No-Cost Extension (NCE) for NIH Grants

NIH Standard Terms of Award include the provision for grantees to extend the final budget period of a previously approved project period one time for a period of 1 to 12 months, without additional NIH funds. This action, called a No-Cost Extension (NCE), must be taken before the project period ends.

AHRQ Award Recipients - see AHRQ-specific NCE topic.

IMPORTANT: AHRQ Recipients: Recipients of Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) awards can use the Status module in eRA Commons to request a No-Cost Extension. However, the specific terms of the AHRQ NCE are different from those for an NIH grant. If you are a AHRQ grantee, please see the alternate topic No-Cost Extension (NCE) for AHRQ Grants for the requirements and steps to request an NCE.

The NCE is initiated in the Status module by using the Extension action, which appears:

• For signing officials (SOs) only

• 90 days before the project end date--it is removed at midnight on the project end date

• ONLY if the project period was NOT previously extended by the awarding office

IMPORTANT: As of May 7, 2025 NIH has temporarily disabled the Status Module Extension action. Awardees who need an award extension are required to use the No-Cost Extension type in the Prior Approval module. Requests via any other methods are not acceptedAn SO can request a NCE in Prior Approval if the award meets certain conditions, described in Prior Approval - No Cost Extension.

Policy: Extension of Final Budget Period of a Previously Approved Project Period without Additional NIH Funds

Awardees may extend the final budget period of the project when the following conditions are met:

• If no additional funds are required from the NIH awarding office
• If there will be no change in the project’s originally approved scope
• If no term of award specifically prohibits the extension

In order to mandate an extension, one of the following criteria must be applicable:

• Additional time beyond the established expiration date is required to ensure adequate completion of the originally approved project
• Continuity of NIH grant support is required while a competing continuation application is under review
• The extension is necessary to permit an orderly phase-out of a project that will not receive continued support

NOTE: The fact that funds remain at the expiration of the award is not, in itself, sufficient justification for an extension without additional funds.

See Prior Approval - No Cost Extension for information on how to request a No-Cost Extension using the Prior Approval module.

NOTE: When an extension without cost is submitted but cannot be processed due to an internal business error, the action Extension Error will appear under the three-dot ellipsis menu of a grant in Status search results. This action will continue to display until the error has been corrected. Instructions will be given on whom to contact if you need to have the error corrected before resubmitting. Once the error has been corrected, the No-Cost Extension will be processed, and the appropriate notifications sent.