GMRS Guide
A gray-haired man smiling on a misty back porch at sunrise, holding a coffee mug, a small handheld radio standing on the railing beside him

Ham radio license renewal: the FCC steps, the fee and the grace period

Renewal is a few screens in the FCC's License Manager, plus a separate $35 payment. Here's when you can file, every screen in order, and what happens if you missed the date.

How we pick By , GMRS Radio Contributor · Updated · We earn a commission when you buy through our Amazon links.

To renew a ham radio license, log in to the FCC's ULS License Manager with your FRN within 90 days of the expiration date, click Renew, confirm your details, sign and submit, then pay the $35 fee through CORES within 10 days. Missed the date? You have a 2-year grace period to renew, but you can't transmit until the renewal is granted. After that, you have to test again.

How we checked this

Everything here comes from FCC pages and the eCFR, read on October 15, 2026: the FCC's Renewing A License instructions, its fee filing guide, the ULS License Manager login page, and 47 CFR 97.21, 97.505 and 1.1102 (eCFR up to date as of October 13, 2026). The ARRL's renewal page was our check on the ARRL VEC option. Screen names can change; if one doesn't match, the FCC's version wins.

"How we pick" is our honest label for research from official sources. We didn't file a test renewal for this page. How we research.

Is renewal free or $35?

It's $35. You'll still find guides that say renewal is free, and one of the top results says both on the same page. Here's what the FCC publishes today:

SourceWhat it says
FCC fee filing guide (effective May 23, 2025)License renewal, Amateur (HA, HV): $35, fee code PRAN. GMRS renewals are $35 too.
47 CFR 1.1102, Table 2Personal license application, renewal: $35
FCC fee exemptions pageAmateur applicants "previously not subject to an application fee" are "now required to pay the applicable fees."

The "free" claim dates from before the FCC started charging amateur application fees (April 19, 2022, per Ham Radio Prep). Address and name changes are still free: the FCC lists no fee for personal license modifications. A new vanity call sign is $35.

When you can renew

Ham license renewal timeline A timeline. More than 90 days before expiration: too early, no Renew link. From 90 days before to the expiration date: renew and keep operating while it's pending. From expiration to two years after: grace period, you can renew but can't transmit until granted. More than two years after expiration: the license can't be renewed, you must test again. -90 days EXPIRES +2 years too early renew now grace period retest no Renew link keep operating while it's pending renewal allowed, no transmitting until granted "cannot be granted" see 97.505 credit Source: 47 CFR 97.21 and 1.949, FCC Renewing A License page. Same 10-year term (97.25) restarts at grant.
The 90-day window is the safe one: file before the expiration date and your privileges carry on until the FCC acts.

Not sure of your date? Search your call sign in the FCC's license search. Our FCC call sign lookup guide shows which form to use. Licenses run 10 years (97.25), so your next window is a decade out once this one is done.

Before you start: four things to have

  1. Your 10-digit FRN. It's on your license and in the call sign search.
  2. A password that works. The License Manager login accepts the FRN password or the password for an FCC username linked to that FRN. The payment step needs the CORES username login, so link your FRN to a username first if you never have.
  3. A working email address. 97.23 requires one on every license, and the FCC emails the official license copy after grant.
  4. Your answer to the basic qualification question about felony convictions, which the renewal form asks.

How to renew in ULS, screen by screen

These are the FCC's own steps and labels from its Renewing A License page:

  1. Go to the ULS License Manager and log in with your FRN and password.
  2. On your License At A Glance page, find the menu called Work on this License and click Renew. If the link isn't there, you're outside the window.
  3. On Select Updates, check the licensee information. If anything is missing or out of date, tick the box next to Licensee Information. Click Continue.
  4. Answer the Applicant Questions and click Continue.
  5. On Licensee Information, correct your name, mailing address and email as needed. CORES contact details don't flow to your license automatically, so this is where an old address gets fixed.
  6. Review the Summary page. Use Edit to fix a section, then Return to Summary.
  7. Click Continue to Certify, type your first and last name to sign, and click Submit Application.
  8. Print or save the ULS Confirmation screen. It has your file number.
A woman at a bright kitchen table laughing as she works on her laptop, a coffee mug beside her and a small radio on the windowsill
Sign, submit, then pay. The payment is a separate step and it has its own deadline.

Pay the $35 within 10 days

Submitting doesn't pay the fee. The FCC says payments "must be paid within 10 days of the application receipt date." Its payment instructions for individual filers:

  1. Log in to CORES with your FCC username and password.
  2. Choose Manage Existing FRNs | FRN Financial | Bills and Fees, then FRN Financial.
  3. Click View/Make Payments, open the Awaiting Payment Completion tab, and click Make Payment.
  4. Pay by ACH from a bank account, credit or debit card, or wire transfer.

