A2P 10DLC Registration Cost (2026): Brand, Campaign and Monthly Fees Explained
A2P 10DLC registration cost, in short: a one-time brand fee of $4.50 (sole proprietor or low-volume standard) or $46 (standard brand, including secondary vetting), a one-time $15 campaign vetting fee, then a monthly campaign fee: $10 for standard use cases, $2 for sole proprietors, $1.50 for low-volume mixed, $3 for charities. Carrier fees per message are extra. Year one for a typical small business: about $181.
More on this topic: Calls, SMS and AI voice agents, every guide in one place.
If you text customers or leads from a normal 10-digit US number through software — reminders, missed-call text-back, follow-ups — carriers require that number to be registered for A2P (application-to-person) messaging. Most pages about the cost are provider help articles quoting slightly different figures. This guide lays out the registry fees as passed through by Twilio, which tier fits which business, and what a year costs.
Key takeaways
- Brand registration: $4.50 one-time for sole proprietor and low-volume standard brands; $46 for standard brands (includes secondary vetting).
- Campaign vetting: $15 one-time per campaign (use case).
- Monthly campaign fee: $10 standard, $2 sole proprietor, $1.50 low-volume mixed, $3 charity, $5 emergency.
- August 2025 increases: brand registration $4 to $4.50, standard vetting $40 to $41.50, appeals $10 to $11.
- Per-message carrier fees are charged on top of your provider's SMS price.
- Year one, standard brand and one standard campaign: $181; each year after, $120.
How much does A2P 10DLC registration cost?
A2P 10DLC registration costs a one-time brand fee ($4.50 or $46), a one-time $15 campaign vetting fee, and a recurring monthly campaign fee from $1.50 to $10 depending on the use case. These are registry and carrier fees; providers pass them through, sometimes with their own charges added.
| Fee | Amount | When it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| Sole proprietor brand | $4.50 | Once, at brand creation |
| Low-volume standard brand | $4.50 | Once, at brand creation |
| Standard brand (includes secondary vetting) | $46 | Once, at brand creation |
| Campaign vetting | $15 | Once per campaign |
| Standard campaign | $10/month | At approval, then monthly |
| Sole proprietor (Starter) campaign | $2/month | At approval, then monthly |
| Low-volume mixed campaign | $1.50/month | At approval, then monthly |
| Charity / 501(c)(3) campaign | $3/month | At approval, then monthly |
| Emergency services campaign | $5/month | At approval, then monthly |
Fees checked on Twilio's “Pricing and Fees for A2P 10DLC Service” help article on 25 October 2026; Twilio says it passes carrier and registry fees through at cost. Other providers may add their own charges. Confirm current fees with your provider.
Two details cost money if you miss them. The brand fee is charged when the brand is created with the registry, even if it ends up unverified, so fix the details before you submit. And the monthly campaign fee keeps renewing until you deactivate or delete the campaign, so close campaigns you no longer use.
What changed in 10DLC fees in 2025?
The Campaign Registry (TCR) raised several fees on 1 August 2025: brand registration from $4.00 to $4.50, standard vetting from $40.00 to $41.50, and vetting appeals from $10.00 to $11.00. It also introduced an Authentication Plus fee of $12.50 per retry for public for-profit brands.
| TCR fee | Before 1 August 2025 | From 1 August 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Brand registration | $4.00 | $4.50 |
| Standard vetting | $40.00 | $41.50 |
| Vetting appeal | $10.00 | $11.00 |
| Authentication Plus (per retry) | $0 | $12.50 |
That is why older articles quote $44 or $4 for brand registration. Twilio's combined standard-brand figure of $46 includes the vetting.
Which 10DLC brand type do you need?
Choose sole proprietor if you have no EIN, low-volume standard if you have an EIN and send fewer than about 6,000 messages a day, and standard if you send more. The brand type decides both the fee and the throughput carriers allow.
| Brand type | Who it is for | Brand fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sole proprietor | Individuals and small businesses without an EIN | $4.50 | Lowest throughput; limited numbers and campaigns |
| Low-volume standard | EIN holders sending under about 6,000 messages a day | $4.50 | No secondary vetting; supports mixed campaigns |
| Standard | EIN holders sending more than about 6,000 a day | $46 | Includes secondary vetting; higher throughput |
Low-volume mixed campaigns, the $1.50-a-month option, support up to 2,000 SMS segments and MMS a day towards T-Mobile and get lower throughput. For a local service business sending reminders and follow-ups, that is often enough.
