--- title: Membership statuses explained description: "What Active, Hold, Expired, Paused, Cancellation pending and Cancelled mean for a member's Membership, whether each one gives access, and where you see them." url: "https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/levels-colors-explanation/" updated: "2026-10-18" category: Memberships --- # Membership statuses explained 4 min readBeginnerUltimate Membership Pro 14.2+ In Ultimate Membership Pro, each Membership a member holds has a status: Active, Hold, Expired, Paused, Cancellation pending or Cancelled. These membership statuses tell you at a glance whether the member has paid, whether access is running, and [whether the plan will renew](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/features/subscriptions/). This guide explains each status, whether it gives access, and where you see and change it. Before you start - You know how Memberships renew and expire. See [How renewals, cancellations and expiry work](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/how-renewals-cancellations-and-expiry-work/). ## The six statuses Active **Means** : Paid or free, and within its dates **Access** : Yes **Color** : Green Hold **Means** : Assigned, but no payment confirmation received yet **Access** : No **Color** : Amber Expired **Means** : The end date has passed **Access** : Only during a Grace Period **Color** : Red Paused **Means** : The member or an admin paused it; the remaining time is kept **Access** : No, until resumed **Color** : Gray Cancellation pending **Means** : Cancelled; waiting for the gateway (PayPal) to confirm **Access** : Yes, until the end date **Color** : Amber Cancelled **Means** : Future payments are stopped **Access** : Yes, until the end date **Color** : Gray Access follows the dates - Whether a member can see restricted content depends on the Membership's [start and end dates](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/subscription-delay/), plus any Grace Period. That's why a Cancelled Membership still gives access until its end date, and an Expired one keeps it during the Grace Period. ## Where a Membership gets each status Active A free Membership is Active as soon as it's assigned. A paid one becomes Active when the payment gateway confirms the payment, or when you activate it. Hold A paid Membership starts on Hold at checkout and stays there until the payment is confirmed. Bank transfer orders stay on Hold until you confirm the payment. See [Accept bank transfers](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/how-to-use-bank-transfer/). Expired The end date passed without a renewal. The status shows Expired from the end date, even while a Grace Period still gives access. Paused Pausing stops access at once and keeps the time left. Resuming adds that time back from the day it's resumed. Cancellation pending The member cancelled a [PayPal subscription](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/set-up-paypal-standard/) and was sent to PayPal to stop the payments. It becomes Cancelled when PayPal confirms. Cancelled The member cancelled from the Member Portal, or you clicked Set as Canceled. ## See a member's statuses 1. Go to Ultimate Membership Pro*›*Members, open the member's **Details** menu and click Manage Plans. The **Manage Membership Plans** screen opens. The chips next to the member's name count their Memberships by status group: [![Member header for Lucas Meyer with chips 1 Active, 1 Expired, 2 Pending, 1 Paused and 6 Plans total](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ump-statuses-01-status-chips.png)](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ump-statuses-01-status-chips.png) Status counts for one member. Below, every Membership has its own card with the status in the top-right corner, its plan details, and the start and end dates: [![Two Membership cards: Annual Pass with a red Expired status and Pro Monthly with an amber Cancellation pending status](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ump-statuses-02-plan-cards.png)](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ump-statuses-02-plan-cards.png) An Expired and a Cancellation pending Membership. Members see the same labels in the **Status** column of the **Subscriptions** table in their [Member Portal](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/set-up-the-member-portal/). ## Change a status by hand The buttons at the bottom of each card depend on the current status. For a Membership on Hold: [![VIP Coaching card on Hold with empty expiry date and the buttons Activate, Set as Canceled and Remove](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ump-statuses-03-hold-card.png)](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ump-statuses-03-hold-card.png) A Membership on Hold: activate it once you've received the payment. Activate Makes a Membership on Hold Active, for example after you receive a bank transfer. Set as Canceled Marks the Membership as Cancelled. Access still runs until the end date. Pause Pauses an active Membership. Renew Starts a new period for an expired Membership. Remove Deletes the Membership from the member's account. You can also edit the **Starts On** and **Expires On** dates on the card. Click Save Changes after changing dates or statuses. More member tools: [Manage your members](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/how-to-change-member-status/). Members list filters - In the Members list, the **Membership status** filter (Active, Expired, On hold, Expire soon) uses the Membership dates. **Expire soon** means less than 10% of the period is left. ## Example: one member, six statuses **Lucas Meyer**A fictional member who holds one Membership in each status. **Free Community** : Active **Pro Monthly** : Cancellation pending, access until the end date **Annual Pass** : Expired **VIP Coaching** : Hold, waiting for payment **Supporter** : Paused **Weekend Workshop** : Cancelled, access until the end date ## Troubleshooting Why is a paid Membership stuck on Hold? The payment gateway [hasn't confirmed the payment](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/paypal-payment-not-working/). Check the webhook or [IPN setup](https://developer.paypal.com/api/nvp-soap/ipn/) of your gateway, or activate the Membership by hand once you see the payment. See [Connect a payment gateway](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/step-4-set-payment-gateway-if-applicable/). A Membership shows Expired but the member still has access The Membership is in its Grace Period. Access ends when the Grace Period is over. A Cancelled Membership still gives access That's expected: cancelling stops future payments, and access runs until the paid period ends. To end access at once, use Remove, or set Cancel Subscription Action to Remove this Subscription from Member. What do the colors mean in Ultimate Membership Pro? Green is Active, red is Expired, amber is Hold or Cancellation pending, and gray is Paused or Cancelled. ## What's next [**How renewals, cancellations and expiry work**The full life cycle.](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/how-renewals-cancellations-and-expiry-work/)[**Manage your members**Search, filter and edit members.](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/how-to-change-member-status/)[**Add a member and assign a Membership**Assign plans by hand.](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/add-a-member-and-assign-a-membership/)[**Customize the Subscriptions and Payments tables**What members see.](https://ultimatemembershippro.com/docs/customize-the-subscriptions-and-payments-tables/)