Your SAM.gov registration expired — what now?
An expired registration means you're ineligible for federal awards and payments until you renew. The good news: reactivating uses the same free renewal process, and there's no penalty fee.
Reactivate it
Sign in at SAM.gov, open your entity, and submit a renewal — same steps as a normal renewal. If your entity needs re-validation, that step can add days to weeks, so start immediately.
Check what it affected
While lapsed, you can't receive new awards and active payments may stall. Once your registration is active again, eligibility is restored — but mid-contract lapses can cause real disruption, so renewing promptly matters.
Make sure it never happens again
Expirations sneak up because SAM's own reminders are easy to miss. Set a free, independent reminder that emails you well before the date — at 120, 60, 30, 14, and 7 days out.
Never miss your renewal
Free email reminders at 120 / 60 / 30 / 14 / 7 days before your SAM.gov registration expires. No fee, no account.
Set up free reminders →Frequently asked
Is there a penalty for letting SAM.gov expire?
No fee penalty — but you lose award/payment eligibility until you renew, which can be costly mid-contract.
How do I reactivate an expired registration?
Renew it at SAM.gov using the normal renewal process. It's free.
How fast can I get reactivated?
Quickly if no re-validation is needed; otherwise it can take days to weeks, so act early.
More guides: Is SAM.gov renewal free? · How much does SAM.gov renewal cost? · How to renew your SAM.gov registration