Prepare a domain renewal calendar that survives staff and payment changes

1. List every domain, its customer account, sponsoring registrar and business purpose. Include secondary brands, redirects and domains used only for email.
2. Record the account's renewal due date and the authoritative registration expiration date in separate fields.
3. Name a primary owner and a backup who can access the approved account recovery process.
4. Check the actual renewal price and supported term. Flag premium renewals and restricted extensions for individual review.
5. Record whether automatic renewal is enabled, how the invoice will be paid and who responds to a failed payment.

Use an internal schedule earlier than the provider's final notices. For example, a quarterly portfolio review can identify ownership problems, while a review several weeks before the due date can confirm funding and renewal intent. The right lead time depends on the domain's importance and procurement process.

For applicable generic domains, ICANN's recovery policy requires renewal reminders around a month and a week before expiry, with a further notice shortly after expiry in relevant cases. Treat those as a fallback. A company calendar should not depend on one expected email arriving on an exact day.

A settled invoice is payment evidence. Also check that the registration operation succeeded and the expected new expiry is reflected in the domain account or confirmed registrar data. Keep the invoice, operation reference and updated date together. If payment completed but the domain date did not advance as expected, ask support to reconcile that specific order.

After a finance or staff change, test the recovery address and review stored payment details before the next renewal. A backup address outside the domain's own email service is useful for emergency contact. Keep secrets in an approved password manager, not in the shared renewal spreadsheet.

Review domains marked for retirement separately. Record who approved letting the name expire and which websites, email addresses and third-party logins were removed first.

• Why enabling auto-renew does not by itself prove a domain was renewed
• Build a domain portfolio inventory with accountable owners and recovery contacts
• Check whether a domain renewal message or invoice is authentic
• Transfer operational control of a company domain when an employee leaves

• ICANN: Expired Registration Recovery Policy
• ICANN: Renew your domain name