How to forward business calls in the US

Call forwarding is a feature of your phone line that redirects incoming calls to a different number. Callers still dial your usual number, and they don't need to know the call has been forwarded.

Forwarded calls can use minutes even when the feature itself is free. Verizon says there's no monthly fee for Call Forwarding on most plans, and that without unlimited minutes, forwarded calls are billed just as if you'd answered them on your cell phone (Verizon). AT&T says forwarded wireless calls are billed for the length of the call (AT&T).

There are two kinds: unconditional forwarding sends every call to the other number, and conditional forwarding sends calls only in certain situations.

Conditional forwarding is the one most businesses want. Your phone still rings first, and only the calls you can't take move on.

On a cell phone, dial these from the phone whose calls you want to forward, then press Call. Always enter the full 10-digit number, area code included.

Carrier details worth knowing:

Verizon: you can only set up or change Call Forwarding from the phone itself, and the number you forward to must be an active, voice-capable US number with 10 digits. Calls can't be forwarded to an international number, and text messages aren't forwarded. If callers hear a busy tone, Verizon suggests setting forwarding up again in case a wrong digit was entered. You'll hear a confirmation tone, which may sound like a busy signal, when you turn it off with *73.

AT&T wireless: wait at least three seconds for the confirmation tone before you hang up. AT&T says you can only change forwarding from your wireless phone, not online, that forwarding overrides your AT&T voicemail, and that if the number you forward to is busy, your callers hear a busy signal. You can't forward to an international number, and long-distance charges apply when you forward outside your home calling area.

T-Mobile: T-Mobile also lets you change how long your phone rings before an unanswered call is forwarded, from 5 up to 30 seconds. Dial **61*, the forwarding number, then **, the number of seconds, then #. For example, **61*1 followed by the number, then **10#, gives a 10-second delay (T-Mobile short codes).

Digital business and home phone lines from AT&T, Comcast Business and Spectrum all use the same core star codes: *72 to forward all calls, *92 for unanswered calls and *90 for busy. Dial them from the desk phone on the line you want to forward.

Service details worth knowing:

AT&T Phone for Business: if you've already saved your forwarding numbers in your online AT&T account, you don't need to enter them again by phone. AT&T also offers Exclusive Call Forwarding, which forwards calls from up to 20 numbers you choose and sends the rest to voicemail.

Comcast Business: besides the star codes, you can turn on Call Forwarding Always, Busy, No Answer and Not Reachable in the Comcast Business App, under My Phone, then Call Forwarding (Comcast Business). Comcast says your desk phone gives a short ring as a reminder while Call Forwarding Always is on.

Spectrum: include 1 and the area code if needed, and listen for the confirmation tone. When Forward All Calls is on, you'll hear a short ring, which Spectrum calls a ring splash, each time a call is forwarded. You can also manage forwarding online under Services, then Business Phone, then Manage Settings.

Other providers: check your provider's own help pages. Don't assume their codes match the ones above.

RingCentral doesn't use star codes for this; you set call rules in the app. In the RingCentral desktop or web app (RingCentral):

1. 1Click your profile picture at the top left.
2. 2Click Call rules, then Forward all calls.
3. 3In the Incoming calls dropdown, select Forward the call.
4. 4Click Number and enter the external phone number, or type a colleague's name or extension.
5. 5Add a schedule if you want forwarding to switch on and off automatically, then click Save.

Many other cloud phone systems work the same way, with forwarding rules in the app or admin portal rather than codes on the handset.

iPhone's built-in setting forwards all calls; Android phones usually offer all four types. On iPhone (Apple): open Settings, tap Apps, then Phone, then Call Forwarding, and turn it on. Tap Forward To and enter the number. A Call Forwarding icon shows in the status bar while it's on, and you need to be in range of your cellular network when you set it up.

Apple says that if your carrier supports conditional forwarding, when your line is busy or not in service, you should contact the carrier for setup. On Verizon and T-Mobile, the star codes above do this from any phone. Apple also warns that iPhone blocks links in messages, emails or websites asking you to turn on call forwarding, because scammers use them. Only set up forwarding yourself, to a number you trust.

Samsung Galaxy (Samsung): open the Phone app, tap More options (the three dots), then Settings, then Supplementary services, then Call forwarding. Choose Always forward, Forward when busy, Forward when unanswered or Forward when unreachable, enter the number and tap Enable. Samsung notes that availability varies by carrier and phone model, and other Android phones may name the menus differently.

Dual SIM phones: choose the line you want before turning forwarding on.

Use the turn-off code for the forwarding you set, or switch it off in the same place you switched it on.

To keep answering calls yourself and send on only the ones you can't take, use conditional forwarding: *71 on Verizon, **61* on T-Mobile, and *92 on AT&T, Comcast Business and Spectrum landlines.

On a business landline, set both no answer and busy forwarding. On a cell phone, add not reachable too where your carrier offers it, so calls still go somewhere when you're out of signal or your phone is off.

Your phone keeps ringing as normal. Only the calls you don't pick up in time, or can't take because you're on another call, are forwarded.

If you advertise on Google Local Services Ads, the ring time before forwarding matters. Google can now charge for a business-hours call nobody answers once the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds. Our guide to Google Local Services Ads and missed calls explains the rule.

Ringzel is an AI receptionist that answers the calls you can't take. You don't change your number or move it anywhere. You keep your existing number and set up forwarding on your own line, using the steps above.

You can forward to Ringzel only when you're busy, don't answer or are closed. Your phone rings as normal, and the calls you miss are answered instead of going to voicemail.

Ringzel answers in your business name, 24/7, asks the questions you've set and follows your instructions. After each call you get the recording, the transcript, a summary and a check report. Plans are $99, $179 or $299 a month with unlimited calls.

Your customers keep calling the number they already know. Nothing changes on your website, truck or business cards. Forwarding the calls you don't answer this way replaces voicemail with an AI voicemail assistant that talks to the caller.

14-day free trial. No card to start. Keep your number.

The code doesn't work.

Check you dialed the full 10-digit number, area code included, and the right code for your carrier. Verizon says an accidental extra digit is a common reason callers hear a busy tone. Wait for the confirmation tone before hanging up: AT&T says at least three seconds.

Callers hear a busy signal.

On AT&T wireless, callers hear a busy signal if the number you forward to is busy. Check the destination can take calls, or forward to a service that can take more than one call at a time.

I can't forward to a number outside the US.

Verizon and AT&T both say calls can't be forwarded to international numbers. Forward to a US number.

My voicemail stopped working.

AT&T says call forwarding overrides your wireless voicemail. Forward-all on any line means your phone, and its voicemail, never get the call. Use no-answer forwarding instead if you want your phone to ring first.

I can't change forwarding while I'm away from my phone.

Verizon and AT&T only let you change cell phone forwarding from the phone itself. On AT&T Phone for Business, Comcast Business, Spectrum and RingCentral, you can manage it online or in an app.

The iPhone setting only lets me forward everything.

That's how iPhone's built-in Call Forwarding works. Use your carrier's conditional codes instead, such as *71 on Verizon or **61* on T-Mobile.