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SAM.gov registration expiry: catching it before it lapses

A SAM.gov registration has to be renewed every year. When a supplier lets it lapse, payments, awards and your own reporting can stall. The expiry date is public, so there is no reason to find out late.

Checked against the official sources on October 31, 2026. General information, not legal advice.

Why it matters

Companies that do business with the federal government register in SAM.gov and renew at least every 365 days. An expired registration is still listed, but it is no longer active, and an agency generally can't make an award to a company whose registration isn't active. Depending on your contract, a sub's lapse can also hold up your own paperwork.

Renewal can take a while when the company's details or its validation need attention, so a warning weeks ahead is worth more than a notice on the day.

Does a lapsed sub actually matter?

It depends on what you asked of them. Registration is required of offerors and prime contractors (FAR 52.204-7, and 52.204-13 during performance). The clauses don't generally ask it of subs, and SAM.gov offers subs a Unique Entity ID on its own. So a sub with no registration may be in order.

A lapse still matters in three cases: your subcontract or policy requires active registration; the sub also holds prime awards of its own; or it is the signal that nobody at a small supplier is minding its federal paperwork, which is worth knowing whichever it is.

An expired registration is also not an exclusion, and a renewed registration says nothing about one. Check them separately.

When a sub's registration lapses

  • Confirm the date at SAM.gov directly, in case the renewal has already gone through
  • Tell the sub. Often the person who renewed last year has moved on
  • Remind them renewal is free at SAM.gov, and that a paid service is optional at best
  • Hold any step your contract ties to active registration until it is back
  • Note what happened and when it was fixed

How Watch does it

  • Every confirmed supplier's registration status (active, expired or deleted) and expiry date, from SAM.gov
  • A warning before the expiry date, and a finding when it lapses or the registration is no longer active
  • Changes to the registration (name, address, CAGE, entity structure) recorded between checks
  • A watch can alert on just this: "Add Falcon Precision Optics to the Navy list and watch it for registration lapses". Or check one supplier now with the supplier check.

Registration facts come from SAM.gov's public monthly extract, so a renewal made at SAM.gov shows in Watch after the next monthly file. Every fact carries the extract's date. See where the data comes from.

Sources

Try it on your own suppliers

The first 5 suppliers are included. No card to start. Paste UEIs, upload a list or type one sentence.

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Questions

How often does a SAM.gov registration need renewing?
At least every 365 days. The expiry date is part of the public registration record.
What happens if a SAM.gov registration expires?
The record stays listed but is no longer active, and an agency generally can't award to a company whose registration isn't active. The UEI remains. The company can renew to reactivate it.
Does a subcontractor need an active SAM.gov registration?
The FAR's registration requirement falls on offerors and prime contractors, and SAM.gov offers subs a Unique Entity ID on its own. Your subcontract or policy may ask for more, and a prime needs a first-tier sub's UEI for subcontract reporting.
How early does Watch warn?
Before the expiry date, at the warning window your account uses, and again with a finding if it lapses.
A supplier renewed but Watch still shows the old date. Why?
Registration facts come from SAM.gov's public monthly extract. A renewal made mid-month shows after the next extract; the date shown is always labelled with its extract date.

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