🔢 What a Fax Number Looks Like: US and Canada Examples
A US or Canadian fax number has exactly the same format as a phone number: 10 digits, made of a 3-digit area code and a 7-digit local number, such as (202) 555-0123. Under the North American Numbering Plan, neither the area code nor the 7-digit local number starts with 0 or 1. However it is written, with parentheses, dashes, dots, a +1 or a 1 in front, type only the 10 digits, for example 2025550123. A fax to a US or Canadian number costs $2.99 for up to 3 pages.
📋 In This Guide
A Fax Number Is Written Like a Phone Number
In the United States and Canada, fax numbers and phone numbers come from the same numbering plan, the North American Numbering Plan, so they look the same. The plan's administrator describes these numbers as ten digits: a three-digit area code followed by a seven-digit local number, usually shown as NXX-NXX-XXXX, where N is any digit from 2 through 9 and X is any digit from 0 through 9. In plain words, the area code never starts with 0 or 1, and the seven-digit local number never starts with 0 or 1.
The only difference is what is connected to the line. A fax number reaches a fax machine or a fax service, and a phone number reaches a person or a voicemail. On a letterhead or form you will usually see the fax number labeled "Fax" or "F", next to the phone number labeled "Phone", "Tel" or "T". If the label is missing, call the office and ask which number takes faxes, because a fax sent to a voice line cannot be delivered.
The examples on this page use numbers from 555-0100 to 555-0199. The numbering plan administrator keeps that range reserved as fictitious, non-working numbers for entertainment and advertising, so these examples will never reach a real person. Do not fax them.
How to Read the Common Ways It Is Written
Offices write the same number in many styles. The first five rows below are the same fax number, and in each of them you type the same 10 digits. The last row shows a toll-free number written with a 1 in front.
| Written as | What it means | Type this |
|---|---|---|
| (202) 555-0123 | Area code in parentheses, then the local number | 2025550123 |
| 202-555-0123 | The same number with dashes | 2025550123 |
| 202.555.0123 | The same number with dots | 2025550123 |
| +1 202 555 0123 | International style: +1 is the country code for the US and Canada | 2025550123 |
| 1-202-555-0123 | The same number with 1, the US and Canada country code, in front | 2025550123 |
| 1 (800) 555-0199 | A toll-free fax number with a 1 in front | 8005550199 |
The 1 and the +1 are not part of the 10-digit number. They are the country code that the US and Canada share, which is added for you when you select United States or Canada, and if you type a 1 at the start, the box removes it.
The rule: remove parentheses, dashes, dots, spaces and any 1 or +1 in front, and type the 10 digits that are left. If you have fewer or more than 10 digits, check the number again before you send.
Toll-Free Fax Numbers
Many government agencies and companies use toll-free numbers as fax lines. The FCC lists the toll-free codes as 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 and 833. A toll-free number can receive faxes when the line is set up as a fax line; the IRS, for example, lists 855-214-7519 and 855-214-7522 as its CAF fax numbers in the Form 2848 and 8821 guide. You type a toll-free fax number the same way as any other: 8552147519, with no leading 1, and the price is the same $2.99 for up to 3 pages.
How to Tell if a Number Cannot Be Right
A few quick checks catch most mistakes before you pay. After you remove a leading 1, you should have exactly 10 digits. The first digit of the area code should be 2 through 9, and the fourth digit, which starts the local number, should also be 2 through 9. If either one is 0 or 1, a digit is probably missing or the number was copied wrongly.
Look out for a phone number given by mistake, a number from an old letter, and a number for a different department. When the fax goes to a government office, use the number on your own notice or form first, because many agencies have different numbers for different forms; how to fax the IRS shows how many separate IRS numbers there are.
Canada, the Caribbean and Other Countries
Canada uses the same 10-digit format as the US. Select Canada and type the 10 digits with no leading 1; faxing a Canadian number has more detail. The numbering plan also covers the US territories, Bermuda and several Caribbean countries, such as Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, so their numbers look the same too. For those countries, see the country guide, for example faxing Jamaica.
Numbers in other countries look different and often start with a 0 inside the country. Select the country, and its country code is filled in for you, then type the local number without the leading zero. For a UK number written as 020 7946 0958, you select United Kingdom and type 2079460958. The guide to faxing another country covers this step by step.
Typing It in Our Box and What It Costs
On OverseasFax, upload your document, select United States, type the 10 digits, enter your email and pay. The pay button turns on only when all 10 digits are entered, which protects you from a number that is too short. A US or Canadian fax costs $2.99 for up to 3 pages and $0.99 for each extra page, so a cover page plus a two-page letter is $2.99 for all 3 pages, and 5 pages is $4.97. There is no account, and nothing is printed on your document.
Delivery usually takes a few minutes. You then receive a confirmation email with the destination number, the page count and the time in US Eastern Time, which is your record of exactly when it was sent. Check that the destination number in the email matches the one on your letter. If the number was not a fax line and the fax cannot be delivered, the full amount goes back to your card automatically.
Put the recipient's name, your name, your case or account number and the page count on a cover page, and number each page. If you need someone to fax you back, our sister service GetAFax.com gives you a private US fax number for 24 hours for $5, for up to 30 pages, and faxes arrive in your email as a PDF. More US offices are listed in the US fax guide.
Why send it here
One price for the whole fax, shown before you pay, and nothing added at checkout.
Nothing is printed on your document. It arrives exactly as you uploaded it.
If it cannot be delivered, the money goes back to your card without you asking.
It works from anywhere in the US, in any browser, with no account.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to send a fax to a 10-digit US number?
What does a US fax number look like?
Is a fax number the same as a phone number?
How do I tell which number on a letterhead is the fax and which is the phone?
How do I type a fax number written as +1 (202) 555-0123?
What does the 1 in front of a 1-800 fax number mean?
Can a US area code or fax number start with 0 or 1?
Can I send a fax to an 800 or 855 number?
Is 555-0123 a real fax number?
Is a Canadian fax number written the same way as a US one?
Which part of a fax number is the area code?
Is a fax number written with dots, like 202.555.0123, the same as one with dashes?
How do I enter a UK fax number like 020 7946 0958?
What does a fax number in the Philippines look like and how do I type it?
What fax number can I give an office so they can fax me back?
I typed the wrong fax number, do I get my money back?
Why does the pay button stay gray after I type the fax number?
How can I check that I faxed the right number?
Do US territories like Puerto Rico and Guam use the same fax number format?
What does NXX-NXX-XXXX mean in a fax number format?
Related Guides
📖 How to Fax to the USA: +1 Number Format
📖 How to Send a Fax to Another Country
📖 How to Get a Fax Number to Receive a Fax
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