✓ Free for everyone — no account needed
SAM.gov Registration Guide for Small Businesses
How to register on SAM.gov
and win federal contracts
SAM.gov (System for Award Management) is the federal government's official contractor database. You must be registered to win any federal contract. This free guide walks you through every step — required documents, the full timeline, and the mistakes that delay or kill approval.
<\!-- Step 1: What you need before you start -->
Before You Start
Documents you need to have ready
Gather these before you open SAM.gov. Missing any one of them will stall your registration mid-process.
🆔
EIN — Employer Identification Number
Your federal tax ID. If you don't have one, apply free at IRS.gov (takes ~5 min online). You'll receive it immediately.
📋
UEI — Unique Entity Identifier
Replaced DUNS in 2022. You get this during SAM.gov registration itself — it's assigned automatically. No separate application needed.
🏢
Legal business name & address
Must match exactly what's on your EIN/IRS records. Even a punctuation mismatch (LLC vs L.L.C.) can trigger a rejection.
📊
NAICS codes
6-digit industry codes that describe what your business does. You need at least one primary code. Find yours at
naics.com/search.
🏦
Bank account info (for EFT payments)
Routing number + account number. This is how the government pays you on contract wins. Must be a US business account.
📞
Primary point of contact
Name, email, phone of the person who will receive SAM.gov communications. Can be the owner.
<\!-- Step 1: Create account -->
Step 1
Create your login.gov account
SAM.gov uses login.gov for authentication. Go to login.gov and create an account with your business email. Enable two-factor authentication — it's required.
Once your login.gov account is set up, go to sam.gov, click "Sign In", then "Create an Account" using your login.gov credentials.
<\!-- Step 2: Entity registration -->
Step 2
Start a new entity registration
After logging in: click My SAM → My Registrations → Register New Entity.
Select "I want to be able to bid on federal contracts" when asked about your purpose. This enables the full contractor profile.
The registration wizard has ~12 sections. Take your time — partial saves are supported. Do not close the browser without saving each section.
<\!-- Step 3: Core Data -->
Step 3
Core Data — business identity
This is where you enter your EIN, legal name, and address. Critical requirements:
⚠️
Name must match IRS records exactly
SAM.gov validates against the IRS. If your EIN is registered to "Acme LLC" but you enter "Acme L.L.C.", it will fail the TIN match check.
📍
Physical address, not P.O. Box
SAM.gov requires a physical address for the entity. A separate mailing address can be added if needed.
After you submit Core Data, SAM.gov will attempt an IRS TIN (taxpayer identification number) match. This can take 1–2 business days. You can continue filling out other sections while you wait.
<\!-- Step 4: Assertions -->
Step 4
Assertions — size, ownership & certifications
This is where you enter your NAICS codes and self-certify for set-asides. Check every certification that applies:
✓
Small Business (SBA)
Under 500 employees (or applicable revenue threshold for your NAICS). Most new businesses qualify.
✓
8(a) Business Development
For socially and economically disadvantaged businesses. Requires separate SBA certification — note in SAM.gov that application is in progress.
✓
HUBZone
Business located in a Historically Underutilized Business Zone + 35% of employees live there. Check eligibility at sba.gov.
✓
WOSB / EDWOSB
Women-Owned Small Business. Must be at least 51% women-owned and controlled.
✓
SDVOSB / VOSB
Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned or Veteran-Owned Small Business. Self-certified in SAM.gov; VA verifies separately for VA contracts.
⚠️ False certifications are federal fraud. Only check what you actually qualify for.
<\!-- Step 5: Points of Contact -->
Step 5
Points of Contact & Representations
Enter your government and past performance contacts. For small businesses, this is usually the owner.
The Representations & Certifications section (Reps & Certs) is a legal attestation of your business information. Read each question. Most are straightforward yes/no answers about size, ownership, and foreign interests.
<\!-- Timeline -->
Timeline
How long does it take?
Day 1 — Submit registration
Complete all sections and hit Submit. You'll get a confirmation email with a case number.
Day 1–3 — IRS TIN match
SAM.gov validates your EIN against IRS records. Most pass in 1 business day. If it fails, you'll get an email with the mismatch details — usually a name formatting issue.
Day 3–10 — Activation
After TIN match passes, activation typically takes 3–7 business days. SAM.gov emails you when you're officially active. The federal procurement system takes an additional 24–48 hours to sync your new UEI.
Year 1 and every year after — Renewal
SAM.gov registrations expire annually. You must renew or your business becomes ineligible for contracts. Set a calendar reminder for 60 days before your expiration date.
<\!-- Common mistakes -->
Common Mistakes
What delays or kills SAM.gov registrations
✕
Name mismatch with IRS. The single most common rejection. Your legal name in SAM.gov must match your EIN paperwork character-for-character.
✕
Using a P.O. Box as physical address. SAM.gov requires a real street address for the entity location.
✕
Not completing all sections before submitting. You must finish every section — including Reps & Certs — before you can submit. Partial registrations don't save in some browsers.
⚠
Forgetting to renew annually. SAM.gov registrations silently expire. You won't be able to win contracts and may not notice until a bid is rejected.
⚠
Paying a "SAM.gov registration service". Registration is 100% free at sam.gov. Any company charging $500–$3,000 to "register you" is reselling a free government service.
⚠
Wrong NAICS codes. Choose codes that match your actual work — the wrong codes mean you'll miss relevant set-aside opportunities.
<\!-- CTA -->
You're registered — now find your first contract
GovLane matches your NAICS codes and certifications to active federal opportunities. Free users see 3 matches per week. Starter members get unlimited daily matches.