Free tool
SAM.gov Registration Checklist
Registering on SAM.gov is free and you can do it yourself — but it's confusing enough that an entire industry charges hundreds of dollars to do it for you. Answer three quick questions and Sam builds your personalized, plain-English checklist — UEI, CAGE, entity validation, and renewal — with the scams flagged. No login.
Is SAM.gov registration free? Yes.
SAM.gov is the federal government's official System for Award Management — where you register to be eligible for federal contracts and grants. Registering is free, and so is everything that comes with it. Read this before you pay anyone:
- SAM.gov registration is free. So are your Unique Entity ID (UEI) and your CAGE code.
- The only official site is sam.gov. There is no fee to register, renew, or get a UEI — and CAGE codes are assigned automatically, never sold.
- Letters, emails, or calls with urgent 'renewal fees', manufactured deadlines, or government-style logos are marketing from private firms — not the government. The GSA warns about exactly these.
- Free help is available from the Federal Service Desk (fsd.gov) and your local APEX Accelerator (formerly PTAC) — no charge, ever.
Start your registration at the official sam.gov entity registration page. Need a free EIN first? Get one from the IRS.
What you get: UEI, CAGE, and an active registration
- A Unique Entity ID (UEI)
- The UEI replaced the DUNS number in April 2022. It's a free 12-character ID assigned at SAM.gov once your business passes entity validation — your identity in the federal system.
- A CAGE code
- The Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code is assigned to US entities automatically by the Defense Logistics Agency during registration — at no cost. No one needs to 'sell' you one.
- An active registration
- Completing your reps & certifications and reaching 'Active' status is what actually makes you eligible to be awarded a federal contract. It expires after 365 days, so you renew yearly.
The #1 thing that stalls registration: entity validation
Before SAM.gov issues your UEI, it validates your business by exact-matching your legal name and physical address to authoritative records (the IRS and your state). It's a literal string match — not interpretation — so small differences fail. Get these right:
- Use your legal business name exactly as it appears on your IRS EIN letter (CP-575) and your Secretary of State record — including punctuation and suffixes ('Inc.' vs 'Inc', 'LLC' vs 'L.L.C.').
- Match 'and' vs '&' to your official record — SAM compares the strings exactly, not what they mean.
- Use your physical street address (no PO boxes) and match the suite/unit format on your incorporation or IRS documents.
- Newly formed entities may not be in the validation database yet. If you just incorporated, you may need to wait, or submit documentation.
- If validation fails, you can submit supporting documents and open a free ticket at the Federal Service Desk (fsd.gov) — you never have to pay a third party.
Build your personalized checklist
Three questions, instant checklist. Your answers stay in your browser — nothing is submitted until you ask us to email you the checklist.
SAM.gov registration FAQ
- Is SAM.gov registration free?
- Yes. Registering, renewing, getting a Unique Entity ID (UEI), and getting a CAGE code are all free at sam.gov. Private companies that send official-looking letters and charge $599–$1,999 are not the government — they are reselling a free service. The GSA publishes warnings about exactly these.
- What is a UEI, and how do I get one?
- The Unique Entity ID replaced the DUNS number in April 2022. It's a free 12-character identifier assigned at SAM.gov once your entity passes validation. You request it as part of registration — you never pay for a UEI.
- What is a CAGE code and do I have to pay for it?
- A CAGE code is a 5-character identifier assigned automatically and for free by the Defense Logistics Agency during your SAM.gov registration, for US entities. If anyone offers to sell you a CAGE code, it's a scam.
- Why does my SAM.gov entity validation keep failing?
- Almost always an exact-match problem: your legal business name or physical address doesn't match your IRS and Secretary of State records precisely. Match punctuation, suffixes ('Inc.' vs 'Inc'), '&' vs 'and', and suite format exactly. Newly formed entities may not be in the validation database yet. Free help is available at the Federal Service Desk (fsd.gov).
- How long does SAM.gov registration take?
- Filling out the registration is relatively quick, but the review to reach 'Active' status can take anywhere from several business days to a few weeks. Start well before any bid deadline you care about.
- How often do I have to renew my SAM.gov registration?
- Every year. Your registration expires 365 days after it activates. Renew before it lapses — federal rules require continuous active registration from offer through award, and GAO has terminated awards over lapses as short as ~16 hours.
Still stuck? Free, official help is available from the Federal Service Desk and your local APEX Accelerator.