New WhatsApp Business API accounts start at Tier 0 (250/day) before verification, then Tier 1 (1,000/day) once verified. As your volume grows and quality stays High, Meta automatically upgrades you. Since October 2025 limits are shared across your whole Meta Business Portfolio rather than set per number. Here's exactly how the tier system works and how to reach Unlimited as fast as possible.
As of mid-2026, new WhatsApp Business Accounts start at Tier 0 (250 unique users/24 hrs) before business verification, then move to Tier 1 once verified, and can progress to Unlimited. The tier determines how many unique users you can send business-initiated messages to in a rolling 24-hour period. Receiving messages is always unlimited.
⚠️ Two changes since late 2025 this page previously didn't reflect: unverified WABAs now start at a 250/day Tier 0 rather than jumping straight to 1,000, and since October 2025 messaging limits apply per Meta Business Portfolio rather than per phone number — a new number added to an already-established portfolio inherits that portfolio's existing tier instead of starting over.
⚠️ Messaging limits apply to business-initiated messages only. If a customer messages you first, you can reply unlimited times within the 24-hour service window, with no template required and no limit counting.
Meta automatically upgrades tiers based on two factors: sending volume and quality rating. You cannot manually request a tier upgrade, it's algorithmic. Here's exactly how it works.
| Condition | What happens | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|
| You send to ≥50% of your current tier limit for 7 consecutive days | Meta automatically upgrades to the next tier | 7 days of consistent sending |
| Your quality rating drops to Low | Tier may be reduced. Sending may be temporarily paused | Immediate |
| Quality rating recovers to High/Medium | Previous tier restored or upgrade resumes | 7-day review period |
| Your business is verified on Meta Business Manager | Tier 1 → Tier 2 upgrade accelerated | After verification is approved |
| You receive excessive blocks or spam reports | Tier reduction and possible WABA restriction | Immediate to 24 hours |
💡 The fastest path to Tier 2+: Complete Meta Business Verification first (Business Manager → Business Info → Verify). Verified businesses upgrade faster. Then send consistently to opted-in contacts with relevant messages. Never purchase WhatsApp number databases, this is the single fastest way to destroy your quality rating.
Your quality rating (High, Medium, Low) is determined by how recipients respond to your messages. It directly controls your tier and your ability to send. Meta does not disclose the exact algorithm, but these factors are confirmed:
How to maintain High quality rating, sending practices and monitoring.
Read →If your account gets restricted, recovery steps and prevention.
Read →Full setup guide. WABA creation, verification, BSP onboarding.
Read →WA.Expert's dashboard shows your current tier, quality rating, and message count in real time.