DUNS Number for SAM Registration: Complete Guide

If you want to do business with the federal government — whether as a contractor, grant recipient, or assistance applicant — you need to register in SAM.gov. For years, the DUNS number was the key that unlocked that registration. While the government has introduced the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) as a replacement, understanding how DUNS and SAM.gov work together remains critical. This guide covers everything you need to know.

What Is SAM.gov?

The System for Award Management (SAM.gov) is the federal government's official database for entities that do business with the government. It consolidates several formerly separate systems, including the Central Contractor Registration (CCR), the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), and the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS).

SAM.gov serves several purposes:

Contractor registration. Any company or organization that wants to receive federal contract awards must have an active SAM.gov registration.
Grant recipient registration. Entities applying for federal grants, cooperative agreements, and other forms of federal assistance must be registered.
Entity validation. SAM.gov verifies that registered entities are legitimate, active businesses or organizations.
Exclusion tracking. SAM.gov maintains a list of entities that are barred or suspended from receiving federal funds.
Wage determination. SAM.gov hosts prevailing wage data used in federal construction and service contracts.

In short, SAM.gov is the gateway to all federal business opportunities. Without an active registration, you are invisible to the federal procurement system.

The DUNS-to-UEI Transition

In April 2022, the federal government officially transitioned from using the DUNS number as the primary entity identifier in SAM.gov to the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Here is what happened and what it means for you.

What Changed

SAM.gov now assigns a UEI to every registered entity automatically during the registration process.
New registrants no longer need to obtain a DUNS number from D&B before registering in SAM.gov.
The UEI is a 12-character alphanumeric identifier generated by SAM.gov itself.

What Did Not Change

Your DUNS number still exists. If your business had a DUNS number before the transition, it remains valid and is still used by D&B for commercial purposes.
D&B still maintains your business credit file using your DUNS number. Government contracting officers still reference D&B reports.
Many non-federal systems still use DUNS. State governments, foundations, corporate vendor portals, and international organizations continue to require or accept DUNS numbers.

What This Means for You

If you are registering in SAM.gov for the first time, SAM.gov will generate your UEI during registration. You do not strictly need a DUNS number for SAM.gov anymore. However, obtaining a DUNS number remains strongly advisable because:

Your D&B business credit profile is tied to your DUNS number, and contracting officers review these profiles.
Many state and local government systems still require a DUNS number.
Private-sector vendor applications, foundations, and international bodies continue to use DUNS.
Having a DUNS number provides a secondary form of verified business identification.

To understand more about what a DUNS number is and why it matters beyond SAM.gov, visit our what is a DUNS number page.

How DUNS and UEI Relate

Think of DUNS and UEI as parallel identification systems:

Feature	DUNS Number	UEI
Issuing authority	Dun & Bradstreet	SAM.gov (GSA)
Format	9 digits	12 alphanumeric characters
Cost	Free	Free
Used for	Business credit, vendor apps, international ID	Federal procurement and grants
Required for SAM.gov	No longer required (post-April 2022)	Yes
Still active	Yes, for D&B purposes	Yes, for federal purposes

If your organization registered in SAM.gov before April 2022, your account was automatically assigned a UEI based on your existing DUNS record. Both numbers now coexist — your DUNS for D&B and commercial purposes, your UEI for federal transactions.

Step-by-Step SAM.gov Registration

Whether you are a small business, a nonprofit, or a large corporation, the registration process follows the same general path.

Step 1: Get a Login.gov Account

SAM.gov uses Login.gov for authentication. If you do not already have a Login.gov account, create one at login.gov. You will need a valid email address and a phone number for two-factor authentication.

Step 2: Access SAM.gov Entity Registration

Log into SAM.gov, navigate to the entity registration section, and select "Register New Entity" (or update an existing registration).

Step 3: Validate Your Entity

SAM.gov will ask you to provide identifying information about your business:

Legal business name
Physical address
EIN (Employer Identification Number) or TIN (Taxpayer Identification Number)
Date of incorporation or establishment
Country and state of incorporation

SAM.gov will validate this information against IRS records. The legal name and EIN must match exactly. If there is a mismatch, the validation will fail and you will need to correct your information.

Step 4: Receive Your UEI

Once your entity is validated, SAM.gov assigns your UEI. This happens automatically during the registration process. If you had a DUNS number, the system may reference it, but the UEI is now your primary federal identifier.

