New 9-8-8 National Suicide Prevention Hotline & 10-Digit Dialing Requirement

On July 16, 2020, the FCC adopted rules to establish 988 as the new, nationwide, easy-to-remember 3-digit phone number for Americans in crisis to connect with suicide prevention and mental health crisis counselors.
​
To ensure that calls to 988 reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, all covered providers will be required to implement 10-digit dialing in areas that both use seven-digit dialing and use 988 as the first three numbers in seven-digit phone numbers.

Timeline for Transition to 10-Digit Dialing:

• Beginning October 24, 2021, consumers must dial 10-digits (area code + telephone number) for all local calls. On and after this date, local calls dialed with only 7 digits may not be completed, and a recording will inform you that your call cannot be completed as dialed. Consumers must hang up and dial again using the area code and the 7-digit number.
• Beginning July 16, 2022, dialing “988” will route calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Other three-digit dialing codes include:

• 2-1-1: Available 24/7 to obtain information about social services in your area.
• 4-1-1: Directory Assistance
• 5-1-1: Traffic and Road Conditions Information
• 7-1-1: Telecom Relay Service (TRS) for Persons with Hearing and Speech Disabilities
• 8-1-1: Wisconsin’s Diggers Hotline
• 9-1-1: Emergency Services
• 9-8-8: (Effective July 16, 2022) National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline (800-273-8255)

"All you need is 3" printable handout.