Stuck? The FCC Licensing Support Center is (877) 480-3201, weekdays 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern.

Other ways to file

Paper is out. The ARRL notes the FCC stopped accepting paper filings on June 29, 2021, so guides that tell you to mail Forms 605 and 159 are out of date. The one alternative to doing it yourself is the ARRL VEC: per ARRL's renewal page, it files renewals for members at no processing fee and for non-members for $25, plus the FCC's $35 either way.

Renewal-service letters and emails are a third option nobody needs. Your expiration date is public, so companies offer to file for you for a fee. Filing yourself costs only the FCC's $35.

If your license already expired

Inside the 2-year grace period, the steps above still work; the FCC says the Renew link appears during the grace period too. What changes is the air: 97.21(b) says "Unless and until the license grant is renewed, no privileges in this part are conferred." Stay off the radio until the grant shows in ULS. Your call sign comes back with the renewal (97.21(c)).

Past two years, the FCC's answer is short: "Applications received after the grace period has ended cannot be granted." You test again, with credit from 97.505:

Expired class (beyond grace)Exam creditWhat you have to pass
Amateur ExtraElements 3 and 4Element 2 (Technician) to get Extra back
Advanced, General, or Technician granted before March 21, 1987Element 3Element 2 for General; Element 4 too for Extra
Technician granted on or after March 21, 1987NoneElement 2 from scratch

VEs will want proof of the old license, and you'll get a new sequential call sign unless you then apply for a vanity call. For Element 2, the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual covers the current question pool, and how to pass the ham Technician exam has a study plan. Not sure what each class gets you? See ham radio license levels.

Renewing a GMRS license is stricter

If you hold a GMRS license too, its renewal looks the same in ULS and costs the same $35, but there's no grace period.

Ham (amateur)GMRS
Term10 years (97.25)10 years (95.1705(e))
Renewal fee$35$35
Window90 days before to expiration90 days before to expiration
After expiration2-year grace period to renewNone: "an individual must request a new GMRS license" (FCC GMRS page)

A lapsed GMRS license means a new application and, most likely, a new call sign. How to get a GMRS license walks through it, and GMRS call signs explains the format.

Back on the air

Put your new expiration date in a calendar with a reminder 80 days ahead, so you land inside the window next time. And if the radio has sat in a drawer for years, a BAOFENG BF-F8HP (8 W, dual band VHF/UHF) is a cheap way to get on local repeaters again. The ham radio for beginners guide and our ham radio repeaters guide will get you a first contact.

Fees and steps checked on fcc.gov and the eCFR (up to date as of October 13, 2026) on October 15, 2026. The FCC's March 5, 2026 shutdown extension (DA 25-943) has ended; normal deadlines apply. How we research · Affiliate disclosure

Questions people ask

How much does it cost to renew a ham radio license?
$35. The FCC's Wireless Bureau fee filing guide (effective May 23, 2025) lists $35 for amateur license renewals, and 47 CFR 1.1102 sets the same $35 renewal fee. Pages that say renewal is free were written before the FCC started charging amateur fees in 2022.
How early can I renew my ham license?
No sooner than 90 days before the expiration date. Before that, the Renew link doesn't appear in the ULS License Manager. You can check your expiration date for free with the FCC's license search.
Is there a grace period for an expired ham license?
Yes, two years. Under 47 CFR 97.21(b) you can renew during a 2-year filing grace period after expiration, but you have no operating privileges until the renewal is granted. After the grace period, the FCC says the application cannot be granted.
Can I still transmit while my renewal is pending?
Only if you filed before the license expired. 97.21(a)(3)(ii) says operating authority continues until the FCC acts on a renewal received on or before the expiration date. If you file during the grace period, you can't transmit until it's granted.
Do I have to retake the exam if my license expired?
Only if you're past the 2-year grace period. Then you start over, but 47 CFR 97.505 gives some credit: a former Extra gets credit for Elements 3 and 4, and a former General or Advanced gets Element 3, so both pass only the Technician exam (Element 2) to get their old class back. A former Technician licensed after March 21, 1987 gets no credit.
Is the letter offering to renew my license for a fee legit?
It may be a real company, but you don't need it. Expiration dates are public, so third parties mail and email renewal offers. You can file directly in ULS and pay only the FCC's $35, or ARRL members can have the ARRL VEC file for no processing fee.