WhatsApp Broadcast Limits and Messaging Tiers, Explained



Your WhatsApp messaging limit is set at the business portfolio level and shared by every phone number in that portfolio. It starts at 250 business-initiated conversations per rolling 24 hours and rises through 1,000, 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited. It scales automatically when your quality is good and you are actually using the allowance you have.

The part most people get wrong

The limit is not per phone number. It belongs to the business portfolio, and every number inside that portfolio draws from the same pool.

Meta's own documentation warns that one number can consume the whole portfolio's capacity within a period. If you run three numbers for three departments in one portfolio, a campaign from one can leave the other two unable to start conversations.

This has a second consequence that matters more: quality is also judged across the portfolio. A number sending to a poor list drags down the rating that governs whether the whole portfolio's limit rises. One careless department can freeze everyone else's growth.

The tiers

Tier	Business-initiated conversations per rolling 24 hours
Starting tier	250
Tier 1	1,000
Tier 2	10,000
Tier 3	100,000
Tier 4	Unlimited

The count is of unique customers you start a conversation with, in a rolling 24-hour window. It is not a count of messages. Ten messages to one customer in a conversation is one conversation against your limit.

Replies inside an open 24-hour customer service window do not count at all, because the customer started it. Only business-initiated conversations consume the allowance.

How the limit goes up

Two conditions, both required:

1. Good quality across all numbers and templates in the portfolio.
2. Actual usage — you have used at least half your current limit within the last seven days.

When both hold, the limit typically rises within hours. This is automatic; there is no application to submit.

The second condition is the one businesses trip on. A portfolio sitting at 1,000 and sending 200 a day will not be promoted no matter how good its quality, because it has not demonstrated demand. If you want a higher tier, you have to use the one you have.

Business verification also matters at the bottom: completing it is one of the routes off the starting 250 tier.

Quality rating, and how to protect it

Meta rates your quality from how recipients respond. Blocks and reports push it down. A low rating caps your tier and, sustained, restricts the number.

What protects it:

• Send only to people who opted in. Everything else is secondary to this.
• Keep frequency reasonable. Weekly promotional broadcasts train people to block.
• Honour opt-outs immediately. Someone who asked to stop and gets another message will report rather than block.
• Segment. A relevant message to 500 people beats a generic one to 5,000, and costs less.
• Watch the block rate, not just the rating. A rising block rate is an early warning; the rating is the verdict that follows.

Planning a campaign around the limit

If you have 8,000 opted-in contacts and a 10,000 limit, you can send in one go. If you have 8,000 and a 1,000 limit, you need eight days — or a higher tier first.

Practical approach: send in daily batches at your limit rather than trying to exceed it, start with your most engaged segment so early quality signals are good, and watch the block rate on the first batch before committing the rest. A campaign that damages quality on day one costs more than the delay of splitting it.

If you run multiple numbers, consider whether they belong in the same portfolio at all. Separating a high-risk marketing number from a low-risk transactional one protects the transactional traffic that your operations depend on.

The phone number limit, separately

Distinct from messaging limits, a business portfolio also caps how many phone numbers it can hold — a small number initially, rising substantially after business verification. If you plan to run several numbers, complete verification first.

Questions we get asked

How many WhatsApp messages can I send per day in Nepal?

It depends on your portfolio's tier, from 250 business-initiated conversations per 24 hours at the start up to unlimited. Replies inside an open customer service window are not counted.

Is the limit per number or per account?

Per business portfolio, shared across every number in it. This is the most commonly misunderstood part of the system.

How do I increase my WhatsApp messaging limit?

Maintain good quality and use at least half your current limit within seven days. The increase is then automatic, usually within hours. There is no request to file.

What happens if I hit my limit?

Further business-initiated conversations are refused until the rolling window clears. Replies to customers who messaged you are unaffected.

Does a bad number affect my other numbers?

Yes, if they share a portfolio. Quality is assessed across the portfolio, so one number's poor list can hold back everyone's tier.

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Dibi Tech Private Limited is an official Meta Tech Provider based in Janakpur, Dhanusha, Nepal. We advise on portfolio structure so one campaign cannot throttle your transactional messaging.