Verify a mailed domain-renewal notice

Before you pay a mailed domain-renewal notice, find out which company holds your domain. A notice can name your domain correctly and still come from another company. Your account records show who you actually pay, so start there.

By Junk Mail Magic. Updated October 2, 2026.

Match the sender to your registrar

Find the receipt or account email from when the domain was bought or last renewed. Note the registrar and renewal date shown there.
Compare that registrar with the company name and address on the mailing. If they differ, treat the letter as unconfirmed until your registrar account explains the difference.
Sign in to your registrar by typing its address yourself. Check the renewal date and any pending charges.
Read the mailing's fine print to see whether it offers a renewal or a move to a new provider, and what it would cost.

Renewal or transfer

Words like expiration or action required can appear on an offer to move your domain rather than extend it where it already is. Check the price and terms on the page to see what a payment or signature would authorize.

If several people manage the domain, confirm which account holds it before anyone replies. Keep the original mailing and envelope. USPIS accepts reports of suspected mail fraud if you decide one is warranted, but the format of the letter alone does not show the sender's intent.

Private worksheet

Example for your own use. Replace the bracketed details and review what you share.

Domain named in mailing: [domain name] Sender name and address: [sender name and address] Date on mailing and amount asked: [date], [amount] My registrar per account records: [registrar name] Renewal date per my registrar login: [date] Sender matches my registrar: [yes / no / unclear] What the mailing offers: [renewal / transfer / unclear] Person who manages the domain: [name]

Record the real date

Put the renewal date from your registrar account on a shared calendar along with the account that holds the domain. Check the next mailed notice against that entry.

Official sources

Check an advertisement formatted as an invoice Verify a number printed on unfamiliar mail Check an advertisement marked final notice Preserve a mailer after you paid a suspected scam Suspicious mail All practical mail guides

Keep personal records with the organization that handles them

Junk Mail Magic is for ordinary unwanted advertising. Use the official contact route in this guide for records, account changes or someone else’s correspondence.

Compare removal routes