When Do At-Home COVID-19 Tests Expire?
Angelica Estrada
The FDA does not usually recommend using medical products after the expiration date. However, the FDA has recently given emergency authorization to extend the typical 4–6 month shelf-life of select testing kits, adding an additional 3-6 months to the expiration date printed on the box. This change was made after manufacturers collected more data, which indicate that these at-home COVID-19 tests are still accurate.
Of the 20 different at-home COVID-19 test kits authorized for use by the FDA, only 9 have been granted shelf-life extensions. Check to see if the tests you have at home are included in this list so you can use them past the expiration date – but remember, they are only working if the “C” line is visible when the test is completed. Specific expiration dates can be found by clicking the links below.
- BinaxNOW Covid-19 Ag Card Home Test (Abbott Diagnostics Scarborough, Inc.): Extended 3 months
- BinaxNOW Covid-19 Antigen Self Test (Abbott Diagnostics Scarborough, Inc.): Extended 3 months
- CareStart Covid-19 Antigen Home Test (Access Bio, Inc.): Extended 3 months
- Flowflex Covid-19 Antigen Home Test (ACON Laboratories Inc.): Extended 4 months
- Celltrion DiaTrust Covid-19 Ag Home Test (Celltrion USA, Inc.): Extended 6 months
- Detect Covid-19 Test (Detect, Inc.): Extended 2 months
- iHealth Covid-19 Antigen Rapid Test (iHealth Labs, Inc.): Extended 3 months
- SCoV-2 Ag Detect Rapid Self-Test (InBios International Inc.): Extended 4 months
- Pilot Covid-19 At-Home Test (SD Biosensor, Inc.): Extended 3 months
All articles are reviewed and approved by Dr. Diana Zuckerman and other senior staff.
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References:
- “At-Home OTC COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA, 2022. https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/coronavirus-covid-19-and-medical-devices/home-otc-covid-19-diagnostic-tests#list.
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