Some COVID-19 tests sent by the government have old dates; it doesn’t mean they’re expired

On Sept. 20, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the relaunch of their free COVID-19 test distribution. The initiative allows for every household to order four more free rapid tests through COVIDTests.gov. According to the U.S. Postal Service, these tests began shipping the week of Oct. 2. 

A VERIFY viewer received a set of free COVID-19 tests in the mail, with the expiration date June 22, 2023 listed. They texted to ask if these tests can be used or if they’re actually expired. 

THE QUESTION

Are the recent COVID-19 tests sent by the government with past expiration dates still okay to use?

THE SOURCES

• COVIDTests.gov, a Department of Health and Human Services website

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration 

• Federal Trade Commission

• U.S. Postal Service

THE ANSWER

Yes, the government confirms that all of the recent COVID-19 tests it mailed out are still valid through at least the end of 2023. Some test boxes may have a printed expiration date that has already passed, but they’re still good to use because the FDA extended those dates. 

WHAT WE FOUND

Free COVID-19 tests sent by the federal government may have a date printed on the box that has passed, but this does not mean the test is expired. 

That’s because the FDA extended the shelf life of these tests. 

On COVIDTests.gov, the official free COVID-19 test distribution website, a notice says “Before You Throw Out ’Expired’ Tests: Check FDA's website to see if your COVID-19 tests' expiration dates have been extended.” 

The U.S. Postal Service’s testing kit ordering service also shares a similar notice that says “Tests may show ‘expired’ dates on the box, but FDA has extended those dates.”

The Federal Trade Commission confirmed the new test kits being mailed out “will detect the currently circulating COVID-19 variants and are intended for use through the end of 2023.” They add that the testing materials will come with instructions on how to find the extended expiration dates. 

The expiration date is extended if COVID-19 manufacturers find that a test still performs accurately longer than its initial shelf life. 

“An extended expiration date means the manufacturer provided data showing that the shelf-life is longer than was known when the test was first authorized,” the FDA said.  

The testing to determine shelf life is referred to as stability testing, the FDA explained. Sometimes stability testing is done in real-time. A manufacturer could set a shelf-life for a year, for example, and after that year is over, they test the product to see if it's still working as needed. 

This process of stability testing can take a while, so “the FDA typically authorizes at-home COVID-19 tests with a shelf-life of about four to six months from the day the test was manufactured, based on initial study results, and it may be extended later as additional data is collected.”

The FDA has a table on their website for you to check the tests you have. Click here to see all expiration date extensions.

This story is also available in Spanish / Lee este artículo también en español: Algunas pruebas de COVID-19 enviadas por el gobierno tienen fechas viejas; no quiere decir que han caducado