Overview
If you notice a recurring Emergency Calling fee on your Twilio invoice, it’s because your Twilio phone number has an emergency address registered to it. This article explains why these charges occur, what they mean, and how you can disable them if you no longer need emergency calling capability.
What You Need To Know
How to Disable the Recurring Emergency Calling Charge
If you no longer need emergency calling capability on a specific phone number, you can remove the emergency address. This will stop the recurring monthly fee.
To remove the emergency address:
- Go to the Active Numbers page in your Twilio Console.
- Select the phone number you want to update.
- Under the Voice & Fax section, click Remove Emergency Address.
- Confirm your request.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Does Twilio Charge a Recurring Emergency Calling Fee?
When you associate an emergency address with your Twilio phone number, you enable emergency calling (such as 911 in the US/Canada). This feature ensures that emergency services can be reached from your number and that calls are routed with the correct location information. To provide this service, Twilio applies a small, predictable monthly fee to each number with an emergency address.
What Happens After Removing the Emergency Address?
- The recurring emergency calling fee will stop for that number.
- If someone dials an emergency number (like 911 in the US/Canada) from that phone number, Twilio will still route the call, but you will be charged a much higher per-call fee (for example, $75 per 911 call in the US/Canada) instead of the monthly recurring fee.
Conclusion
- Removing the emergency address means you lose the lower, predictable monthly fee, but you are still responsible for any emergency calls made from that number.
- If you do not need emergency calling capability, removing the emergency address is the way to stop the recurring charge.
- If you need to maintain emergency calling for compliance or safety reasons, we recommend keeping the emergency address registered.
Below you will find references to useful documents:
If you have questions or need assistance with managing emergency addresses or charges, please reach out to Twilio Support for guidance.