AT&T Call Forwarding Codes: **61*, **67*, ##61# and How to Use Them

AT&T runs on GSM, which means the forwarding codes look stranger than Verizon's but do considerably more. Each condition — busy, no answer, phone off — gets its own switch.

The codes

• **61*number# — forward when you don't answer. This is the one most businesses want. Dial the stars and hashes exactly as written, with your 10-digit number in the middle.
• **67*number# — forward when you're already on a call.
• **62*number# — forward when the phone is off or has no signal. Worth setting if you work anywhere with dead spots.
• **21*number# — forward everything, immediately. Your phone won't ring.
• ##61# / ##67# / ##62# / ##21# — turn each of those back off.
• ##004# — the panic button: clears every conditional forwarding rule at once.
• #61# and #67# — check the current status without changing anything.

Setting how long it rings first

GSM lets you set the delay, which Verizon doesn't. Append the seconds to the activation code:

**61*5551234567**30# gives the caller 30 seconds before the call is forwarded. Allowed values are 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30. The default is usually 20.

Thirty seconds sounds generous, but it's the difference between catching a call while you climb down a ladder and losing it.

Things that trip people up

• The codes are punctuation-sensitive. **61* to switch on, ##61# to switch off — one stray character and you'll get an error rather than a confirmation.
• Setting **61* alone does nothing for calls that arrive while you're mid-conversation. If you're on the phone a lot, set **67* as well.
• Cricket and most AT&T-network MVNOs accept the same codes; a few block forwarding on cheaper plans.
• Forwarded calls can use your plan minutes. On an unlimited plan that's academic, on a metered one it isn't.

Then the real question

Forwarding only moves the problem — it doesn't solve it. Point it at voicemail and you've built a slightly more elaborate way to lose the call, since most callers won't leave a message. What actually matters is whether a human-sounding voice picks up and writes down the job.

Compare the options: answering service pricing · text-back and where it fails · six fixes ranked by cost. Or point the code at CallEmBack — an AI receptionist that answers in your business's name for $49/month. Other carriers: Verizon · T-Mobile.