Get a Login.gov Account
Login.gov is the federal government's unified identity provider. Since 2022, SAM.gov requires a Login.gov account to access the registration portal. You cannot start your SAM.gov registration without one.
How to create your Login.gov account
- 1Go to login.gov and click "Create an account"
- 2Enter your email and create a strong password
- 3Set up multi-factor authentication (authenticator app recommended)
- 4Verify your email address via the confirmation link
Tip: Use your business email address — not a personal Gmail or Yahoo address. Federal agencies will see this email on your registration record.
Watch out: Write down your Login.gov credentials and MFA backup codes and store them securely. If you lose access to your Login.gov account, recovering it can take weeks.
Get a UEI (Formerly DUNS Number)
The Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is a 12-character alphanumeric code that identifies your business in the federal procurement system. It replaced the DUNS number in April 2022.
As of April 2022, the DUNS number has been replaced by the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), assigned automatically during SAM.gov registration.
New registrants
You do not need to do anything separately. SAM.gov automatically assigns a UEI to your entity when you begin the registration process. It appears immediately in your entity record.
Existing registrants (had a DUNS)
Your DUNS number was migrated to a UEI automatically. Log into SAM.gov and look at your entity record — your UEI is displayed in the header section. Your old DUNS is no longer valid for new awards.
Note: Your UEI is public — federal agencies and prime contractors use it to look up your registration status, CAGE code, and certifications. Treat it like a business identifier, not a secret.
Gather Required Documents
Before you start the actual SAM.gov form, gather everything listed below. Having this ready prevents mid-session interruptions and reduces the risk of IRS validation failures.
Watch out: The most common reason for registration rejection is an EIN/legal name mismatch with IRS records. Your legal business name must match your IRS records exactly — character for character, including punctuation and abbreviations (LLC vs. L.L.C. can matter).
Not sure which NAICS codes to use? Use our free NAICS Finder tool to find the codes that match your products and services.
Start Your SAM.gov Registration
With your documents and Login.gov account ready, you can now initiate your SAM.gov registration.
Starting the process
- 1Go to sam.gov and click "Get Started" in the top navigation
- 2Sign in using your Login.gov credentials when prompted
- 3Select "Register Entity" from your workspace
- 4Choose your entity type — most businesses select "Business or Organization"
- 5Select your registration purpose — choose "All Awards" if you want to be eligible for contracts and grants, or "Federal Assistance Awards Only" for grants only
Note: SAM.gov will automatically assign your UEI at this point. Write it down — you'll need it for communications with agencies and when setting up other federal portals.
Complete Core Data
The Core Data section is the most substantial part of the registration. Work through each sub-section carefully — errors here are the leading cause of IRS validation failures.
Legal Business Name and DBA
Enter your legal name exactly as it appears in your IRS records. If you operate under a "doing business as" (DBA) name, enter that separately. Do not use abbreviations not recognized by the IRS.
Physical Address
Enter your primary physical address. This must be a real street address — a PO Box is not acceptable for the physical address field (you can add a mailing address separately).
Congressional District
SAM.gov auto-populates this based on your address in most cases. Verify it is correct — it affects set-aside eligibility calculations for some programs.
EIN Validation
Enter your EIN. SAM.gov validates this against IRS records in real time. If it fails, your legal name or TIN has a mismatch with IRS records — contact the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line at 1-800-829-4933 before proceeding.
NAICS Codes
Add all NAICS codes that apply to your business. Your primary NAICS code should reflect your largest revenue category. You can list additional codes as secondaries.
PSC Codes (Product/Service Codes)
Four-character alphanumeric codes that describe your specific products or services in federal procurement terminology. These differ from NAICS codes and are used in solicitation matching.
Need help identifying the right NAICS codes for your business? Use the BidStride NAICS Finder
Financial Information
The Financial Information section sets up how the federal government pays you. All federal payments are made via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) — there is no check option.
EFT / ACH Banking Details
Enter your business bank account routing number and account number. This is the account the Treasury will use to deposit contract payments. Use a dedicated business account — not a personal account.
Watch out: Double-check your routing and account numbers carefully. Wrong bank details will delay payment on your first contract award by weeks.
MPIN (Marketing Partner Identification Number)
Create a 9-character alphanumeric password that serves as your SAM.gov API credential. Some agency-specific portals and government procurement systems use this to authenticate your SAM.gov record. Store it securely alongside your Login.gov credentials.
Electronic Business Point of Contact (eBiz POC)
Designate the person at your company responsible for receiving electronic business communications from the federal government. This can be the same person who created the Login.gov account, or a different authorized representative.
Assertions and Representations
This section is where your legal certifications live. The government uses your assertions to determine which set-aside programs you qualify for and to verify compliance with federal acquisition regulations.
