How to Port Your Fax Number (Step-by-Step, 2026)
Mircea RilăLearn how to port your fax number: gather your LOA and carrier bill, submit a transfer, keep service active and test routing. Free eligible SingleFax port-in.
Free port-in. Port-out costs $10 per number, or $150 for vanity numbers, paid upfront and refunded if the transfer fails.
To port your fax number, move its carrier routing to a new provider while keeping the same digits. Fax number porting lets customers and offices continue using the number they already know. Bring an eligible existing fax number to a subscription, or transfer an assigned SingleFax number to another provider, including a lifetime number. Start with number porting to check eligibility, documents and fees.
What to gather before fax number porting
Collect these details before starting the request:
- The fax number and your current provider's name.
- The account holder, authorized signer and service address exactly as recorded by the carrier. Ask for a Customer Service Record (CSR) if the bill does not show the complete transfer details.
- Account number, billing telephone number and any required transfer PIN. Do not guess a PIN or substitute a different account's details.
- A recent carrier bill showing the number and account details. SingleFax requires a bill from the last 30 days.
- A signed Letter of Authorization (LOA) authorizing the transfer. For SingleFax, sign it within the last 90 days.
- Whether you are moving the whole account or only the fax number. If the line also carries voice, internet or other numbers, ask the old provider how a partial transfer affects them.
Upload the bill and LOA in the secure dashboard rather than posting them publicly. Additional carrier requirements appear in your transfer details. Confirm your authority to move the number before submitting.
How to port your fax number: step-by-step
Production UI demo with sample documents; no actual transfer or payment is performed. · 67 seconds
Watch with chapters and transcript
Watch on YouTubePorting keeps the number printed on your letterhead and forms while moving its carrier routing to SingleFax. SingleFax accepts one eligible US or Canadian local number per request on Standard or Business, monthly or annual, including HIPAA Secure. A portability check and administrative review are required. Toll-free, mobile, international, lifetime and 30-day port-ins are excluded.
- Choose your plan and transfer path. Select Bring your existing number when choosing a subscription, or open Number transfers in My Numbers to replace an existing subscription number.
- Check portability. Run the portability check before preparing the transfer. A supported country or area code alone does not guarantee that a particular number can transfer.
- Match the carrier's records. Enter the current carrier's account holder, authorized signer, service address, account number, billing telephone number and applicable PIN exactly as held by the carrier.
- Upload your documents. Upload a signed Letter of Authorization (LOA) and a carrier bill from the last 30 days. The LOA should be signed within the last 90 days. Documents are private and are available only to you and authorized SingleFax administrators. Additional carrier requirements appear in your transfer.
- Submit for review. New subscribers save a payment method without paying a subscription charge yet. Submit for SingleFax review.
- Track the request and answer corrections. Correct any account or document mismatch requested by the carrier. A preferred date is a request, not a guaranteed completion date.
- Confirm completion and test fax routing. Keep the old carrier service active until completion. SingleFax verifies fax routing before activating subscription billing. Arrange a non-sensitive incoming and outgoing test, then confirm with the old provider which services and charges remain before closing the old fax service.
Billing and receiving during activation
New subscribers receive no temporary number. Billing starts after the number completes its transfer and fax routing is verified. If the activation payment fails or requires confirmation, SingleFax retains the number and holds incoming faxes while payment recovery proceeds. Complete the payment through the dashboard.
Existing subscribers replace their DID without resetting renewal dates or their page pool. Organization and HIPAA access remain attached to the same subscription number record. Outgoing faxes use the replacement number, and the former SingleFax number continues receiving for 14 days before carrier release.
How long does fax number porting take?
There is no fixed SingleFax completion time. The old and new carriers coordinate the transfer, and timing depends on their requirements, the number and whether your paperwork matches. A preferred transfer date is a request, not a guaranteed deadline. Use the carrier-confirmed date and dashboard status to plan the switch.
A mismatch in the account name, address, account number, PIN or authorization can require a correction before the request moves forward. Respond promptly and keep the current service active. A delay or paperwork correction is not a failed transfer and does not trigger a port-out refund.
