An interesting discovery... Hobbyists who registered when the FAA first introduced registration had there $5 waived. That ran from November 2015 to January 2016. The registrations were to be valid for 3 years - thus January 2019 was set to be the first time for the $5 payment.
With that said, the Taylor case threw out the registration requirement in May 2017 and Congress reinstated it with the President signing it law on December 2017. So, as it turns out now, those who thought their hobbyist registration was set to expire are now finding a new expiration date - December 12th, 2020 - three years to the day from the signing of the Defense Act reinstating the registration requirement.
With that said, the Taylor case threw out the registration requirement in May 2017 and Congress reinstated it with the President signing it law on December 2017. So, as it turns out now, those who thought their hobbyist registration was set to expire are now finding a new expiration date - December 12th, 2020 - three years to the day from the signing of the Defense Act reinstating the registration requirement.