Text message pricing

Each unique service you add has an annual allowance of free text messages.

When a service has used its annual allowance, it costs 1.97 pence (plus VAT) for each text message you send.

On 1 April 2024 the cost of sending a text message will go up to 2.27 pence (plus VAT).

You may use more free messages, or pay more for each message, if you:

Free text message allowance

The current allowance is:

  • 30,000 free text messages for national services
  • 10,000 free text messages for regional services
  • 5,000 free text messages for state-funded schools

GP surgeries do not get a free allowance.

GOV.UK Notify covers the cost of the free allowance. We do this to help support those teams who need it most. If your service sends a very high volume of text messages in a single year, we may not renew your free allowance the following year.

Long text messages

If a text message is longer than 160 characters (including spaces), it counts as more than one message.

Text message pricing
Message length Charge
Up to 160 characters
1 text message
Up to 306 characters
2 text messages
Up to 459 characters
3 text messages
Up to 612 characters
4 text messages
Up to 765 characters
5 text messages
Up to 918 characters
6 text messages

Signs and symbols

The following signs and symbols count as 2 characters each:
[]{}^\|~€

Using them can increase the cost of sending text messages.

Accents and accented characters

Some languages, such as Welsh, use accented characters.

The following accented characters do not affect the cost of sending text messages: Ä, É, Ö, Ü, à, ä, é, è, ì, ò, ö, ù, ü.

Using other accented characters can increase the cost of sending text messages.

Accented characters that affect text message charges
Accented characters that affect text message charges
Character Description
Â
Capital letter A with circumflex
Á
Capital letter A with acute
À
Capital letter A with grave
Ê
Capital letter E with circumflex
È
Capital letter E with grave
Ë
Capital letter E with dieresis
Î
Capital letter I with circumflex
Í
Capital letter I with acute
Ì
Capital letter I with grave
Ï
Capital letter I with dieresis
Ô
Capital letter O with circumflex
Ó
Capital letter O with acute
Ò
Capital letter O with grave
Û
Capital letter U with circumflex
Ú
Capital letter U with acute
Ù
Capital letter U with grave
Ŵ
Capital letter W with circumflex
Capital letter W with acute
Capital letter W with grave
Capital letter W with dieresis
Ŷ
Capital letter Y with circumflex
Ý
Capital letter Y with acute
Capital letter Y with grave
Ÿ
Capital letter Y with dieresis
â
Lower case letter a with circumflex
á
Lower case letter a with acute
ê
Lower case letter e with circumflex
ë
Lower case letter e with dieresis
î
Lower case letter i with circumflex
í
Lower case letter i with acute
ï
Lower case letter i with dieresis
ô
Lower case letter o with circumflex
ó
Lower case letter o with acute
û
Lower case letter u with circumflex
ú
Lower case letter u with acute
ŵ
Lower case letter w with circumflex
Lower case letter w with acute
Lower case letter w with grave
Lower case letter w with dieresis
ŷ
Lower case letter y with circumflex
ý
Lower case letter y with acute
Lower case letter y with grave
ÿ
Lower case letter y with dieresis
Pricing for text messages containing accented characters that affect the charges
Message length Charge
Up to 70 characters
1 text message
Up to 134 characters
2 text messages
Up to 201 characters
3 text messages
Up to 268 characters
4 text messages
Each additional 67 characters
1 additional text message

Sending text messages to international numbers

It might cost more to send text messages to international numbers than UK ones, depending on the country.

