1300 number: the short answer
A 1300 number is a 10-digit Australian business number that starts with 1300. The ACMA calls these "local rate" numbers. A 1300 number doesn't belong to one phone line or one city: it points to wherever you tell it to, such as an office landline, a mobile, a team of phones, a cloud phone app or an AI receptionist. Customers anywhere in Australia dial the same number, and your routing rules decide who answers.
For a small business, a 1300 number does two things: it makes you look like an established, national business, and it lets you control where calls go. What it doesn't do is answer the phone. This guide covers how 1300 numbers work, what calls cost, 1300 vs 1800 vs 13, who they suit, and how to make sure every call gets answered, including after hours.
Still choosing between a local, 1300, 1800 or mobile-style number? Start with our virtual phone number guide. This post goes deeper on 1300 numbers.
How a 1300 number works
A 1300 number is what telcos call an "inbound service". It has no phone attached. When someone dials it:
- The call reaches your 1300 provider's network.
- The provider checks your routing rules: the time of day, the day of the week, where the caller is ringing from, or a short menu.
- The call is sent to an answer point, which is a normal phone number or service: your office landline, your mobile, a group of staff phones, an answering service or an AI receptionist.
You manage those rules in your provider's portal or app, so you can change where calls ring without changing the number on your website, signage, van or Google Business Profile. Your premises, staff and phone system can all change while the number stays the same.
1300 vs 1800 vs 13 numbers
The ACMA's guide to choosing your phone number lists 13, 1300 and 1800 numbers as separate types. Here's how they compare for a small business:
| Number | Format | ACMA category | What callers usually pay | Common use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300 | 10 digits, starts with 1300 | Local rate | Set by the caller's telco; often similar to a standard landline call, and some plans include them | One national number for sales, bookings and enquiries |
| 13 | 6 digits, starts with 13 | Local rate | Grouped with 1300 calls on the ACMA's call charge pages | Short, highly memorable brand numbers |
| 1800 | 10 digits, starts with 1800 (or 7 digits starting with 180) | Freephone | Usually free from a landline; generally free from mobiles, though some mobile providers charge | Support lines, or removing any cost barrier to calling |
The practical differences are who carries the cost of the call and how memorable the number is. A 13 number is the shortest and most memorable. A 1300 number gives the same national, single-number feel in a standard 10-digit format. An 1800 number tells callers the call is free to them, which suits support lines or businesses where cost might stop someone ringing.
What a 1300 call costs the caller and the business
There are two sides to every 1300 call.
The caller. The ACMA doesn't set call charges; the caller's own telco does. The ACMA's page on call charges from landlines says telcos often charge a rate similar to calling a standard landline number for 13 and 1300 calls, and that some plans include these calls while others don't. Its page on call charges from mobile phones says a mobile telco may include some 13 and 1300 calls in a plan or charge them at a fixed rate. So a 1300 number isn't a free call for everyone, but it isn't priced like a long-distance call either.
The business. Your 1300 provider bills you for the service, and plans differ a lot: monthly fees, per-minute rates for incoming calls, set-up fees and paid extras such as menus or call recording. We don't quote prices because they change often. Read each provider's Critical Information Summary and compare on your real call volume, and if most calls will be answered on mobiles, ask how that's charged, as it can differ from calls answered on a landline.
Smartnumbers: memorable 13, 1300 and 1800 numbers
A smartnumber is a catchy 13, 1300 or 1800 number, such as a repeating pattern or a word spelt on the keypad. According to the ACMA's buy a smartnumber page, you buy smartnumbers through the ACMA's numbering system, there's a one-off allocation charge on top of the cost of the number, and there are no refunds. Smartnumbers are also subject to the Annual Numbering Charge.
The ACMA prices smartnumbers by how memorable they are. Its published 1300 allocation charges range from $250 for a standard smartnumber to $20,000 for a Platinum numeric pattern, with Silver, Opal, Gold and Diamond classes in between. Those are ACMA charges for the number itself. You still need a telco or 1300 provider to connect a service to it, and the ACMA suggests asking about their charges before you buy.
The same page notes you keep the rights to a smartnumber while it's connected to a phone service; if it's disconnected, you have 3 years from the last date of service before it becomes available to others. For most small businesses an ordinary 1300 number is enough. A smartnumber makes sense when the number itself is part of your marketing, such as on radio, vehicles or billboards.
