A system and method for announcing and handling incoming telephone calls utilizes a distributed processing architecture. The distributed processing architecture makes use of local devices that can be located at various different locations where the user is often located. For instance, local devices could be at a user's home, a user's office and/or on a user's mobile device. The local devices are linked such than when there is an incoming telephone call directed to any one of multiple telephone numbers associated with the user, an announcement of the incoming call is provided at all of the user's locations. The user is also able to specify how the incoming call is to be handled on a call-by-call basis. The user may also be able to specify default call handling instructions so that an incoming telephone call directed to one of the user's telephone numbers is received by a device normally associated with a different one of the user's telephone numbers. The system allows the user to selectively forward incoming telephone calls to another specified number on a call-by-call basis.