Compliance

MCS-150 update: who files, when it's due and what it costs

Updated October 21, 2026

See your MCS-150 month. Enter your DOT number to see your filing month and year, worked out from your own USDOT digits. Check your status

Find your month

Your month comes from the last digit of your USDOT number. File by the last day of that month.

Use the digits of your USDOT number itself. Your MC number has nothing to do with the schedule.

Find your year

The year comes from the next-to-last digit. An odd digit means you file in odd years, and an even digit, zero included, means even years. The cycle repeats every 24 months.

A USDOT number ending in 47, for example, is due by July 31 in even years: July 2026, then July 2028.

Your digits set every due date. Counting 24 months from the day you last filed can land you in the wrong month, so go by the digits even if you filed early last time.

How to file it for $0

1. Type motus.dot.gov into your browser rather than using a link from a letter or email.
2. Sign in through Login.gov and verify your identity.
3. Claim your company's existing USDOT record if you haven't already.
4. Complete the biennial update. File it even if nothing changed.
5. Save the confirmation and check that your record updated.

Some older FMCSA pages still give URS and Portal instructions. Where those differ from Motus guidance, follow Motus. If you've stopped operating, notify FMCSA instead of letting the update lapse.

Ready for Loads isn't affiliated with FMCSA. The official filing in Motus costs $0.

The 2026 enforcement pause

FMCSA temporarily suspended enforcement of the biennial update, along with USDOT inactivation for missing it, for updates due on or after June 1, 2026. The notice, updated September 10, 2026, gives no end date and no replacement deadline.

The update is still required and your month hasn't moved. File on schedule so you're current whenever the pause ends.

The pause covers missed biennial updates only. An insurance lapse, a missing BOC-3 or a safety problem is handled under its own rules.

Penalties for a missed update

The current adjusted maximums for recordkeeping violations are $1,584 a day and $15,846 in total. They apply only when FMCSA charges a violation, so they aren't automatic late fees. During the pause, FMCSA isn't enforcing missed updates due on or after June 1, 2026.

Paid services and look-alike letters

Any company that charges you for the MCS-150 is selling its own help with a form FMCSA takes for $0. FMCSA warns about official-looking messages that ask for money or data, including fake Motus links that push an off-cycle update. Some come from filing services and some are phishing.

Before you pay anyone, check your month in the table above. Then read how to spot a fake notice.

Know your month before a notice arrives. The status check works out your MCS-150 month from your USDOT digits and shows the insurance filing FMCSA has for you. Check your status

Frequently asked questions

Is the MCS-150 update free?

FMCSA charges $0. Any fee comes from a private service.

Do I have to file if nothing changed?

Yes. The update is required every 24 months even when your information is the same.

How do I find my MCS-150 due date?

The last digit of your USDOT number sets the month and the next-to-last digit sets the year. An odd digit means odd years and an even digit, zero included, means even years.

Will my USDOT number go inactive if I miss it?

For updates due on or after June 1, 2026, FMCSA has paused inactivation for a missed update. The pause has no published end date, so file in your month anyway.