SAM.gov Registration Guide

Why You Need SAM.gov Registration

SAM.gov (System for Award Management) is the official U.S. government system for managing entities that do business with the federal government. If your organization wants to receive federal grants, contracts, or any form of federal financial assistance, you must be registered in SAM.gov. There are no exceptions.

• Required for ALL federal grants, contracts, and financial assistance. No agency can award you money without an active SAM.gov registration.
• No registration = no federal funding, period. Your application will be rejected outright if your registration is not active at the time of award.
• Registration is completely FREE. You will never need to pay anyone to register. The entire process is done at sam.gov at no cost.
• Must be renewed every 365 days. If your registration lapses, you cannot receive awards or payments until it is reactivated.

What You Need Before You Start

Gather the following before beginning your registration. Having everything ready will save you from delays and incomplete submissions.

• EIN (Employer Identification Number) -- Your 9-digit tax identification number from the IRS. If you do not have one, you can apply for an EIN online for free. The online process takes about 15 minutes and you receive your EIN immediately.
• Banking information -- Your organization's bank routing number and account number. The federal government pays exclusively via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), so this is required.
• Organization's legal name -- This must match your IRS records exactly, including punctuation, abbreviations, and spacing. Even a minor difference will cause your registration to be rejected.
• Physical address -- A street address where your organization is physically located. PO boxes are not accepted as the primary address (but can be used as a mailing address).
• NAICS code -- The North American Industry Classification System code that describes your organization's primary activity. You can look up your code at naics.com/search. Common codes for nonprofits include 813110 (Religious Organizations), 813211 (Grantmaking Foundations), and 813312 (Environment/Conservation Organizations).
• For nonprofits: 501(c)(3) determination letter date -- The date the IRS issued your tax-exempt determination letter. You will need this during the entity type selection.

Step-by-Step Registration Process

Open your browser and navigate to https://sam.gov. This is the only official website for SAM registration.

• Click "Sign In" in the upper-right corner.
• If you do not already have a Login.gov account, click "Create an Account". SAM.gov uses Login.gov as its authentication system -- this is the federal government's shared sign-in service.

Login.gov is the federal government's single sign-on platform. Your Login.gov account will be used to access SAM.gov and many other federal systems.

1. Go to login.gov/create-an-account (or follow the link from SAM.gov).
2. Enter your email address -- use a professional/organizational email, not a personal one.
3. Check your email and click the confirmation link.
4. Create a strong password (at least 12 characters).
5. Set up two-factor authentication (2FA). You can choose:
   • Phone/SMS (most common)
   • Authentication app (Google Authenticator, Authy, etc.)
   • Security key or government PIV/CAC card

After logging in to SAM.gov with your Login.gov credentials:

1. Click "Get Started" under Entity Registration (or navigate to the Entity Registration section).
2. Select the purpose of registration -- for grants, choose "I want to be able to bid on federal contracts or receive federal financial assistance (grants, loans, etc.)."
3. Select your entity type:
   • Business or Organization -- for companies, nonprofits, universities, tribal organizations
   • U.S. State or Local Government -- for government agencies
   • Foreign Entity -- for entities outside the U.S.
4. For nonprofits, select "Organization" and then "Nonprofit" from the sub-categories.

The system will validate that your entity is not already registered. If it finds a match, you may need to claim an existing registration rather than creating a new one.

This is where you enter your organization's fundamental information:

• Legal Business Name -- Must match your IRS records exactly. This includes capitalization, punctuation (commas, periods), and abbreviations (Inc., LLC, Corp.). If your IRS records show "ABC Nonprofit, Inc." do not enter "ABC Nonprofit Inc" (missing comma).
• Physical Address -- The street address where your organization operates. PO boxes are not accepted here. This is used for entity validation.
• Mailing Address -- Where you receive mail. This can be a PO box if needed.
• Start date of organization -- The date your organization was legally formed (incorporation date or date of formation).
• Doing Business As (DBA) -- Only fill this in if your organization operates under a different name than its legal name. Otherwise, leave it blank.

Provide identifying details about your organization:

• EIN / TIN -- Enter your 9-digit Employer Identification Number. This will be validated against IRS records.
• CAGE Code -- The Commercial and Government Entity code. If you do not already have one, leave this blank. A CAGE code will be assigned automatically during the SAM registration process. You do not need to apply for one separately.
• NAICS Code -- Use the built-in search tool to find the code that best describes your organization's primary activity. You can add multiple codes. Some common ones:
  • 541611 -- Management Consulting Services
  • 541720 -- Research and Development
  • 611310 -- Colleges/Universities
  • 813110 -- Religious Organizations
  • 813211 -- Grantmaking Foundations
  • 813319 -- Social Advocacy Organizations
  • 624110 -- Child and Youth Services
• Business Type -- Select all categories that apply to your organization (e.g., Nonprofit Organization, Minority-Owned, Woman-Owned, Small Business, etc.).

Enter your banking details for Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). This is how the federal government will pay your organization when grants are awarded.

• Bank Routing Number -- The 9-digit ABA routing number for your bank (found on checks or through your bank).
• Account Number -- Your organization's bank account number.
• Account Type -- Checking or savings.

You will need to designate at least two points of contact:

• Entity Administrator (Government Business POC) -- The primary person responsible for managing the SAM.gov account. This person must have a valid email and phone number. They will receive all correspondence about the registration.
• Alternate Government Business POC -- A backup contact in case the primary administrator is unavailable. This person can also manage the registration if needed.

Both contacts will need:

• Full name (first, middle initial, last)
• Title/position
• Phone number (U.S. number preferred)
• Email address

This section contains legal certifications and compliance questions:

• Proceedings Information -- Disclose any criminal, civil, or administrative proceedings, if applicable.
• FFATA Sub-Award Reporting -- Certify compliance with the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, which requires reporting on sub-awards over $30,000.
• Federal tax compliance -- Certify that your organization is not delinquent on federal taxes.
• Debarment and suspension -- Certify that neither your organization nor its principals are debarred or suspended from receiving federal awards.
• Size and socioeconomic representations -- For businesses, indicate if you qualify as a small business, disadvantaged business, HUBZone, etc.

Before submitting, carefully review every section of your registration:

1. Verify your legal name matches IRS records exactly.
2. Confirm your EIN is correct.
3. Double-check your banking information (routing and account numbers).
4. Review your NAICS codes and business type selections.
5. Verify contact information for both points of contact.
6. Click "Submit".

After submission:

• You will receive a confirmation email acknowledging your submission.
• The IRS will validate your TIN/EIN and legal name (this is often the slowest part).
• A CAGE code will be assigned if you do not already have one.
• Processing typically takes 7 to 10 business days, but can take up to 3 weeks during peak periods or if there are validation issues.

After Registration

Once your registration is approved and active:

• Your UEI (Unique Entity Identifier) is assigned automatically. This 12-character alphanumeric ID replaces the old DUNS number. You will need this on every federal grant application.
• Check your status at sam.gov -- Status Tracker at any time.
• Registration must be renewed every 365 days. Set a calendar reminder for at least 30 days before expiration. Renewal takes the same 7-10 business days to process, so do not wait until the last day.
• Keep your Login.gov credentials safe. Store them in a password manager. Ensure your backup administrator also has access.
• Update your GrantPro profile with your UEI number so the system can verify your grant readiness.

Common Problems and Solutions

Helpful Links