The program that sent Americans free at-home COVID-19 tests is no longer accepting orders five years after the pandemic started.
“The free at-home COVID-19 test distribution program is not currently accepting orders,” the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response website said. “Tests ordered before 8:00 PM EDT, Sunday, March 9, 2025, will be shipped,” it continued.
The United States Postal Service, which shipped the tests for free, also indicated that the program was suspended on its website.
“This program is not currently accepting orders for free at-home COVID-19 tests,” it said. “Test ordering through this program has been suspended effective March 9, 2025.”
The Trump administration, which has largely sought to cut government spending, previously planned to stop the program in February before reversing course in an eleventh-hour decision, The Washington Post reported.
“With COVID-19 infections decreasing after a winter peak, we are in the process of regular discussions on closing this round of the COVID-19 test ordering program. At this point, the program is still open, and we will share additional updates as needed,” Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon said last month, according to the Post.
The program has stopped and restarted on multiple occasions. Most recently, it was paused in March 2024 before it began again in September 2024.
However, this time may be different, as the administration had also been weighing the disposal of more than 160 million test kits to save costs, according to the Post. At this point, it’s unclear what will happen with the remaining kits.
The suspension of the free program, which allowed households to order four test kits at no cost, comes roughly three years after its start in January 2022. According to TODAY.com, more than 900 million free COVID tests were sent out across the country.
The federal government once required insurers to cover the cost of COVID tests for patients, but that has not been the case since the COVID-19 public health emergency expired in May 2023. Some plans still allow patients to get free COVID tests covered by insurance. Otherwise, the tests are still available for purchase over the counter.
The expiration dates of some COVID test kits have been extended, according to the Federal Drug Administration. As such, households with expired COVID test kits should check the FDA website to see if the listed expiration date has been extended before disposing of any test kits.
ASPR did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.