---
title: "Active vs Inactive Membership Levels"
source: "https://docs.nexcess.com/software/kadence/restrict-content-pro/active-vs-inactive-membership-levels/"
description: "Coming soon: Restrict Content Pro is becoming Kadence Memberships. You may see both names used while we update the product, documentation, and customer experien…"
vertical: "Software"
area: "Restrict Content Pro"
date: "2022-06-02"
last_modified: "2026-08-12"
---

# Active vs Inactive Membership Levels

**Coming soon:** Restrict Content Pro is becoming Kadence Memberships. You may see both names used while we update the product, documentation, and customer experience.

When creating a membership level you have the option of setting the status to “Active” or “Inactive”.

![](https://docs.nexcess.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/file-Z9mKCd5BVT.png)**Active** membership levels are automatically displayed on the registration page created by the \[register\_form\] shortcode.

**Inactive** membership levels are not displayed on the \[register\_form\] shortcode page.

## What behavior changes when a membership level is set to “inactive”? What stays the same?

- Inactive membership levels will not appear as an option on the default \[register\_form\] shortcode page.
- However, you can force the level to appear by explicitly passing in the level ID. Example: \[register\_form id=”1″\]
- If a membership level is inactive, site administrators can still [manually add memberships](https://help.ithemes.com/hc/en-us/articles/360049327894-How-to-Manually-Add-a-New-Membership) to that level.
- The membership level status does not impact permissions/restrictions in any way. The status is not factored in when setting up post restrictions or permissions.

## Can inactive membership levels be renewed?

If someone signs up for a membership level, “Silver”, then that level status is changed to “inactive”, the customer will not be able to *manually* renew their membership. This behavior can be changed by adding the following custom code:

```
add_filter( 'rcp_can_renew_deactivated_membership_levels', '__return_true' );
```

This will allow customers to renew their membership even if the level has been deactivated. You can find more information on how/where to add this code to your site [here](https://help.ithemes.com/hc/en-us/articles/360049347134-How-Can-I-Add-Custom-Code-Snippets-to-My-Site-).

```
<em>Note</em>: Customers who sign up with auto-renew enabled will continue to have their automatic renewals processed, even if the membership level is deactivated.
```

## What should inactive membership levels be used for?

Inactive membership levels can be useful in the following cases:

- You have an old membership level that you want to retire or otherwise don’t want any new signups.
- You want to create a hidden membership level that isn’t displayed on your normal registration page, but can be shared via a direct link.