As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 18, 2003
                                                           Registration No. 333-
================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933


                             INTER-TEL, INCORPORATED
             (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)


                                   1615 S. 52nd Street
             Arizona                 Tempe, AZ 85281            86-0220994
(State or other jurisdiction of   (Address of principal      (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)     executive offices)     Identification Number)


                          1997 Long-Term Incentive Plan
                            (Full title of the plan)


                                Steven G. Mihaylo
         Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer
                             INTER-TEL, INCORPORATED
                               1615 S. 52nd Street
                                    Tempe, AZ
                     (Name and address of agent for service)


                                 (480) 449-8900
          (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

                                   COPIES TO:

                               Robert G. Day, Esq.
                               Caine T. Moss, Esq.
                        Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
                            Professional Corporation
                               650 Page Mill Road
                               Palo Alto, CA 94304
                                 (650) 493-9300


                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE



=====================================================================================================================
                                                          Proposed Maximum       Proposed Maximum
                                           Amount to     Offering Price Per     Aggregate Offering      Amount of
Title of Securities to be Registered     be Registered         Share                  Price          Registration Fee
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                         
Common Stock, $.0001 par value,
  available for issuance under the
  1997 Long-Term Incentive Plan......        622,725         $13.75 (1)             $8,562,469           $692.70(2)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL................................        622,725                                $8,562,469           $692.70
=====================================================================================================================


(1)  Estimated  in  accordance  with  Rule  457(h)  solely  for the  purpose  of
     calculating the registration  fee, based on the average of the high and low
     price per share of the common  stock as  reported  on the  Nasdaq  National
     Market on April 14, 2003.
(2)  Previously paid.

================================================================================

                             INTER-TEL, INCORPORATED

                       REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM S-8

  Statement Under General Instruction E - Registration of Additional Securities

     Inter-Tel,  Incorporated (the "Registrant") previously filed a Registration
Statement on Form S-8 with the Securities  and Exchange  Commission on March 28,
2002 (SEC File No. 333-85098) (the "Original  Filing").  The Original Filing was
filed in connection  with, among other things,  the Registrant's  1997 Long-Term
Incentive Plan, as amended (the "Plan").  This Registration  Statement registers
additional shares of the Registrant's Common Shares to be issued pursuant to the
Plan. The contents of the Original Filing,  including  periodic reports that the
Registrant  filed,  or that it will file,  after the Original Filing to maintain
current  information  about the Registrant,  are  incorporated by reference into
this Registration Statement pursuant to General Instruction E of Form S-8.

                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS.

     Exhibit
     Number
     ------
      4.1*     1997 Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended
      5.1      Opinion of John L. Gardner
      23.1     Consent of Independent Auditors
      23.2     Consent of Counsel (contained in Exhibit 5.1)
      25.1     Power of Attorney (included on the signature page to this
               Registration Statement)

*    Incorporated  by reference to the  Registrant's  Registration  Statement on
     Form S-8 (SEC File No. 333-85098)

                                   SIGNATURES

     Pursuant  to  the  requirements  of  the  Securities  Act,  the  Registrant
certifies  that it has  reasonable  grounds to believe  that it meets all of the
requirements  for  filing  on Form S-8 and has  duly  caused  this  Registration
Statement  to be  signed  on its  behalf  by  the  undersigned,  thereunto  duly
authorized,  in the City of Tempe, State of Arizona,  on this 18th day of April,
2003.

                                        INTER-TEL, INCORPORATED


                                        By: /s/ Kurt R. Kneip
                                            ------------------------------------
                                            Kurt R. Kneip

                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

     KNOW ALL  PERSONS  BY THESE  PRESENTS,  that each  person  whose  signature
appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Kurt R. Kneip and John L. Gardner,
and each of them acting individually, as his or her attorney-in-fact,  each with
full power of  substitution,  for him or her in any and all capacities,  to sign
any and all amendments to this  Registration  Statement on Form S-8, and to file
the same,  with exhibits  thereto and other  documents in connection  therewith,
with  the  SEC,   hereby   ratifying  and  confirming  all  that  each  of  said
attorneys-in-fact,  or any  substitute,  may do or  cause  to be done by  virtue
hereof.

     Pursuant to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Act,  this  Registration
Statement has been signed by the following  persons in the capacities and on the
dates indicated:

      Signature                         Title                          Date
      ---------                         -----                          ----

 /s/ Steven G. Mihaylo      Chairman of the Board, President      April 14, 2003
-----------------------     and Chief Executive Officer
  Steven G. Mihaylo         (Principal Executive Officer)


   /s/ Norman Stout         Executive Vice President and          April 14, 2003
-----------------------     Chief Administrative Officer
     Norman Stout


 /s/ Craig W. Rauchle       Executive Vice President and          April 14, 2003
-----------------------     Chief Operating Officer
   Craig W. Rauchle


  /s/ Kurt R. Kneip         Chief Financial Officer               April 14, 2003
-----------------------
    Kurt R. Kneip


/s/ J. Robert Anderson      Director                              April 14, 2003
-----------------------
  J. Robert Anderson


 /s/ Jerry W. Chapman       Director                              April 14, 2003
-----------------------
   Jerry W. Chapman


    /s/ Gary Edens          Director                              April 14, 2003
-----------------------
      Gary Edens

                            Director
-----------------------
   C. Roland Haden

                                INDEX TO EXHIBITS

Exhibit
Number                           Description
 4.1*      1997 Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended
 5.1       Opinion of John L. Gardner, General Counsel
 23.1      Consent of Independent Auditors
 23.2      Consent of Counsel (contained in Exhibit 5.1)
 25.1      Power of Attorney (included on the signature page to this
           Registration Statement)

*    Incorporated  by reference to the  Registrant's  Registration  Statement on
     Form S-8 (SEC File No. 333-85098)