What is brand registration for 10DLC?

Brand registration is the first step in the 10DLC process. It verifies your business identity with The Campaign Registry (TCR) by confirming your legal name, EIN, address, and other business details. Think of it as proving to the carriers that your business is real and legitimate before they allow you to send text messages.

What is a trust score and how does it affect my messaging?

A trust score is a rating assigned to your brand during registration based on factors like your business age, online presence, and the accuracy of your registration details. Higher trust scores unlock higher messaging throughput (more messages per second). Scores range from low (limited throughput) to high (maximum throughput for 10DLC). You can improve a low score through enhanced brand vetting.

Can I register as a sole proprietor without an EIN?

Sole proprietors can register, but having an EIN is strongly recommended. Some registration platforms accept an SSN for sole proprietors, but an EIN will give you a better trust score and smoother approval process. You can get a free EIN from the IRS website in minutes.

How long does brand registration take?

Brand registration is typically reviewed within one to five business days. Businesses with well-known names, accurate information, and matching IRS records are often approved within hours. Issues like name mismatches or missing information can add days to the review.

What are the most common reasons for brand registration rejection?

The most common reasons are: business name not matching IRS records exactly, incorrect or invalid EIN, no working business website, using a residential address for a business that should have a commercial address, and incomplete contact information. All of these are easily fixable by double-checking your details before submitting.

How to Register Your Brand for 10DLC Messaging

Brand registration is the foundation of 10DLC messaging. It is where you prove your business identity to The Campaign Registry and the carriers, and it directly affects your messaging throughput and deliverability. This guide covers everything you need to know to get your brand registered quickly and successfully.

What Is Brand Registration?

Brand registration is the first step in the 10DLC process. It answers one fundamental question: Who is sending these text messages?

When you register your brand, you provide your business details to The Campaign Registry (TCR). TCR verifies your identity by cross-referencing your information against public business databases. The result is a verified brand profile with a trust score that determines your messaging capabilities.

Think of it like getting a business license for text messaging. Just as you need to register your business with the state before operating, you need to register your brand with TCR before sending business texts.

One brand, many campaigns

You only need to register your brand once. After that, you can create multiple campaigns under the same brand. For example, one campaign for appointment reminders and another for marketing messages, all under your single brand registration.

What Information Do You Need?

Here is everything you will need to complete your brand registration. We recommend gathering all of this before you start:

Required Business Information

Legal business name: The exact name on your IRS records. This is usually the name on your Articles of Incorporation or your IRS EIN confirmation letter (Form CP 575). Do not use your DBA or trade name here.
EIN (Employer Identification Number): Your 9-digit federal tax ID. If you are a sole proprietor without an EIN, we strongly recommend getting one from the IRS first. It is free and takes just a few minutes online.
Business type: Select the correct entity type — corporation, LLC, partnership, sole proprietorship, nonprofit, or government.
Industry vertical: Your primary industry, such as healthcare, retail, technology, real estate, education, financial services, etc.
Business address: Your registered business address. This should match government records. Avoid using P.O. Boxes if possible.

Required Contact Information

Business phone number: A phone number associated with your business, not a personal cell phone. This is used for verification purposes.
Business email: An email address at your business domain. Free email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) can lower your trust score.
Business website: A working website for your business. Carriers review your web presence during the approval process. Make sure your site is live, has clear business information, and includes a privacy policy.

Optional but Helpful

Stock exchange and ticker symbol (for publicly traded companies — this significantly boosts your trust score)
DBA or trade name (if different from your legal name)
Alternate business identifiers (DUNS number, LEI, etc.)

Critical step

Before submitting, verify that your legal business name and EIN exactly match your IRS records. Pull up your EIN confirmation letter (Form CP 575) or your most recent tax return and compare character by character. This one step prevents the majority of rejections.

How Brand Vetting Works

After you submit your brand registration, TCR runs an automated vetting process. Here is what happens behind the scenes:

Automatic Identity Verification

TCR cross-references your business name and EIN against multiple databases, including IRS records, state business registries, and third-party business data providers. The goal is to confirm that your business is real, active, and that the information you provided is accurate.

Trust Score Assignment

Based on the verification results, TCR assigns your brand a trust score. This score is calculated using several factors:

Business age: Older, established businesses tend to score higher
Business type: Publicly traded companies score highest, followed by large enterprises, then small businesses, then sole proprietors
Online presence: A professional website with clear business information helps your score
Information accuracy: Exact matches with public records boost your score
Industry: Some industries are considered higher risk and may score lower initially

Enhanced Brand Vetting (Optional)

If your initial trust score is lower than you need, you can request enhanced brand vetting. This is an additional, more thorough review process. When you pass enhanced vetting, your trust score increases significantly, unlocking higher messaging throughput.

