SAM.gov registration renewal: deadlines, steps and what happens if it lapses

Your SAM.gov entity registration expires 365 days from the date you last submitted it, not the date it became active. Renew at least a few weeks early: SAM says a registration can take up to 10 business days to become active, and longer if your entity has to be re-validated.

Registering and renewing in SAM.gov is always free.

Why it matters

• New awards. You must be registered in SAM when you submit an offer and at the time of award (FAR 52.204-7). A lapse on either date can cost you the award.
• Existing contracts. Contractors must keep their registration active during performance and through final payment (FAR 52.204-13).
• Payments. Agencies pay using the banking details in your SAM registration. If those details aren't current, the government doesn't have to pay until they are corrected (FAR 52.232-33). In practice, a lapsed registration stalls invoices.

When to start

When	What to do
60 days before expiration	Start the renewal. Gather your banking, NAICS codes and points of contact.
30 days before	Submit if you haven't. Leave time for validation questions.
After submitting	Watch your email for requests from SAM or the Federal Service Desk.
When it's active	Check the new expiration date shown in SAM.

SAM.gov emails reminders before your registration expires, but don't rely on them. They go to whoever is listed as your points of contact, and they are easy to miss.

How to renew

1. Sign in at SAM.gov with your Login.gov account.
2. Open your entity in your workspace and choose to update or renew it.
3. Review every section. The renewal isn't a formality, because your answers are re-certified:
   • Core data: addresses, taxpayer ID, ownership, CAGE code and socioeconomic categories
   • Financial information: bank account and remittance address
   • Assertions: NAICS and PSC codes, annual receipts and employee counts
   • Representations and certifications: these must be updated at least once a year (FAR 4.1201)
   • Points of contact: the accounts receivable, e-business and government business contacts are all required
4. Submit, then wait for the status to return to Active.

Common mistakes

• Paying a "registration service." GSA warns that any email or website that asks for money to register or renew is not the government, no matter how official it looks (GSA bulletin).
• Stale contacts. If the reminder emails go to someone who left, nobody sees them.
• Not checking the new date. In July 2025 a SAM.gov error set some expiration dates to 90 days instead of a year (SAM.gov alert). It was fixed, but it's a good habit to confirm the date after every renewal.
• Waiting until the last week. If your entity needs re-validation, SAM may ask for documents, and there is no fixed turnaround time (SAM.gov alert).

Changes coming

The FAR is being rewritten under the "Revolutionary FAR Overhaul." SAM.gov has said the representations and certifications will change as a result (SAM.gov alert). The SAM rules above keep the same substance in the overhaul text, but the FAR section numbers are moving.

Official sources

• SAM.gov entity registration
• GSA entity registration checklist (PDF)
• Federal Service Desk: free help with SAM.gov