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What does 10DLC cost for a year?
A small business with a standard brand and one standard campaign pays $181 in registration fees in year one and $120 a year after. A low-volume business can pay under $40 in year one. Per-message fees are extra in every case.
| Set-up | One-time fees | Monthly campaign fee | Year one | Each year after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard brand + 1 standard campaign | $46 + $15 | $10 | $181 | $120 |
| Low-volume standard brand + low-volume mixed campaign | $4.50 + $15 | $1.50 | $37.50 | $18 |
| Sole proprietor brand + Starter campaign | $4.50 + $15 | $2 | $43.50 | $24 |
| Standard brand + 2 standard campaigns | $46 + $30 | $20 | $316 | $240 |
On top of these sit your provider's per-message price and the carriers' per-message fees, which differ by carrier and are listed in each provider's pricing guide. T-Mobile also charges on inbound messages. For a business sending a few thousand texts a month, messaging usually costs more than registration.
Most rejections come from mismatched business details or vague sample messages, and resubmitting can mean paying vetting or appeal fees again. Use your legal business name and EIN exactly as registered, link a live website with a privacy policy, and write sample messages that include your brand name and opt-out wording.
Do you have to register for A2P 10DLC?
Yes, if you send business texts through software from a standard 10-digit US number. Carriers filter or block unregistered A2P traffic on 10DLC numbers, so unregistered messages may never arrive. Person-to-person texting from a phone is not A2P.
- Covered: appointment reminders, missed-call text-back, two-way sales follow-up from a CRM, marketing texts.
- Not covered by 10DLC: short codes and toll-free numbers, which have their own registration or verification processes.
- Consent still applies: registration does not replace the opt-in your messages need. See SMS marketing consent and timing.
How do you register for A2P 10DLC?
You register through your messaging provider: submit your brand (legal name, EIN, address, website), wait for verification, submit a campaign describing your use case with sample messages and opt-in wording, and attach your numbers once it is approved.
- Brand: legal business name and EIN exactly as on IRS records; a sole proprietor uses personal details instead.
- Campaign: the use case (for example customer care or marketing), how people opt in, and two or more sample messages.
- Opt-out: messages must honour STOP and similar keywords.
- Numbers: assign your sending numbers to the approved campaign.
For what to send once you are registered, see missed-call text-back and business phone numbers.
In Scalry, which publishes this guide, 10DLC registration is a form in the CRM's integration settings: it submits your brand and campaign for carrier review and provisions a dedicated number, for a one-time $35 setup fee plus the recurring campaign fee for your use case, billed every three months and shown before you submit.
Frequently asked questions
How much does A2P 10DLC registration cost?
A one-time brand fee of $4.50 (sole proprietor or low-volume standard) or $46 (standard, with secondary vetting), a one-time $15 campaign vetting fee, and a monthly campaign fee of $1.50 to $10, as listed by Twilio in October 2026.
What is the monthly fee for 10DLC?
$10 a month for a standard campaign, $2 for a sole proprietor campaign, $1.50 for low-volume mixed, $3 for charities and $5 for emergency services, billed from approval until you delete the campaign.
Why did 10DLC brand registration go up to $4.50?
The Campaign Registry raised the brand registration fee from $4.00 to $4.50 on 1 August 2025, along with standard vetting ($41.50) and appeals ($11).
Is A2P 10DLC registration required?
Yes, for software-sent business texts from standard 10-digit US numbers. Carriers filter or block unregistered A2P traffic.
What is the cheapest way to register for 10DLC?
A low-volume standard brand ($4.50) with a low-volume mixed campaign ($15 vetting, $1.50 a month): $37.50 in year one, for businesses sending under about 2,000 messages a day to T-Mobile.
Are there per-message fees on top of registration?
Yes. Carriers charge per-message fees on registered 10DLC traffic, on top of your provider's SMS price, and T-Mobile also charges on inbound messages.
How Scalry's CRM keeps each contact's history on one timeline is described on the CRM and pipeline page.
Pick the brand type that matches your real volume before you submit — it sets the fee and the throughput. You can rebuild one real campaign inside Scalry before moving anything else.
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