Wondering how to renew your domains or keep your mailboxes active? In most cases there is nothing manual to do — renewals happen automatically as long as your subscription is active. Here is exactly how it works.
How domain renewals work
Your domains renew automatically while your subscription is active, as long as your subscription end date falls after the domain's renewal date. A few key rules: Domain registrations are time-limited, typically valid for one year, and failure to renew results in expiration. However, with Maildoso, renewals are handled automatically as long as your subscription remains active.
Domains are only renewed while you have an active subscription at the time of the domain's renewal date — having an active subscription today doesn't retroactively renew a domain whose renewal date already passed during a gap in coverage.
If your plan ends on or before a domain's renewal date, that domain will not renew.
If you cancel before a domain expires, it will not be renewed.
My domain shows "Awaiting Renewal" and hasn't cleared
If a domain is stuck on Awaiting Renewal, the most common cause is the rule above: your subscription had a gap (expired, cancelled, or a promo period ended) that included the domain's renewal date, so the domain was never actually renewed — even if your subscription is active again now. This is not a backend glitch to wait out. (For what other statuses on the Domains page mean, see Domain status glossary: what your domain's status means.)
A domain that lapses this way is released back to the registry and typically can't be repurchased for roughly 30 days after it expired (this is a registry hold, not something we control). In that situation the usual fix is to remove the expired domain from your account and register a different domain in its place, rather than waiting for the original one to come back. Contact support with the domain name if you want us to confirm exactly why a specific domain didn't renew. Expired domains can also cause DNS disruptions, making associated websites or services inaccessible, and may lead to email failures due to SMTP authentication issues.
My subscription is active, but domains are still stuck in "Awaiting Renewal"
If your subscription is clearly active and paid — and the domain's renewal date falls within your coverage window — a domain stuck in Awaiting Renewal is most likely a backend renewal queue issue. This is different from the subscription-gap scenario above.
Before contacting support, confirm the following:
Your subscription is active and the payment went through — check your billing page and confirm no failed invoice is outstanding.
The affected domain's renewal date falls before your subscription's end date. If renewal date > end date, that domain won't auto-renew (see the rule above).
You have not cancelled or paused your subscription at any point around the domain's renewal date, even briefly.
The domain is not in a 'Manually Disabled' state — if it is, contact us, as that requires manual review (see My domain shows "MANUALLY DISABLED" — can it be reactivated?).
If all of the above look correct and the domain is still stuck, contact support with the affected domain names and your account email. This is something we resolve on our side — do not delete and re-add the domain while it is in Awaiting Renewal, as this can complicate recovery.
Multiple domains stuck in "Awaiting Renewal" at the same time
If several domains went into Awaiting Renewal together around the same date, they likely all shared the same renewal date and one of the following happened:
Your subscription expired or lapsed briefly around that date, meaning none of them renewed (most common).
A plan downgrade or cancellation removed those domains from coverage before their renewal date.
A backend renewal queue issue affected a batch of domains simultaneously — in which case we can re-queue them.
Contact support with the full list of affected domain names. Include the date your subscription renewed (or your invoice date) so we can compare it against each domain's renewal date and confirm the cause.
My registrar or a WHOIS lookup shows different renewal/expiry info than the Maildoso portal
Maildoso registers and manages your domains through our backend registrar, so the status shown in your Maildoso dashboard is the source of truth for any domain still under our management — a third-party WHOIS lookup or a registrar-branded status page can lag behind or show cached information, especially right after a renewal or status change. If our dashboard shows a domain as renewed or Active but an external WHOIS check still shows it expiring, this is typically just propagation delay; give it a day and check again before assuming something went wrong.
I moved my domain to another registrar — why does Maildoso still show a status for it?
Once a domain is transferred out to a different registrar (for example Dynadot or Cloudflare Registrar), it's no longer under Maildoso's management, so our dashboard status for it is no longer meaningful and can show as expired or stale even though the domain is live and fine at its new registrar. Manage renewal, DNS, and expiry for a transferred-out domain directly with its new registrar going forward — check there first if you're working against a deadline, rather than relying on the Maildoso dashboard. If you'd like us to reflect that the domain has left your account (for example, to free up a slot on your plan), contact support with the domain name. (See Transferring your domains out of Maildoso for how a transfer-out works.)
If you're not sure whether a domain is still under Maildoso's management or has already moved, contact us with the domain name and we'll confirm.
What renewals cost
We cover up to $15 per domain renewal. Most domains renew well within that amount, so there is usually nothing extra to pay. If a particular domain renews for more than the covered amount, you can either pay the difference to keep it, or choose not to renew it and register a different domain instead (a new domain is added at the usual per-domain price).
How to keep your domains from expiring
Keep your subscription active, and make sure its end date is after your domains' renewal dates.
If you want to confirm a specific domain's renewal date, or pay an additional amount for a domain that renews above the covered price, contact us and we'll help.
If you'd rather not keep a domain, you can let it expire and add a different domain instead.- Ensure your payment information is up-to-date to avoid failed renewal transactions.
Renewing your mailboxes
Your mailboxes stay active for as long as your subscription is active. If a mailbox or account has been paused because of an unpaid renewal, settling the outstanding amount restores access. If you're not sure why a mailbox went inactive, reach out and we'll check your account.
Still have questions about a renewal or a specific domain? Contact us and we'll review your account and help you sort it out.