International text message rates
International text message rates
Country code Country Cost multiplier
+1
Canada
United States
Dominican Republic
1 ×
+1242
Bahamas
2 ×
+1246
Barbados
3 ×
+1264
Anguilla
3 ×
+1268
Antigua and Barbuda
3 ×
+1284
Virgin Islands, British
3 ×
+1345
Cayman Islands
3 ×
+1441
Bermuda
3 ×
+1473
Grenada
3 ×
+1649
Turks and Caicos Islands
3 ×
+1664
Montserrat
3 ×
+1684
American Samoa
3 ×
+1721
Sint Maarten
1 ×
+1758
Saint Lucia
3 ×
+1767
Dominica, Commonwealth of
3 ×
+1784
Saint Vincent and The Grenadines
3 ×
+1868
Trinidad and Tobago
3 ×
+1869
Saint Kitts and Nevis
3 ×
+1876
Jamaica
3 ×
+20
Egypt
3 ×
+211
South Sudan
2 ×
+212
Morocco
2 ×
+213
Algeria
2 ×
+216
Tunisia
2 ×
+218
Libya
2 ×
+220
Gambia
2 ×
+221
Senegal
2 ×
+222
Mauritania
2 ×
+223
Mali
2 ×
+224
Guinea
3 ×
+225
Cote d'Ivoire
2 ×
+226
Burkina Faso
3 ×
+227
Niger
3 ×
+228
Togo
2 ×
+229
Benin
3 ×
+230
Mauritius
2 ×
+231
Liberia
2 ×
+232
Sierra Leone
2 ×
+233
Ghana
2 ×
+234
Nigeria
4 ×
+235
Chad
3 ×
+236
Central African Republic
3 ×
+237
Cameroon
2 ×
+238
Cape Verde
3 ×
+239
Sao Tome and Principe
2 ×
+240
Equatorial Guinea
2 ×
+241
Gabon
2 ×
+242
Congo
3 ×
+243
Congo, Democratic Republic of
3 ×
+244
Angola
3 ×
+245
Guinea-Bissau
3 ×
+246
British Indian Ocean Territory
2 ×
+248
Seychelles
2 ×
+249
Sudan
2 ×
+250
Rwanda, Republic of
2 ×
+251
Ethiopia
2 ×
+252
Somalia
2 ×
+253
Djibouti, Republic of
2 ×
+254
Kenya
1 ×
+255
Tanzania
1 ×
+256
Uganda
2 ×
+257
Burundi
3 ×
+258
Mozambique
2 ×
+260
Zambia
2 ×
+261
Madagascar
2 ×
+262
Reunion
2 ×
+263
Zimbabwe
1 ×
+264
Namibia
2 ×
+265
Malawi
2 ×
+266
Lesotho
2 ×
+267
Botswana
2 ×
+268
Eswatini
2 ×
+269
Comoros
2 ×
+27
South Africa
2 ×
+297
Aruba
3 ×
+298
Faroe Islands
2 ×
+299
Greenland
2 ×
+30
Greece
2 ×
+31
Netherlands
3 ×
+32
Belgium
3 ×
+33
France
2 ×
+34
Spain
2 ×
+350
Gibraltar
2 ×
+351
Portugal
2 ×
+352
Luxembourg
2 ×
+353
Ireland
3 ×
+354
Iceland
2 ×
+355
Albania
2 ×
+356
Malta
2 ×
+357
Cyprus
2 ×
+358
Finland
3 ×
+359
Bulgaria
4 ×
+36
Hungary
3 ×
+370
Lithuania
2 ×
+371
Latvia
2 ×
+372
Estonia
2 ×
+373
Moldova
3 ×
+374
Armenia
3 ×
+375
Belarus
1 ×
+376
Andorra
2 ×
+377
Monaco
2 ×
+378
San Marino, Republic of
3 ×
+380
Ukraine
4 ×
+381
Serbia
1 ×
+382
Montenegro
2 ×
+383
Kosovo
4 ×
+385
Croatia
2 ×
+386
Slovenia
2 ×
+387
Bosnia and Herzegovina
2 ×
+389
Macedonia
1 ×
+39
Italy
2 ×
+40
Romania
2 ×
+41
Switzerland
2 ×
+420
Czech Republic
4 ×
+421
Slovakia
2 ×
+423
Liechtenstein
1 ×
+43
Austria
3 ×
+44
Guernsey
Isle of Man
Jersey
1 ×
+45
Denmark
2 ×
+46
Sweden
2 ×
+47
Norway
3 ×
+48
Poland
2 ×
+49
Germany
4 ×
+500
Falkland Islands
2 ×
+501
Belize
3 ×
+502
Guatemala
3 ×
+503
El Salvador
2 ×
+504
Honduras
2 ×
+505
Nicaragua
3 ×
+506
Costa Rica
2 ×
+507
Panama
2 ×
+508
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
2 ×
+509
Haiti
3 ×
+51
Peru
2 ×
+52
Mexico
2 ×
+53
Cuba
2 ×
+54
Argentina
3 ×
+55
Brazil
2 ×
+56
Chile
1 ×
+57
Colombia
1 ×
+58
Venezuela
2 ×
+590
Guadeloupe
2 ×
+591
Bolivia
3 ×
+592
Guyana
2 ×
+593
Ecuador
1 ×
+594
French Guiana
2 ×
+595
Paraguay
2 ×
+596
Martinique
2 ×
+597
Suriname
4 ×
+598
Uruguay
1 ×
+599
Curacao (former Netherlands Antilles)
3 ×
+60
Malaysia
1 ×
+61
Australia
2 ×
+62
Indonesia
2 ×
+63
Philippines
1 ×
+64
New Zealand
3 ×
+65
Singapore
1 ×
+66
Thailand
2 ×
+670
Timor L'este
2 ×
+672
Norfolk Island
3 ×
+673
Brunei Darussalam
1 ×
+674
Nauru
2 ×
+675
Papua New Guinea
2 ×
+676
Tonga
2 ×
+677
Solomon Islands
1 ×
+678
Vanuatu
2 ×
+679
Fiji
2 ×
+680
Palau
3 ×
+682
Cook Islands
3 ×
+685
Samoa
3 ×
+687
New Caledonia
3 ×
+689
French Polynesia
2 ×
+691
Micronesia, Federated States of
2 ×
+692
Marshall Islands
1 ×
+7
South Ossetia
Kazakhstan
Abkhazia
Russian Federation
4 ×
+81
Japan
3 ×
+82
Korea, Republic of
2 ×
+84
Vietnam
2 ×
+852
Hong Kong
3 ×
+853
Macau
1 ×
+855
Cambodia
3 ×
+856
Laos
2 ×
+86
China
2 ×
+880
Bangladesh
3 ×
+886
Taiwan
2 ×
+90
Turkey
Northern Cyprus
2 ×
+91
India
3 ×
+92
Pakistan
2 ×
+93
Afghanistan
3 ×
+94
Sri Lanka
2 ×
+95
Myanmar
2 ×
+960
Maldives
2 ×
+961
Lebanon
2 ×
+962
Jordan
2 ×
+963
Syria
3 ×
+964
Iraq
2 ×
+965
Kuwait
2 ×
+966
Saudi Arabia
2 ×
+967
Yemen
2 ×
+968
Oman
1 ×
+970
Palestinian Territory
4 ×
+971
United Arab Emirates
2 ×
+972
Israel
3 ×
+973
Bahrain
3 ×
+974
Qatar
1 ×
+975
Bhutan
2 ×
+976
Mongolia
2 ×
+977
Nepal
2 ×
+98
Iran
2 ×
+992
Tajikistan
2 ×
+993
Turkmenistan
2 ×
+994
Azerbaijan
2 ×
+995
Georgia
2 ×
+996
Kyrgyzstan
2 ×
+998
Uzbekistan
2 ×
+882
Worldwide
Not supported