for example sending account notifications or conducting marketing. In carrier terminology, these are called "Campaigns."
Some companies may only need to register one campaign use case, in other scenarios you may have multiple. For example, if you are a company that sends authentication codes to validate new users, but you also send marketing messages, you should register two campaign use cases.
What do the campaign use case options mean?
Your campaign use case describes the type of messaging you plan to send. This will influence the price you pay per message on AT&T.
Use cases vary from notifications and fraud alerts to customer care to social updates. For more information on Campaigns and a full list of campaign use cases, please see: List of Campaign Types and Use Case Types for A2P 10DLC registration
Standard Campaign Use Cases
The following table contains the list of standard campaign use cases.
Table 1: List of standard campaign use cases
Special Campaign Use Cases
What information is required for registration?
In order to register businesses, brands and use cases, you will need information about each business and brand. The required info includes the business name, physical address, business type (LLC, partnership, etc.).
What pricing and fees are associated with the A2P 10DLC service?
There are two categories of fees associated with A2P 10DLC: registration fees, and per-message carrier fees. Both types of fees are charged by carriers as part of the A2P 10DLC system. Registration fees are applied when registering your US A2P Brand and your A2P Use Case, the moment they are approved.
Carrier fees are charged by carriers for A2P 10DLC messages sent to users on their networks.
Registration Fees
US A2P Sole Proprietor Brand registration fee: $4 one-time registration fee
(no Secondary Vetting for A2P 10DLC).
US A2P Low Volume Standard Brand registration fee: $4 one-time registration fee
(no Secondary Vetting for A2P 10DLC).
US A2P Standard Brand registration fee: $44 one-time registration fee
(includes Secondary Vetting for A2P 10DLC).
US A2P Campaign use case registration fees: $15 one-time registration fee at the time of vetting.
US A2P Recurring Monthly Campaign registration fees:
How long does Campaign Vetting take?
All Campaign approvals are subject to a manual vetting process. We are currently experiencing a 2-3 week delay vetting A2P 10DLC Campaigns. We are working internally and with our industry partners to improve the vetting times. We continue to escalate these issues and are working to reduce delays wherever possible.
Will I get my $15 back if my Campaign fails vetting?
No, the $15 Campaign vetting fee is non-refundable. Twilio is working on an expedited pre-screening process to catch issues prior to the Campaign being sent for external vetting. We will share more news on this once we have an update.
Carrier Fees
AT&T Carrier Fees
Effective June 1, 2023, fees for all long code messages to AT&T:
$0.002 per registered outbound SMS message segment
$0.0035 per registered outbound MMS message
$0.01 per unregistered outbound SMS message segment
$0.015 per unregistered outbound MMS message
T-Mobile Carrier Fees (including Sprint)
Effective August 1, 2023, fees for all long code messages to T-Mobile/Sprint:
$0.003 per registered outbound/inbound SMS message segment
$0.01 per registered outbound/inbound MMS message
$0.006 per unregistered outbound/inbound SMS message segment
$0.015 per unregistered outbound/inbound MMS message
T-Mobile acquired the Sprint network in 2020. Some devices still appear as "Sprint" in a Lookup. Messages sent to these users will have the same fees as other messages to T-Mobile.
Verizon Wireless Carrier Fees
Verizon introduced A2P 10DLC fees in January 2019 (for details, see here). In September 2022, Verizon increased these fees. Following other U.S. carriers raising fees for unregistered messages to encourage 10DLC registration, Verizon will increase its per-message rate on unregistered traffic, effective July 1, 2023.
Effective July 1, 2023, fees for all long code messages to Verizon:
$0.003 per registered outbound/inbound SMS message segment
$0.005 per registered outbound/inbound MMS message
$0.01 per unregistered outbound/inbound SMS message segment
$0.005 per unregistered outbound/inbound MMS message
Comparison table - Sole Proprietor vs. Standard A2P 10DLC registration
* Monthly Campaign fees vary by Brand registration type and Campaign use case.
Common customer errors for EIN/Tax ID
Using an incorrect business name, such as the name of the messaging provider, DBA, or a trade name name of the company instead of the official legally registered name. The Legal Name must not be abbreviated in any way and must appear exactly as it is filed with the IRS (US) or the equivalent tax authority in other countries.
Entering a number in the EIN or Tax ID field that is not a valid EIN or home country company ID number.
Providing a DUNS number instead of an EIN for a US-based company.
Using SSN to register your brand. If you used your SSN to file your taxes, you are a sole proprietor and should await further guidance from Twilio on registering your brand.
Further recommendations:
For US businesses, to ensure you’re providing accurate information, enter your business's EIN into the HIPAA Space lookup website. If your business appears in the results, please fill in your business name exactly according to the business listing information.
For validating a brand’s status as a nonprofit, you can use Results for Tax Exempt Organization Search from the US IRS.
Newly issued EINs or equivalent tax IDs won’t propagate across the relevant databases validation systems for a few weeks. So, if your brand registration failed due to tax ID mismatch and you recently registered your business for a tax ID, please share documentation with support to help your brand get verified manually by the third-party vendors. Any such documentation has to be from the federal level and not the state level.