Why You Need SAM.gov Registration
SAM.gov (System for Award Management) is the federal government's official registration system for entities that do business with the government. Registration is required before you can apply for federal grants through Grants.gov, bid on federal contracts posted on SAM.gov, receive federal contract awards, or get paid for federal work. There is no cost to register. Any website or service that charges you to create a SAM.gov registration is not the official site. The only legitimate URL is sam.gov. Registration provides you with a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), which replaced the DUNS number system in April 2022. Your UEI is the number that identifies your organization across all federal systems. You will use it on every grant application and contract bid. The registration process takes 2 to 4 weeks from start to finish, though it can take longer if you encounter validation issues. Do not wait until you find an opportunity with a tight deadline. Register now.
What You Need Before You Start
Gather these items before beginning the registration process. Missing information is the most common cause of delays. Your legal business name exactly as it appears in IRS records. This must match your EIN letter or IRS determination letter character for character, including punctuation, abbreviations, and capitalization. "Smith & Associates LLC" is not the same as "Smith and Associates, LLC" to the validation system. If you are unsure of your exact legal name, check your IRS EIN confirmation letter or call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933. Your Employer Identification Number (EIN), also called a Tax Identification Number (TIN). If you do not have one, apply at irs.gov/ein. The IRS issues EINs immediately online for most entity types. Your physical business address. P.O. boxes are not accepted as primary addresses. Your CAGE code. If you already have one, you will enter it during registration. If you do not, SAM.gov will request one from the Defense Logistics Agency on your behalf. This adds processing time. Bank account information for Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). This is required if you will receive payments. You need your bank routing number and account number. Your NAICS codes. You will select the NAICS codes that describe your business activities. Your primary NAICS code determines your small business size standard. See our NAICS codes guide for how to identify the right codes. The name and contact information for an Entity Administrator. This person will manage your registration and must be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident. They will need a Login.gov account.
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Step-by-Step Registration Process
Step 1: Create a Login.gov account at login.gov if you do not already have one. You need a personal email address and will set up multi-factor authentication. This takes about 5 minutes. Step 2: Go to sam.gov and click "Sign In" in the upper right. Sign in with your Login.gov credentials. Step 3: Click "Get Started" under Entity Registration on the SAM.gov home page, or navigate directly to sam.gov/entity-registration. Step 4: Enter your entity type. Options include business or organization, U.S. federal government, or foreign entity. Most applicants select business or organization. Step 5: Enter your legal business name and physical address. The system will search for your entity. If it finds a match, it will display your UEI. If not, it will generate one. Step 6: Validate your entity. SAM.gov verifies your entity information against IRS records and commercial databases. This is where most delays happen. If your business name or address does not match IRS records exactly, validation fails. Step 7: Complete your entity registration. You will enter your CAGE code (or request one), banking information, NAICS codes, business type, and other details. The full registration form has approximately 15 sections. Step 8: Submit and wait for processing. Initial registrations typically take 7 to 10 business days after submission. CAGE code assignments can add another 5 to 7 days if you did not have one. Step 9: Check your registration status. Log in to sam.gov and check your entity dashboard. Status will show as "Submitted" during processing and "Active" when complete. You will receive an email notification when your registration is active.
The Most Common Problems and How to Fix Them
Entity validation failure is the number one problem. The system compares your business name and EIN against IRS records. If they do not match exactly, the registration stalls. The fix: find your original IRS EIN confirmation letter and use that exact name. If you changed your business name and did not update the IRS, file Form 8822-B (Change of Address or Responsible Party) to update your records first. UEI issues affect organizations that had old DUNS numbers. The DUNS-to-UEI migration was completed in April 2022, but some entities have orphaned or duplicate UEIs. If the system shows your entity with a UEI you do not recognize, contact the Federal Service Desk at fsd.gov for help resolving duplicates. CAGE code delays are common for first-time registrants. If you do not have a CAGE code, SAM.gov requests one from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). This adds 5 to 7 business days to your registration timeline. There is no way to speed this up. Login.gov multi-factor authentication problems prevent access. If you lose your authentication device, Login.gov has a recovery process, but it can take days. Save your backup codes when you set up your account. Address validation failures happen when your business address does not match what the Postal Service has on file. Use the USPS address validation tool at tools.usps.com/zip-code-lookup.htm to check your address format before registering. Non-U.S. entities face additional requirements. Foreign organizations must have a NATO CAGE (NCAGE) code, which must be obtained before starting SAM.gov registration. Request one through your country's National Codification Bureau. If you are stuck, the Federal Service Desk (fsd.gov) provides free support. They handle SAM.gov registration issues, entity validation problems, UEI questions, and CAGE code status inquiries. Response times vary but they are the official support channel.
Grants-Only vs. Full Registration
SAM.gov registration has two paths depending on what you need. If you only apply for federal grants, you can complete a streamlined registration that requires less information. You do not need to provide banking information for EFT, representations and certifications, or a CAGE code. This is faster and simpler. If you bid on federal contracts, you need the full registration. This includes everything in the grants-only registration plus banking information, NAICS codes with size standard representations, certifications about your business type and ownership, representations about export controls and other regulatory compliance, and CAGE code. If you are unsure, complete the full registration. You can always apply for grants with a full registration, but you cannot bid on contracts with a grants-only registration. Upgrading later requires resubmitting, which means another processing cycle. For small businesses seeking contract set-asides, the full registration is where you self-certify your small business status for specific NAICS codes. Your size standard representation in SAM.gov is what contracting officers check when evaluating your eligibility for set-aside contracts.
Annual Renewal: Do Not Let It Lapse
SAM.gov registrations expire after one year. You must renew annually to maintain an active registration. Renewing is simpler than the initial registration, but you still need to review and confirm all your information. SAM.gov sends email reminders 60 and 30 days before expiration. Do not ignore these. If your registration lapses, you cannot submit grant applications through Grants.gov, you cannot receive new contract awards, and payments on existing awards may be delayed. Renewal processing takes approximately 5 business days but can take longer if your information changed. Start your renewal at least 30 days before expiration. To renew, log in to sam.gov with your Login.gov credentials, navigate to your entity dashboard, click "Update Entity," review all sections for accuracy, and submit. If your business name, address, EIN, or bank information changed, update those fields during renewal. Set a calendar reminder for 60 days before your registration expiration date. The cost of a lapsed registration, meaning missed deadlines and delayed payments, far exceeds the 20 minutes it takes to renew.
After Registration: What to Do Next
Once your SAM.gov registration is active, you can start searching for opportunities immediately. For grants, go to grants.gov and search by agency, keyword, or Assistance Listing number. Your UEI is required on every application. Our federal funding search guide covers how to search effectively across federal sources. For contracts, search sam.gov/opportunities by NAICS code, set-aside type, agency, and keyword. Our set-asides guide covers how small business certifications work. Consider certifications. SAM.gov registration is the baseline. If you qualify for 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or WOSB certification, the reduced competition in set-aside contracts can be substantial. Talk to your local APEX Accelerator for free guidance on whether certifications make sense for your business. Connect with your local APEX Accelerator (formerly PTAC). These are federally funded organizations that provide free assistance with government contracting, including SAM.gov registration, certification applications, and bid preparation. Find yours at aptac-us.org. Search Funding Landscape to see open grants, contracts, and state opportunities in one place, filtered to show only open opportunities.