If your GoHighLevel texts show “failed” or never arrive, A2P 10DLC is almost always the reason. US carriers filter business texts sent from local 10-digit numbers unless the business is registered. Registration isn’t hard, but it’s fussy: one mismatched name or a missing sentence in your privacy policy gets the whole thing rejected, and every round trip costs days.
This guide walks through A2P 10DLC registration in GoHighLevel the way I set it up for client accounts: brand first, then campaign, with the website fixes done before you submit. Fees and rules below are taken from HighLevel’s help center as of October 2026. They change often, so always check the figures shown in your own Trust Center.
What A2P 10DLC is, in one paragraph
A2P means application-to-person: texts sent from software rather than typed on a phone. 10DLC means a normal 10-digit long code (a local number). Since carriers started requiring it, every business sending A2P texts to US numbers from a local number must register a brand (who you are) and a campaign (what you’ll text, to whom, and how they agreed to it) with The Campaign Registry. You can’t register directly; GoHighLevel registers on your behalf through its phone system (LC Phone) or your connected Twilio account.
Canada: texting US numbers from a Canadian number needs A2P. For Canada-to-Canada texting, HighLevel says numbers bought on or after March 26, 2025 need A2P or Persona verification, while older numbers don’t.
Before you start: the 15-minute checklist
Most rejections are decided before you open the form. Have these ready:
| You need | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Your exact legal business name as on your tax registration (EIN in the US, BN-9 in Canada) | Name and number must match the government record exactly |
| Your EIN letter (IRS CP-575 or 147C) if you have one | Uploading it auto-fills name, EIN and address; EINs issued in the last 15 days may be rejected |
| A street address (no P.O. box) | P.O. boxes are refused |
| An authorised representative: name, job title, email, phone | Must be a real person at the business; details should match carrier records |
| A business email domain (for Standard brands) | Personal Gmail-type addresses get Standard brands rejected (Sole Proprietor is the opposite: it requires a public domain) |
| A live website for the business | Not “coming soon”, not login-only, not just a form |
| A privacy policy and terms page with SMS wording (see below) | The single most common reason campaigns bounce |
| A form with an unchecked SMS consent box | Carriers check how people opt in |
The website fixes to make first
Do these before you register, because the vetting team looks at your live site:
- Privacy policy: add a sentence that mobile information will not be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes, and that SMS opt-in data and consent are not shared. Rejection code 30932 is exactly this.
- Terms: add an SMS section covering what messages people will receive, how often, that message and data rates may apply, and how to get help (reply HELP) or stop (reply STOP).
- Opt-in form: add a separate checkbox for SMS consent that is not pre-checked and not required to submit the form. Next to it, state the message type, frequency, “Message and data rates may apply”, and “Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help”. Collecting a phone number on its own is not consent. If you send both marketing and non-marketing texts, use separate consent lines.
Step 1: Register your brand
In your sub-account go to Settings → Business Services → Phone System → Trust Center and click Start Registration under A2P Messaging (SMS).
- Where is the business registered, and does it have a tax ID? This decides your path:
- Standard brand (you have an EIN or BN): enter legal name, business type, industry, registration ID type and number, business email and region. DUNS numbers aren’t accepted; use the EIN.
- Sole Proprietor (no tax ID): your name or trading name without LLC or Inc., industry, and a US or Canadian mobile number that can receive a one-time code. VoIP and LeadConnector numbers won’t work.
- Address and contact: street address, then the authorised representative’s details. Don’t reuse the same phone and email across more than five brands.
- Verify: complete the identity check (Persona) or email code when prompted.
Brand approval doesn’t mean you can text yet; it unlocks the campaign step. Once a brand is approved, its details can’t be edited in the console, so get them right the first time.
Step 2: Register your campaign
Go to Trust Center → A2P Messaging (SMS) → Brand & Campaigns → Campaigns → Create Campaign.
- Volume: Standard brands choose Low Volume or High Volume. Low Volume suits most small businesses (around 6,000 message segments a day in HighLevel); High Volume costs more upfront.
- Setup method:
- Chat Widget setup (simplest): pick the use case (Marketing, Informational or Mixed), enter your website, and paste HighLevel’s chat widget code into your site. HighLevel then fills in the description, sample messages and opt-in details for you. The widget must be the only SMS consent form on that page.
- Manual setup: you write everything yourself. Use this when your opt-in happens on your own forms.
- Use case description: say who sends, who receives, what the messages are and how people opt in. One or two plain sentences, for example: “Brightline Plumbing sends appointment confirmations, reminders and service updates to customers who opt in through the booking form on our website.”
- Sample messages: write at least two, different from each other, each including your business name and opt-out wording, matching the use case you picked. Use full
https://links only: URL shorteners and plainhttp://links are rejected and can’t be resubmitted.“Brightline Plumbing: Hi [First Name], your service visit is confirmed for Tue 10 AM. Reply C to confirm or call 555-0100 to reschedule. Reply STOP to opt out.”
- Message details: tick “embedded links” or “phone numbers” only if your samples contain them (a ticked box with no number in the samples is its own rejection).