Enhanced vetting typically involves a deeper verification of your business, including a review of your business history, financials, and online reputation. It is a one-time process with a one-time fee, and the improved trust score is permanent.

Who should get enhanced vetting?

Enhanced vetting is recommended if you plan to send more than a few thousand messages per day, or if your initial trust score resulted in throughput limits that are too low for your needs. It is especially valuable for newer businesses and sole proprietors who may not have strong initial scores.

Understanding Trust Scores

Your trust score directly impacts how many messages you can send per second and per day. Here is a general breakdown of what different score levels mean:

High trust score: Maximum throughput for 10DLC. You can send the most messages per second. Typically achieved by well-known businesses, publicly traded companies, or brands that pass enhanced vetting.
Medium trust score: Good throughput that handles most business needs. Typical for established small and medium businesses with accurate registration information.
Low trust score: Limited throughput. Common for brand new businesses, sole proprietors, or registrations with information that could not be fully verified. Consider enhanced vetting to improve.

The specific messages-per-second and messages-per-day limits for each trust level vary by carrier. T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon each set their own limits, and these can change over time. Your messaging provider can give you the current limits for your specific trust score.

Common Rejection Reasons and How to Fix Them

If your brand registration is rejected, do not panic. Most rejections are easy to fix. Here are the most common reasons and their solutions:

1. Business Name Mismatch

Problem: The name you submitted does not match what is on file with the IRS or state records.

Fix: Use your exact legal name as it appears on your IRS EIN confirmation letter. Pay attention to punctuation, abbreviations, and capitalization. “Smith Consulting LLC” is different from “Smith Consulting, LLC” in the eyes of the automated verification system.

2. Invalid or Incorrect EIN

Problem: The EIN you provided does not match any records or does not match the business name.

Fix: Double-check your EIN against your IRS confirmation letter (Form CP 575). Make sure you are not accidentally using a state tax ID, DUNS number, or other identifier.

3. No Business Website

Problem: Your website URL is missing, broken, or does not represent a legitimate business.

Fix: Ensure your website is live, loads properly, and clearly identifies your business. It should include your business name, contact information, and a privacy policy. A simple but professional one-page site is sufficient.

4. Business Not Found in Records

Problem: The automated system could not find your business in public databases.

Fix: This sometimes happens with very new businesses or businesses that recently changed their name. Make sure your business is registered with your state secretary of state and that your IRS records are current. If you just formed your business, it may take a few weeks for records to propagate.

5. Using a Free Email Domain

Problem: You registered with a Gmail, Yahoo, or other free email address instead of a business domain email.

Fix: While not always a hard rejection, using a business domain email (like you@yourbusiness.com) significantly improves your trust score and approval chances. Set up a business email if you do not have one.

Quick fix checklist

Before resubmitting after a rejection: (1) compare your business name letter-by-letter with your IRS records, (2) verify your EIN on your CP 575 form, (3) confirm your website is live and has a privacy policy, (4) use a business domain email address. These four checks resolve over 90% of rejections.

Tips for a Successful Registration

Follow these best practices to maximize your chances of quick approval and a strong trust score:

Use your legal name exactly: Character-for-character match with IRS records. When in doubt, use the name from your most recent tax return.
Have a professional website: Your site does not need to be fancy, but it should clearly identify your business, include contact information, and have a privacy policy.
Use a business email: Emails at your own domain look more professional and score better than free email providers.
Provide complete information: Fill in every field, even optional ones. More information helps the verification process and improves your trust score.
Choose the right business type: Select the entity type that matches your legal structure. Misrepresenting your business type can cause rejection.
Keep your address current: If you have moved recently, make sure your new address is reflected in state and IRS records before registering.
Consider enhanced vetting early: If you know you will need high throughput, plan for enhanced vetting from the start. It is faster to do it upfront than to wait and realize you need it later.

After Brand Registration: What Comes Next

Once your brand is approved, you are ready for the next step: campaign registration. This is where you describe how you plan to use text messaging and provide sample messages for carrier review.

Your brand registration is the foundation that all your campaigns build upon. A strong brand registration with a good trust score means better throughput for every campaign you create.

The good news is that brand registration is a one-time process. Once your brand is verified, you can focus on creating campaigns and growing your messaging program without worrying about the brand verification step again.