Small Business Size Standard
Certify whether your business qualifies as small under the SBA size standard for your primary NAICS code. Size standards vary by NAICS — some are based on annual revenue, others on employee count. Check the SBA size standards table for your code.
Set-Aside Certifications
If you qualify for set-aside programs (SDVOSB, 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, etc.), certify them here. These certifications are powerful — set-aside contracts face far less competition than full-and-open awards.
See our Set-Aside Eligibility guideFAR 52.204-8 Annual Representations and Certifications
This is a lengthy but required section covering your compliance with a broad set of Federal Acquisition Regulations. Read each provision carefully before certifying. False certifications can result in contract debarment and civil liability. When in doubt, consult a government contracts attorney.
Note: Your set-aside status is one of the biggest factors in contract win rates. A SDVOSB or 8(a)-certified firm competing in a set-aside solicitation typically faces 3–8 competitors instead of 50+.
Submit and Wait for Processing
After you submit, SAM.gov routes your registration through several federal validation systems. This is not instantaneous — expect to wait.
SAM.gov registration takes 7-10 business days to process, though complex registrations may take up to 30 days.
How to check your status
- 1Log into sam.gov with your Login.gov account
- 2Click "Workspace" in the top navigation
- 3Find your entity — status will show as "Work in Progress", "Submitted", or "Active"
Common rejection reasons and fixes
EIN/TIN mismatch
Call the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line at 1-800-829-4933 to confirm your exact legal name and EIN as IRS has them on file. Update SAM.gov to match exactly.
Invalid bank account
Re-enter your routing and account numbers. Confirm with your bank that the account accepts ACH credits.
CAGE code conflict
Contact the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) CAGE branch if you believe there's a CAGE conflict with your UEI.
Missing required field
SAM.gov will email you the specific field. Log in and complete that section, then resubmit.
Tip: Set a recurring annual reminder 30 days before your SAM.gov registration expiration date. A lapsed registration means you cannot receive new contract awards until it is renewed and active again.
Find contracts automatically. Stop searching manually.
BidStride monitors SAM.gov and 50+ other sources daily, matches opportunities to your NAICS codes, and delivers a scored list of contracts worth pursuing — before 7 AM every morning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about SAM.gov registration answered by the BidStride Research Team.
SAM.gov registration typically takes 7-10 business days to process after you submit. Complex registrations or those with IRS EIN validation issues can take up to 30 days. The actual form-filling process takes 1-2 hours if you have all your documents ready.
Yes, SAM.gov registration is completely free. The federal government does not charge any fee to register. Any third-party service that charges you a fee to 'help' with SAM.gov registration is a scam — do not pay them. Go directly to sam.gov.
SAM.gov registrations must be renewed annually. Your registration expires exactly one year from the date you activated it. If your registration lapses, you cannot receive contract awards. Set a calendar reminder 30 days before your expiration date so you have time to renew without a gap.
DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System) was a 9-digit identifier issued by Dun & Bradstreet that was previously required for government contracting. As of April 2022, SAM.gov replaced DUNS with the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), a 12-character alphanumeric code assigned directly by SAM.gov. If you had an existing DUNS number, it was automatically migrated to a UEI. New registrants receive a UEI automatically when they register.
No. If you do not already have a CAGE code (Commercial and Government Entity code), SAM.gov will automatically assign one to you during the registration process. You do not need to obtain a CAGE code separately before starting.
Yes. Sole proprietors can register on SAM.gov. You will need your Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) instead of an EIN, your legal name as the business name, and a physical address. Note that using your SSN in the public SAM.gov record is optional — you can choose to keep your TIN masked.
Common rejection reasons include: EIN/TIN mismatch with IRS records (most common), incorrect legal business name, invalid bank account information for EFT setup, or missing required representations. SAM.gov will send an email explaining the issue. Fix the specific item flagged and resubmit. If you have an EIN mismatch, contact the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line at 1-800-829-4933 to verify your information.
SAM.gov registration is required for federal contracts only. State and local governments typically have their own vendor registration systems. However, some state systems do check SAM.gov status, and being registered signals legitimacy. BidStride tracks 50+ state and local procurement portals — many have separate registration requirements which we document in each opportunity listing.
The MPIN (Marketing Partner Identification Number) is a self-created 9-character password you set during SAM.gov registration. It is used by certain federal agencies and third-party systems to authenticate your SAM.gov account for data sharing. Store it securely — you will need it when integrating with some agency-specific portals.
Yes. You can register multiple legal entities (for example, multiple LLCs or a parent company and subsidiaries) under the same Login.gov account. Each entity gets its own UEI and CAGE code and must be renewed separately each year.