- Opt-in details: method (web form, in person, keyword), the URL of the form, a description of the flow, and the confirmation message people receive after opting in. That first message must name your business and include frequency, “Msg & data rates may apply”, and HELP and STOP instructions.
- Privacy policy and terms URLs: the pages you fixed earlier.
- Click Review Application. HighLevel runs a compliance check first; fix anything it flags, then submit.
Step 3: Connect your number and test
After approval, open Settings → Phone System → Phone Numbers and check your number shows a green A2P Verified label. If it doesn’t, link it to the campaign. Error 30034 on outgoing texts usually means the number isn’t attached to the approved campaign.
Then send a test to your own phone, reply STOP and HELP, and make sure both work.
What it costs (HighLevel, October 2026)
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| One-time: Sole Proprietor or Low Volume Standard (brand + first campaign vetting + fast-track) | $22.50 |
| One-time: High Volume Standard | $64.00 |
| Each extra campaign under the same brand | $15 vetting |
| Resubmitting a rejected campaign | No extra vetting fee |
| Monthly campaign fee | Roughly $1.50 to $10.50, depending on type (Sole Proprietor about $2) |
Fees are charged when you submit, approved or not, and the monthly fee stops only when you delete the campaign. HighLevel passes these through from the carriers. Check your Trust Center for the live numbers.
Rejected? The usual codes and fixes
| Code | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| 30909 | Carriers can’t verify how people opt in | Describe every opt-in method fully; add a hosted screenshot if the form is behind a login |
| 30924 | Consent text is missing frequency, rates or STOP/HELP | Add all four next to the checkbox |
| 30925 / 30931 | SMS checkbox missing, pre-checked, or required | Add an unchecked, optional SMS checkbox |
| 30932 | Privacy policy allows sharing opt-in data | State that mobile data isn’t shared for marketing |
| 30887 / 30890 | Opt-out or HELP handling missing | Set opt-out keywords; make the HELP reply name your business and a contact |
| 30907 | Website doesn’t match the brand | Use the site of the registered business (or show the DBA clearly) |
| 30919 to 30922 | Website is only a form, needs login, or is under construction | Publish a real public site first |
| 30971 | Personal email on a Standard brand | Use a business-domain email |
| 30893 / 30911 | Samples don’t match the use case, or are identical | Rewrite two distinct samples that fit the use case |
| 30892 / 30964 | Link shortener or http:// link |
Not resubmittable: create a new campaign with full https:// links |
Some content can’t be registered at all (cannabis, payday loans, gambling, crypto, third-party lead generation and similar), and resubmitting won’t change that.
The short version
- Fix your privacy policy, terms and opt-in checkbox before registering.
- Register the brand with details that match your tax record exactly.
- Register the campaign with a clear description and two distinct, branded samples.
- Link your number, test STOP and HELP, and watch for the A2P Verified label.
Getting texting approved is usually step one of a bigger system: appointment reminders, review requests and follow-ups that send themselves. If you run an accounting or tax practice, see how that fits into an AI assistant for accounting firms, or read how to stop chasing clients for documents. For the rest of a firm setup beyond texting, see GoHighLevel for accountants. If you’d rather have it set up for you, get in touch.
Questions
What is A2P 10DLC?
A2P 10DLC is the US carrier system for business text messages sent from software (application-to-person) over ordinary 10-digit local numbers. Your business registers a brand and at least one campaign with The Campaign Registry, through a provider such as GoHighLevel, so carriers know who is texting and why.
Do I need A2P 10DLC registration to send SMS from GoHighLevel?
Yes, if you text US numbers from a 10-digit local number. Unregistered traffic gets filtered or blocked by carriers and can carry extra carrier fees. Toll-free numbers and short codes use separate verification processes.
Does A2P 10DLC apply to Canada?
Messages from a Canadian number to US recipients need A2P registration. For Canada-to-Canada texting, HighLevel says numbers bought before March 26, 2025 do not need it, while numbers bought on or after that date need A2P or Persona verification. Check HighLevel’s current Canadian policy before relying on this.
How much does A2P 10DLC cost in GoHighLevel?
As of October 2026, HighLevel lists a one-time fee of $22.50 for Sole Proprietor and Low Volume Standard brands ($64 for High Volume Standard), $15 vetting for each additional campaign, and monthly campaign fees from about $1.50 to $10.50 depending on campaign type. Fees change, so confirm the figures in your Trust Center before submitting.
How long does A2P approval take?
There is no fixed time. Sole Proprietor brands are often reviewed faster; Standard brands can take several business days, and campaigns stay Pending until carrier vetting finishes. HighLevel’s optional Fast Track fee aims for approval within three business days.
Why was my A2P campaign rejected?
The most common reasons are a missing or pre-checked SMS consent checkbox, consent text without message frequency, rates and STOP/HELP instructions, a privacy policy that does not say mobile data will not be shared for marketing, a website that does not match the registered business, and sample messages that do not match the use case. Each rejection comes with a code that tells you what to fix.
Can I register A2P without an EIN?
Yes, as a Sole Proprietor brand, if you have no tax ID. You need a US or Canadian mobile number that can receive a one-time code (not a VoIP number), your name without LLC or Inc., and a public email address such as Gmail. Sole Proprietor brands get one campaign and lower daily limits.