Do not cancel the old fax service too early
Start the transfer while the old service is active. Canceling first can disconnect or release the number and make recovery or transfer harder. Continue receiving through your old provider until carrier completion, then test receiving and sending through the new one.
Moving the number does not necessarily cancel every part of the old account. Check remaining numbers, bundled services, renewal terms and any final charges with that provider. Save the transfer confirmation and any separate cancellation confirmation.
Porting away from eFax, RingCentral or Dropbox Fax
The new provider initiates the carrier transfer. Get the losing provider's exact release details first; do not assume its customer-facing account number is always the carrier's transfer account number. SingleFax still needs an eligibility check and matching paperwork.
Porting a fax number away from eFax
Before canceling eFax, confirm whether your number was originally brought to eFax or assigned by eFax. Its current customer agreement distinguishes these cases and makes port-out subject to conditions. Ask eFax to confirm your number's release eligibility, required notice, transfer details and any fee for your specific account. Keep it active while the gaining provider handles the transfer.
Porting a fax number away from RingCentral
Use RingCentral's number transfer support to confirm the CSR, account information, service address and any authorization requirements for the fax number. Have the new provider initiate the transfer. If the fax number is part of a larger phone system, specify which number is moving and verify what happens to voice lines and remaining services.
Porting a fax number away from Dropbox Fax
Dropbox Fax, formerly HelloFax, describes port-out in its service-specific terms: follow the gaining provider's instructions and supply the information and cooperation required by both sides. Gather your account details and recent bill, confirm any release requirements with Dropbox, and keep the account active through completion. A port-in instruction page for Dropbox is not the process for moving away from it.
Porting versus forwarding a fax number
Porting moves the number's carrier routing to the new provider. People keep dialing the same number, and the new provider receives the fax calls once the transfer completes.
Forwarding leaves the number with the old provider and redirects calls to another number, if the old provider supports suitable fax forwarding. The old service and its charges may still be needed. Forwarding is not a transfer of the number, and ordinary voice forwarding is not a guarantee that fax calls will work reliably.
Choose porting when you want the new provider to serve the same fax number. If you need a temporary forwarding arrangement, confirm fax support and test it with both providers before relying on it.
Can you port a fax number to email?
You cannot move a telephone number directly into a Gmail or Outlook address. You can port it to an online fax provider that receives fax calls and delivers digital documents or notifications according to your plan and settings. The sender continues dialing your fax number.
For SingleFax HIPAA Secure, use the covered website workflow and complete the organization's BAA. Do not treat ordinary email delivery as an approved route for PHI.
Transfer a number away from SingleFax
There is no free port-out, regardless of plan, annual billing, whether you originally brought the number to SingleFax, or subscription cancellation.
| Number | SingleFax fee per number |
|---|---|
| Regular | $10 upfront |
| Vanity: North American area code 800 or four identical trailing digits | $150 upfront |
Open My Numbers, choose Transfer away on your assigned number (including lifetime), and review the server-calculated fee and refund terms. Pay through a separate one-time Stripe checkout. SingleFax-assisted processing starts after verified payment capture.
Your gaining provider submits the carrier transfer using your own account holder name and address and the transfer details provided in your dashboard. SingleFax reviews ownership and authorization; shared carrier account credentials are never provided. Keep service active until completion.
If the gaining provider starts outside the dashboard, SingleFax requests the upfront payment and alerts its administrators. The fee remains due, and non-payment alone does not justify rejecting the carrier transfer.
Full refunds for unsuccessful transfers
If the carrier confirms terminal failure or cancellation, SingleFax refunds the entire $10 or $150 payment, including its markup. A pending cancellation, delay, correctable exception or ambiguous provider timeout does not trigger a refund. Refund progress appears separately from transfer progress and failed refunds are retried. Where a carrier request contains several numbers, fees are retained for completed numbers and refunded for unsuccessful ones.
After successful port-out, SingleFax stops number service and new sends, clears outgoing defaults, settles outstanding usage and stops subscription renewal. The successful transfer fee is retained. There is no prorated subscription refund.
Paid port-out remains available after subscription cancellation while the number remains assigned. Ordinary cancellation keeps pay-as-you-go inbound under the 90-day inactivity policy, with notices before release. An open transfer blocks release. Fax history remains subject to your usual retention settings.