The National Do Not Call Registry, in plain English

If you registered your phone on the Do Not Call list and the calls never stopped, you’re not doing anything wrong, and you’re not alone. The registry works against companies that follow the rules. It does nothing to the ones that don’t. This page covers what the list can and can’t do, how to sign up, and your options when the phone keeps ringing anyway.

What the National Do Not Call Registry actually is

The National Do Not Call Registry is a free, government-run list of phone numbers that don’t want sales calls. Once your number is on it, legitimate telemarketers are supposed to leave you alone. It’s run by the Federal Trade Commission (the federal agency that polices unfair business practices), and there is no fee to add your number, ever.

How to add your number (it’s free)

You can register in under a minute, and it stays on the list permanently unless you remove it or the number is disconnected:

• Online: go to donotcall.gov, the official FTC site, and enter your number and an email address to confirm.
• By phone: call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want to register.

You can register your cell phone, your home line, or both. Be careful with copycat sites that charge a “registration fee.” The real registry is always free, and the only official address is donotcall.gov.

What the registry stops, and what it doesn’t

This is the part that trips most people up. The list draws a clear line between companies that play by the rules and companies that ignore them.

What it does stop: Legitimate telemarketers. Once your number has been on the list for about 31 days, law-abiding sales companies are required to stop calling you. Most do, because the fines for ignoring the registry are real.

What it does not stop:

• Scammers and illegal robocallers. The crooks running auto-warranty, fake-Medicare, and “your account is compromised” scams already broke the law the moment they dialed. A do-not-call request means nothing to them.
• Certain exempt callers. The registry has carve-outs. Calls from political organizations, registered charities, legitimate survey takers (calls that aren’t selling anything), and companies you have a recent business relationship with can still reach you.

Why you’re still getting calls after registering

If you signed up weeks or months ago and the calls haven’t let up, one of two things is happening. Either the caller is an outright lawbreaker who ignores the list on purpose, or a company that should stop is calling you anyway, past the 31-day mark, without your permission. Both situations are exactly what the law was written to punish. The registry is a request, not a wall: it can’t physically keep a determined caller off your line. What it can do is turn each of those continued calls into evidence.

What to do when the calls keep coming

Don’t just block and move on. A few simple habits build a record that matters:

1. Write down the dates. Note when you registered and the dates of calls that came afterward. Calls 31+ days after you signed up are the ones that count.
2. Keep your call log. Don’t delete the entries, voicemails, or any recordings. Your phone is already keeping the proof, so let it.
3. Note who’s calling. The number, the company name if you can tell, and what the call is selling.
4. Report it. You can file a complaint with the FTC. See how to report a robocall for the exact steps and links.
5. Ask whether you’re owed money. Reporting helps shut callers down. It doesn’t put anything in your pocket, but a claim can.

Continued telemarketing can be worth money

Most people never hear this part: ignoring the Do Not Call list breaks the rules, and it can also entitle you to compensation. Under the federal TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the law that governs unwanted calls and texts) and the FTC’s telemarketing rules, calls that keep coming 31 or more days after you registered can each be a violation.

• $500 per call as a baseline.
• Up to $1,500 per call when the violation was willful, for example when a company keeps dialing a registered number it had no right to call.

These amounts add up per call, so a telemarketer that hits a registered number again and again can owe far more than you’d expect. If that sounds like your phone, our page on do not call violations walks through what a case looks like, and Max can tell you for free whether yours is one.

How Max helps, and what it costs you

Max Morgan, Esq. is a Pennsylvania-licensed attorney who handles TCPA cases for consumers across the country. He reviews your situation for free, tells you honestly whether it’s worth pursuing, and if you have a case, takes it on contingency. His fee comes out of any recovery, not your pocket. No recovery, no fee.

You don’t have to be certain you qualify. That’s what the free review is for: tell us what’s happening and we’ll sort it out with you.

Related: Do not call violations · How to report a robocall · Calls after you said stop · settlements Max Morgan has helped win