Who a 1300 number suits
A 1300 number is a good fit if you:
- Serve customers in more than one city or state and want one number on every ad and listing
- Run more than one location and want callers sent to the nearest or least busy site
- Plan to move premises and don't want to reprint everything
- Advertise heavily, where a short, memorable number helps people call back later
- Want business calls separate from your personal mobile number
It's a weaker fit if you only serve one suburb or town, where a local 02, 03, 07 or 08 number tells callers you're nearby. Many businesses run both, pointed at the same answer points.
One limit to plan for: the ACMA notes that 13, 1300 and 1800 numbers can't be used for CLI overstamping, which means showing that number as your caller ID when you ring customers. When you call customers back, they'll see your local or mobile number instead, so tell callers which number you'll ring from so your callbacks don't get ignored.
Routing your 1300 number: mobile, landline or AI receptionist
Most providers offer the same core routing tools:
- Single answer point. Every call goes to one phone, such as the owner's mobile. Simple, but every missed call is lost.
- Ring groups. Several phones ring at once, or in order, until someone answers. Good for teams.
- Time-based routing. Different answer points for business hours, after hours, weekends and public holidays.
- Location-based routing. Calls go to the nearest store or region.
- Overflow and no-answer rules. If nobody answers within a set time, or every line is busy, the call moves to a backup.
The no-answer rule is the one most small businesses get wrong. If the last stop is a voicemail box, callers often hang up and ring the next business instead. Our call forwarding guide explains how busy, no-answer and unreachable settings work, and our small business phone system guide covers the phone systems your 1300 number can point to.
After-hours calls to your 1300 number
A national number rings across time zones and outside your hours. Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory don't use daylight saving, so in summer a 5pm close in Brisbane is 6pm in Sydney and 3pm in Perth.
Decide what happens to those calls before you publish the number. The options are a voicemail greeting that says when you'll call back, a human answering service, or an AI receptionist that answers, captures the details and books jobs. Our after-hours phone answering service guide compares them, and our telephone answering service guide weighs human services against AI.
How Miyai answers calls to your 1300 number
Miyai is an AI receptionist for Australian small businesses. You keep your 1300 number and provider, and in your 1300 portal you point unanswered, busy or after-hours calls (or every call) to the number Miyai gives you.
When a call comes through, Miyai:
- Answers in your business name with the greeting you choose
- Handles common questions from your approved business information
- Takes the caller's name, number and reason for calling, and reads the details back
- Books appointments if you allow it
- Sends you a summary straight away, so you can call back from a number your customer will recognise
A typical set-up: during business hours your 1300 number rings your team first, and anything not answered in about 15 to 20 seconds goes to Miyai. After hours, a time rule sends every call straight to Miyai. Callers get a consistent, polite answer every time, which is the hardest part of phone etiquette for a busy small team.
Miyai's Growth voice plan is $199 AUD/month, and website chat is $19 AUD/month, both paid through Stripe before access. Details are on pricing. To see how it fits your business, see AI receptionist Australia or virtual receptionist Australia.
Keeping your 1300 number if you change provider
The ACMA's page on keeping or porting your phone number says you can usually port a local rate (13 and 1300) number, which telcos call an "inbound service". Only active numbers can be ported, so don't cancel your old service until the port is complete. Afterwards, ring your 1300 number from a mobile and a landline, in and out of business hours, and confirm each call lands where you expect.
FAQ
What is a 1300 number?
A 10-digit Australian business number starting with 1300, classed by the ACMA as a local rate number. It isn't tied to one phone and can be routed to a landline, mobile, team or answering service.
Is a 1300 number free to call?
Not always. The caller's telco sets the charge; the ACMA says it's often similar to a standard landline call, and some plans include 13 and 1300 calls. 1800 numbers are the freephone option.
What's the difference between a 1300 and an 1800 number?
Both are national numbers you can route anywhere. An 1800 call is usually free for the caller, while a 1300 caller may pay a charge set by their telco.
Can I keep my 1300 number if I change providers?
Usually, yes. The ACMA says 13 and 1300 numbers can generally be ported as long as the number is still active.
Can a 1300 number go to my mobile?
Yes. You can route it to a mobile, landline, group of phones or answering service, and change it any time in your provider's portal.
Can an AI receptionist answer my 1300 number?
Yes. Point your no-answer, busy or after-hours rule (or every call) at the AI receptionist's number. Customers keep dialling the same 1300 number.
Next step
Write down where your 1300 calls should go during business hours, when nobody answers and after hours. Then test it by ringing your own number at each of those times. If any of those calls ends in voicemail, put an AI receptionist behind your 1300 number so every caller gets an answer. Get started when you're ready.