Business phone
How to keep your business phone number when you switch provider
Quick answer
In the US you can usually keep your number when you switch provider in the same area, and your old provider cannot refuse to release it. Ask the new provider to start the transfer, have your account number, PIN and a recent bill ready, and do not cancel your old service until the move is complete. Most providers we rank quote days to a few weeks.
Moving a number from one provider to another is called porting. The new provider does most of the work, but a few things on your side decide whether it goes smoothly.
Your right to keep the number
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says: "If you're switching service providers and remaining in the same geographic area, you can keep your existing phone number." It adds that "your old company cannot refuse to port your number, even if you owe money for an outstanding balance or termination fee", and that if you move to a new area, "you may not be able to keep your current phone number". (FCC, checked Sep 25, 2026.)
Porting does not end your old contract. The FCC notes that "your contract may contain early termination fees and/or outstanding balances that you are obligated to pay".
What you'll need
Start the transfer with the new provider, not the old one (FCC). Most ask for:
- the number or numbers you are moving;
- your account number with the current provider, which for a mobile number is often different from the phone number (RingCentral);
- a PIN or passcode, which many carriers require to approve the transfer (Nextiva);
- a copy of your most recent bill (Grasshopper);
- the account holder's name and service address, exactly as the old provider has them (Phone.com);
- a signed letter of authorization (LOA), which releases the number to the new provider (Vonage).
A P.O. box as your service address can block the transfer (Grasshopper).
Don't cancel your old service first
This is the mistake that loses numbers. The FCC says: "Do not terminate your service with your existing company before initiating new service with another company." Providers go further and ask you to keep the old account active until the move is finished: Grasshopper, Quo, Google Voice, RingCentral and Ooma Office. Phone.com says the number must be active with the previous provider for the port to succeed. RingCentral adds that it does not cancel your old service for you.
What it costs
- Free to port in, the providers say: Grasshopper, Quo, Ooma Office and Dialpad (for local US numbers). RingCentral says it bears the cost of negotiating the transfer.
- Phone.com, Google Voice, Nextiva and Vonage do not state a porting fee on the pages we read.
- Your old provider may charge to release the number. The FCC says "you can ask whether any fees can be waived or negotiated".
How long it takes
The FCC requires simple ports, usually a single line, to be processed in one business day. Business ports often involve more, and the providers quote their own timeframes:
- Dialpad: 3 to 5 business days for local numbers, 5 to 10 for toll-free.
- Quo: most ports 3 to 7 business days, depending on the carrier.
- Grasshopper: 7 to 10 business days for local numbers, 3 to 5 for toll-free.
- RingCentral: 5 to 10 business days.
- Nextiva: 5 to 10 business days, or 2 to 4 weeks if the request is rejected or has discrepancies.
- Vonage: generally 10 business days for toll-free and local analog voice numbers.
- Google Voice: no less than 10 and no more than 30 business days in the US, unless there are technical issues.
- Phone.com: generally within 15 business days, though some requests take up to 60.
- Ooma Office: an average of three to four weeks.
Toll-free numbers
Dialpad, Quo, RingCentral, Nextiva, Vonage and Grasshopper say they can port toll-free numbers in. Google Voice lists toll-free numbers among the numbers it cannot port.
All provider pages were checked on Sep 25, 2026. For how the providers compare, see the business phone systems and virtual phone numbers rankings.