Hidden Fees on a Business Phone Bill: What to Check

Your business phone bill is usually higher than the advertised price for a few ordinary reasons: taxes and government fees, the provider's own fees, extra phone numbers, calls that are not part of the plan (like international calls or incoming toll-free minutes), and add-ons such as call recording. None of these are tricks, but they add up, so it helps to know where to look.

January is a good month to read last year's bills with fresh eyes. Here is what to check, line by line, with Telonium's prices as an example.

Why Is My Bill Higher Than the Advertised Price?

Most phone providers advertise the price before taxes and fees, and phone service carries more of them than most things you buy. They can include federal, state and local taxes, 911 fees and other government charges. Many providers also add their own charge, often called a regulatory recovery or administrative fee; it is the provider's fee, not a tax, so look for it in their terms. The amounts depend on where you are and how many users you have.

Telonium is $24.95 per user per month, with unlimited calling in the lower 48 states and parts of Canada and the core features included, plus taxes, government fees and our Regulatory Recovery Fee of $1.50 a month per phone line. When you compare providers, compare the price before taxes with the price before taxes, then look at a real sample bill if you can.

Am I Paying per User or per Line?

This is the first thing to check, because it changes everything else. Some plans charge per phone line, some per person, and some per device.

Telonium charges per user. Each user can answer on a desk phone, the app on a computer, the app on a cell phone, or all three, for the same price. If someone only needs a voicemail box or a way to forward calls, a user without a phone is $14.95 a month.

Look at your bill for people who left and were never removed. Each one is a charge for a phone nobody answers.

What Do Extra Phone Numbers Cost?

Numbers pile up: an old ad, a closed location, a fax line, a direct number for someone who left. On many bills each one is a separate monthly charge.

With Telonium, one phone number is included for every two users. A team of four gets two numbers, and a team of ten gets five. Each number beyond that is $5 a month. If you find numbers that have not had a real call in months, and they are not printed on a truck or a sign, consider letting them go.

What About Toll-Free Minutes and International Calls?

Unlimited calling usually covers ordinary calls within the plan's area. Two kinds of calls are often billed separately:

• Incoming toll-free calls. When customers call your 800 or 888 number, they do not pay for the call; your business does. Those minutes are an extra on Telonium, separate from unlimited calling.
• International calls. Unlimited calling covers the lower 48 states and parts of Canada. Calls to Alaska, Hawaii, US territories and other countries are an extra, billed only if you make them.

If either line on your bill jumps, look at the call log for that month. It shows every call, and you can download it as a spreadsheet (CSV) to sort by number or length.

Is Call Recording Extra?

Often, yes. Call recording is an add-on with Telonium, and you only pay for it if you turn it on. Recordings play back from the call log. If you turned it on for a training project and no longer use it, check whether it is still on your bill.

Are There Fees for Moving My Number?

Some providers charge to bring your number over, and some charge to let it go. With Telonium, moving (porting) an existing number to us is $10 per number, one time. You sign the form online, and your number keeps working with your current provider until the move is done. You can check whether your numbers can move on our keep your number page.

If you are leaving a provider, ask before you cancel whether there are fees to end service early, and what happens to any equipment you rent from them. Our post on switching phone providers without missing a call covers the timing.

What About Desk Phones and Equipment?

Some bills include a monthly charge for leased phones that you have been paying for years. Check for it. With Telonium, desk phones are optional, because the app works on computers and cell phones. If you want desk phones, you can buy them; they arrive set up, and there is no leasing.

How Do I Read My Bill?

Sit down with last month's bill and a pen, and sort every line into one of these groups:

• Users: does the count match the people who actually work here?
• Numbers: do you know what each one is for?
• Usage: toll-free minutes, international calls. Do the amounts look normal?
• Add-ons: call recording, equipment. Are you still using them?
• Taxes and fees: these follow the rest. Fewer users and numbers usually means lower taxes too.

If a line does not make sense, call your provider and ask. A good provider will walk you through it. Our full price list is on the pricing page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Are There So Many Taxes on a Phone Bill?

Phone service carries federal, state and local taxes and fees, including charges that pay for 911. The amounts depend on where your business is and how many users you have.

How Many Phone Numbers Come with Telonium?

One for every two users. Each extra number is $5 a month.

What Costs Extra on Telonium?

The call recording add-on, international calls and incoming toll-free minutes if you use them, and phone numbers beyond the included ones. Every bill also carries taxes, government fees and our Regulatory Recovery Fee of $1.50 a month per phone line (the lesser of your users and phone numbers) and per fax number.