# T-Mobile call forwarding for business

> T-Mobile call forwarding uses short codes for all calls, no reply, busy, and unreachable. Here are the codes from T-Mobile's page, and how to test them.

Published 2026-11-10 · by RingKit · tags: call forwarding, small business. Canonical: https://www.ringkit.com/blog/t-mobile-call-forwarding

T-Mobile call forwarding, on a T-Mobile wireless line, is a set of short codes on T-Mobile's own page. The codes are not the same as Verizon's *72 and *71. Dial the T-Mobile code, wait for the confirmation, then prove it with a call from a second phone.

This article follows [Self-service short codes](https://www.t-mobile.com/support/plans-features/self-service-short-codes), fetched on November 10, 2026. The page says the codes are country-specific, and that you should be in the country where the line is based. It also says some plans do not accept short codes, including non-T-Mobile short codes. If a code does nothing, check the plan before you try a code from another carrier.

## The four ways a call can be sent on

T-Mobile lists four call-forwarding codes. In each one, replace the sample number with your destination. Do not dial the sample number printed on T-Mobile's page.

| When | Turn on | Turn off |
|---|---|---|
| All incoming calls | `**21*` + number + `#` | `##21#` |
| No reply | `**61*` + number + `#` | `##61#` |
| Not reachable | `**62*` + number + `#` | `##62#` |
| Busy | `**67*` + number + `#` | `##67#` |

"All incoming calls" means the T-Mobile phone does not take the call. "No reply" means you did not answer. "Not reachable" means the phone is off or out of coverage. "Busy," on this page, means a call arrives while you are dialing out. It does not say "while you are already talking." If you need the already-talking case, test it. Do not assume `**67*` covers it.

`##004#` on the same page resets all call forwarding. Use that if you are not sure which of the four is on.

The page's sample looks like `**21*18056377243#`. The digits in the middle are an example, not RingKit's number and not a number you should call.

## How long it rings before "no reply"

For no-reply forwarding, T-Mobile lets you set the delay: `**61*1` + number + `**` + seconds + `#`. The page says the delay can be 5 to 30 seconds. Its example is 30 seconds.

If your voicemail answers before that delay, the forward never sees the call. Shorten the delay, or turn off the voicemail that is winning, then test again. The page does not promise that 30 seconds beats voicemail. You have to hear who answers.

## Limits that matter before you publish the number

The page says to use the primary SIM, and that some plans do not support short codes. A second SIM or a plan that blocks the code will look like a failed forward. It is a rejected code.

The codes are for the country the line belongs to. Do not set this up from another country and assume it stuck.

This article is about voice. Do not expect a text to the T-Mobile number to show up on the forwarded line. The page lists other short codes. They are not call forwarding, and this post does not reuse them.

For a business, the destination is a number you control. RingKit does not port the T-Mobile number. You keep it and forward the calls you choose. The difference between sending every call and sending only the missed ones is the point of [conditional call forwarding](https://www.ringkit.com/blog/conditional-call-forwarding). On T-Mobile, "every call" is `**21*`, and "no reply" is `**61*`.

The line that answers can be a RingKit number. The receptionist is an AI. It says so, uses your brief, and transfers to your own team or takes a message. The number is $1.99 a month. The AI time is $0.20 a minute, with the first 10 seconds of each call free. Figures are on the [pricing page](https://www.ringkit.com/pricing).

## Test, then turn it off the same way

T-Mobile's confirmation is not a customer hearing the business greeting. Use a second phone, as in [test call forwarding](https://www.ringkit.com/blog/test-call-forwarding).

1. Turn on one code only. If you set all four at once, you will not know which one fired.
2. Call from the second phone and match the case: answer, don't answer, phone off, or busy while dialing.
3. Write down who answered.
4. Turn that code off with the matching `##` code before you try the next one.
5. When you are done, call again with forwarding off and confirm the T-Mobile phone rings.

If you get lost, `##004#` clears all of them. Then start over with one code.

The public [docs](https://www.ringkit.com/docs) cover the receptionist setup after the carrier forward works. The short code does not write your brief. You still do that before you put the number on the site.

## What each code is for on a workday

Use all-calls (`**21*`) when the T-Mobile phone should not ring at all: nights, a job site where you cannot pick up, or a week you are out. Every caller goes to the destination. You will not see a missed call on that handset.

Use no-reply (`**61*`) when you still want the phone to ring on your desk, and you want the business line only if you do not answer. Set the delay inside the 5 to 30 seconds the page allows, and make it shorter than the voicemail pickup. If you leave the delay at 30 seconds and voicemail answers at 20, the forward is never tested by a real caller.

## The other two cases

Use not-reachable (`**62*`) for the phone-off and no-service case. It does not help when the phone is on and you simply do not answer. That case is no-reply.

Use busy (`**67*`) only for the case the page describes: a new call while you are dialing out. If you need coverage while you are already in a conversation, test that separately. If the second caller gets a busy tone or voicemail, this code did not cover them, and you should not tell customers that it does.

Turn one off before you turn the next on, unless you have written down which code is for which case. `##004#` is the reset when the notes get confusing. After the reset, call from the second phone and confirm the T-Mobile handset rings before you publish anything.

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