Guides

Your SAM registration expired — what actually happens

There's no grace period and no warning shot. Here's exactly what breaks the day your SAM.gov registration lapses, and the fastest path back to Active.

What breaks immediately

• No new awards. Contracting officers must verify an active SAM registration before award (FAR 4.1103). An expired registration makes you ineligible for new contracts, option exercises, and most modifications.
• Payment risk on existing contracts. FAR 52.204-13 requires you to keep the registration active through final payment. Invoices can sit unpaid until you're Active again.
• You vanish from public search. Expired entities drop out of SAM.gov entity search — so primes vetting subcontractors and agencies doing market research simply can't find you.
• Grant and loan eligibility stops. Federal grants, cooperative agreements, and SBA programs all require an active registration too.

How to reactivate it (step by step)

1. Sign in at sam.gov, open your entity workspace, and select Update on the expired registration. You are renewing the same entity — your UEI and CAGE code don't change.
2. Walk through all sections (Core Data, Assertions, Reps & Certs, POCs) and resubmit. Have your bank details and a current entity validation document (articles, utility bill, or bank statement matching your exact legal name and address) ready — name/address mismatches are the #1 cause of multi-week delays.
3. After submission, it goes through IRS TIN matching and CAGE (DLA) validation again. Expect 2–6 weeks end to end. Full timeline breakdown →
4. When status flips to Active, notify your contracting officers and primes — they don't get told automatically.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a grace period after my SAM registration expires?

No. There is no grace period. The day after the expiration date, the entity is ineligible for new awards and drops out of SAM.gov public search. Contracting officers see it immediately.

Do I lose my UEI or CAGE code when my SAM registration expires?

No. Your UEI and CAGE code are permanent identifiers. Renewing an expired registration reactivates the same entity — you do not start over — but every validation step runs again, which takes time.

Can I still get paid on existing contracts if SAM expires?

It's risky. FAR 52.204-13 requires contractors to maintain an active SAM registration through final payment. Agencies can and do hold invoice payments when a registration lapses.

How long does it take to reactivate an expired SAM registration?

The same as a renewal: typically 2–6 weeks end to end, because your submission goes back through IRS TIN matching and CAGE/DLA validation. Entity validation document issues can stretch it further.