Can you keep your business phone number when you switch to GoHighLevel?
Yes. You can move a US business number into GoHighLevel's phone system (LC Phone) by porting it, which moves calls and texts, or by number hosting, which keeps calls with your current carrier and adds texting in GoHighLevel. Porting takes two to four weeks for fewer than 50 numbers, and your number keeps working the whole time.
Two ways to keep your number
The timing and the "no downtime" point both come from HighLevel's porting guide, updated September 3, 2026. The right to take your number with you comes from the FCC: when you stay in the same area, you can keep your number when you change providers, and your old company cannot refuse to release it because you owe it money, according to the FCC's consumer guide on keeping your phone number.
The number on your van, your Google Business Profile and ten years of business cards is worth keeping. The question is only which route fits, and what to prepare so the move is not rejected halfway.
Should you port the number or host it?
Port the number if you want GoHighLevel to handle everything: calls, texts, call tracking, missed-call text-back and AI answering. Host it if you want to keep your current phone system for calls, for example a desk phone setup you like, and only add texting through GoHighLevel. Hosting works for landlines and toll-free numbers, not mobiles.
Port or host?
| Porting into LC Phone | Number hosting (hosted SMS) | |
|---|---|---|
| What moves | Calls and texts | Texts only; calls stay with your carrier |
| Eligible numbers | US numbers, including mobiles | US or Canadian landline and toll-free; not mobile |
| Typical time | 2 to 4 weeks (under 50 numbers); 6 to 8 weeks for large ports | 3 to 10 business days |
| Downtime | None, according to HighLevel | None for calls |
| Good for | AI receptionist, call tracking, missed-call text-back | Keeping an office phone system you already like |
Hosting details are from HighLevel's number hosting guide (September 4, 2026). One limit catches people: a number that already has texting switched on somewhere else cannot be hosted until that service is turned off. If you want an AI receptionist or GoHighLevel Voice AI to answer your main line, porting is usually the cleaner path, because calls then arrive where the AI and the CRM live.
What do you need to port a number into GoHighLevel?
You need a Letter of Authorization signed by the account holder, a bill from your current provider less than 90 days old, the numbers in full international format, and the sub-account the numbers should land in. For a mobile number you also need the account number and the port-out PIN. The name and service address must match your carrier's records exactly.
- Letter of Authorization (LOA): signed by the person authorised on the carrier account. The in-app US flow generates it and sends it for e-signature.
- Recent bill: a PDF under 90 days old showing the account owner and the provider.
- Numbers in E.164 format: for example +14155550123.
- Destination sub-account: the GoHighLevel location that will own the number.
- Mobile numbers: account number and PIN or passcode from the mobile carrier.
HighLevel is explicit that PO boxes are not accepted as service addresses. A common rejection is a simple mismatch: the bill says "Smith Dental LLC" and the LOA says "Smile Dental". Copy the name and address from the bill letter for letter.
What are the steps, and how long does each take?
Submit the port request with the documents, sign the LOA, wait while the carriers process it, then test calls and texts once the number is live in GoHighLevel. Only after that do you cancel the old service. For under 50 numbers, HighLevel quotes two to four weeks from complete documents.
Porting a number into GoHighLevel
- Prepare documents from the latest bill.
- Submit the request in the app (US numbers) or through the manual form.
- Sign the LOA the same day it arrives; a delay here is the most common reason a port takes longer.
- Wait for the port date. Calls keep working on the old carrier until the switch.
- Test on the day: inbound call, outbound call, inbound text, outbound text, voicemail.
- Cancel the old service only after every test passes.
The FCC's rules require simple ports to be completed within one business day once they reach the carriers, but business ports with several numbers, landlines or mismatched records are rarely "simple", which is why HighLevel quotes weeks. Plan the switch around a quiet week, not your busiest season.
What do you have to set up after the number moves?
Register the number for texting, rebuild call routing, and point your workflows at the new number. Porting moves the number, not your settings: texting from a US local number needs an approved A2P 10DLC campaign, and call forwarding, voicemail and business hours have to be set up again in GoHighLevel.
After the port: what still needs setting up
- A2P registration: attach the number to an approved campaign before sending texts. Our A2P 10DLC registration guide has the steps and fees.
- Call flow: ring order, business hours, voicemail and after-hours routing, or an AI agent that answers after hours.
- Missed-call text-back: the automatic reply when a call is missed, covered in missed call recovery.
- Workflows and forms: every "from number" setting points to the ported number.
- Listings: nothing to change, because the number is the same. That is the whole point.
If the number is moving as part of a bigger switch from another CRM, it belongs in the migration plan, not as a separate job. Our GoHighLevel migration service (or CRM migration if you are moving several systems at once) handles the number, the data and the automations in one cutover, and the Smile Bright dental case study shows a practice where every enquiry source was brought into one system.
What can go wrong with a port?
Most failed or slow ports come from four things: details that do not match the carrier's records, a missing PIN on a mobile number, cancelling the old service too early, and an unsigned LOA. Cancelling early is the only one that can lose you the number, so never cancel until the number works in GoHighLevel.
The FCC gives the same advice to every consumer: do not end service with your current company before the new one has the number. If you are also moving texting, expect a short gap in texts until the A2P campaign is approved; plan your first days on email and calls, or register the campaign before the port date.
Questions about keeping your number in GoHighLevel
Can I port a mobile number into GoHighLevel?
Yes, US mobile numbers can be ported into LC Phone. You need the mobile account number and the port-out PIN from the carrier. Mobile numbers cannot use number hosting.
Can I port a number from outside the US into GoHighLevel?
HighLevel says it can currently port in numbers from the United States only; for international numbers it asks you to contact support first.
Will my Google Business Profile number need changing?
No. A ported or hosted number is the same number, so listings, signage and past customers keep working. If you use a separate tracking number on your website, keep your main number as the primary number on your listings.
Does porting cost anything?
Carriers may charge a fee to port a number out, and the FCC suggests asking whether it can be waived. In GoHighLevel, the number then carries the normal LC Phone number and usage charges.
Can I move a number between GoHighLevel sub-accounts later?
Yes. HighLevel has a separate process for moving numbers across accounts, which is simpler than an external port because the number stays on the same system.
Sources and further reading
- HighLevel, Porting options: US in-app vs manual process, updated September 3, 2026.
- HighLevel, Number hosting for LC Phone: hosted SMS/MMS, updated September 4, 2026.
- FCC, Porting: keeping your phone number when you change providers.
- HighLevel, Moving phone numbers across accounts.
