MCS-150 Due Date Finder

Type in your USDOT number and this tool tells you your MCS-150 due date: the month your biennial update is due, whether you file in odd or even years, and the next deadline from today. FMCSA sets the schedule by the last two digits of the number, so every carrier's date is different.

The update is required every two years even when nothing has changed. Missing it can get your USDOT number deactivated, which stops you from hauling.

How the MCS-150 schedule works

The rule is in 49 CFR 390.19T. Two digits of your USDOT number decide everything:

November and December never come up, which spreads FMCSA's work across ten months. If you run more than one company or bought a second business with its own USDOT number, each number has its own schedule, so check them one at a time.

Worked examples

All USDOT numbers below are made up. Deadlines are counted from late October 2026.

A carrier whose new USDOT number puts the first deadline only a few months away still has to file on schedule. The clock doesn't wait two years from when you registered.

How to read your result

You can check your registration status any time on FMCSA's SAFER company snapshot. The MCS-150 date shown there is when FMCSA last received your form. Updates are filed through FMCSA's registration system, which our guide to the USDOT number, MC number and Motus explains.

What the update asks for

The biennial update is a short form, but it asks for numbers you should pull before you start, not guess on the spot:

• Company details: legal name, any business name you operate under, principal address, mailing address, phone and email.
• Type of operation: for example, an interstate authorized for-hire carrier, and whether you also haul intrastate.
• Cargo you haul: general freight, building materials, refrigerated food and so on. Match it to the freight you actually book.
• Equipment: how many trucks and trailers you own, lease or rent.
• Drivers: how many, and how many drive interstate and intrastate.
• Mileage: the miles your trucks ran in the last calendar year. Your IFTA returns for the four quarters add up to the answer.

Getting these right matters beyond FMCSA. Your fleet size and miles feed into how your safety data is measured, and insurers and brokers read the same record.

When to update before your deadline

The two-year schedule is the minimum. Update your registration as soon as any of these change:

• Your business address, phone number or email
• Your company name or legal structure
• The number of trucks or drivers
• The type of operation or cargo, such as adding a new equipment type
• A large change in yearly miles

Brokers check your registration before they set you up. An old address or a wrong fleet size can hold up a setup packet, and a mismatch between your registration and your insurance can look like a fraud warning sign. Our guide to carrier identity theft explains why brokers look so closely.

Common mistakes

• Reading the wrong digit. The month comes from the very last digit, the year from the one before it.
• Assuming nothing changed means no filing. The update is required even with no changes.
• Paying a third party for a free filing. FMCSA doesn't charge for the biennial update. Some companies send official-looking notices and charge to file it for you.
• Guessing the mileage. Use your IFTA or ELD records for the last calendar year.
• Mixing it up with UCR. UCR is a separate yearly fee, paid at ucr.gov. The startup cost calculator includes it.

Your other compliance dates

The MCS-150 is one of several dates every owner-operator tracks. Our owner-operator compliance calendar puts them all in one place. For the money side, the Form 2290 calculator works out your heavy vehicle use tax and the IFTA calculator estimates your quarterly fuel tax. New carriers face a new entrant safety audit in the first year too, and a current registration is part of passing it.

A dispatcher can't file your registration for you, but we do check a broker's registration before every load, the same way brokers check yours. See how we vet brokers, or the glossary entry on the MCS-150.