Step 5: Complete Your Entity Profile

Fill in the remaining registration details:

NAICS codes: Select the North American Industry Classification System codes that describe your business activities. You can choose multiple codes and designate a primary code.
Product Service Codes (PSCs): Identify the specific products or services you offer.
Size metrics: Report your average annual revenue, number of employees, and other size-related data.
Business type: Indicate your organizational structure (corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, nonprofit, etc.) and any applicable socioeconomic categories (small business, veteran-owned, woman-owned, etc.).
Financial information: Provide your bank account and routing number for Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). The government pays contractors electronically.

Step 6: Complete Representations and Certifications

SAM.gov includes a series of representations and certifications (reps and certs) that you must complete. These are legal statements about your business, including:

Small business size status
Ownership and control information
Compliance with various federal laws and executive orders
Tax delinquency and felony conviction disclosures

Answer these carefully and truthfully. False statements can result in criminal penalties.

Step 7: Submit and Wait for Activation

After submitting your registration, SAM.gov processes and validates your information. This typically takes seven to ten business days. You will receive an email notification when your registration is active.

Step 8: Renew Annually

SAM.gov registrations expire after one year. You must renew before the expiration date to maintain your active status. Set a reminder at least 60 days before expiration.

Government Contracting Requirements Beyond SAM

SAM.gov registration is the foundation, but government contracting involves additional requirements:

CAGE code. A Commercial and Government Entity code is assigned automatically during SAM registration. It is a five-character identifier used by the Department of Defense and NATO.
Small business certifications. If you qualify, pursue certifications like 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or WOSB through the SBA.
Past performance records. As you complete government contracts, your performance is recorded in CPARS, linked to your entity identifiers.
Security clearances. Some contracts require facility or personnel security clearances, which involve separate registration processes.

For a deeper dive into the contracting process, read our guide on DUNS numbers and government contracts.

Troubleshooting Common SAM.gov Issues

Entity Validation Failure

Problem: SAM.gov cannot validate your entity information.

Solution: Ensure your legal business name and EIN match exactly what the IRS has on file. If your business recently changed its name, the IRS may not have updated its records yet. File IRS Form 8822-B to update your business name or address with the IRS, then try again after the IRS processes the change (typically four to six weeks).

Duplicate Registrations

Problem: You find multiple SAM.gov registrations for your organization.

Solution: Contact the Federal Service Desk (fsd.gov) to request consolidation of duplicate records. Provide documentation showing which registration is the correct one. This issue often arises when organizations have both a DUNS-based legacy registration and a new UEI registration.

Expired Registration

Problem: Your SAM.gov registration expired and you cannot submit proposals or receive payments.

Solution: Log into SAM.gov immediately and renew your registration. Processing takes seven to ten business days. During this period, contracting officers cannot make new awards to your entity, and some payment systems may hold payments. Prevention is the best strategy — renew 30 to 60 days before expiration.

Login.gov Issues

Problem: You cannot access your SAM.gov account because of Login.gov authentication problems.

Solution: Visit Login.gov directly to reset your password or update your authentication method. If you have lost access to your authentication device, Login.gov has a recovery process. Do not create a new Login.gov account — this can create duplicate SAM.gov profiles.

DUNS and UEI Mismatch

Problem: The information in your D&B (DUNS) record does not match your SAM.gov (UEI) record.

Solution: Update both records independently. Contact D&B to correct your DUNS record, and update your SAM.gov profile directly. Going forward, when you change your business information, update both systems. For businesses in the United States, keeping these records synchronized is particularly important.

Bank Account Validation Failure

Problem: SAM.gov cannot validate your bank account information for EFT.

Solution: Verify that you entered the correct routing number and account number. The account must be a business checking account in the name of the registered entity. Some banks require you to authorize government EFT payments. Contact your bank to confirm they can process ACH payments from the U.S. Treasury.

Key Takeaways

SAM.gov registration is mandatory for any entity that wants to receive federal contracts or grants.
The UEI has replaced the DUNS number as the primary SAM.gov identifier, but your DUNS number remains important for business credit and non-federal purposes.
Registration is free and takes approximately seven to ten business days after submission.
Renew your registration annually — an expired registration locks you out of federal opportunities.
Keep your DUNS and SAM.gov records synchronized and accurate.

Next Steps

Start by checking if your business is already in the system using our DUNS lookup tool. If you are a nonprofit preparing for federal grants, our nonprofit DUNS guide covers grant-specific considerations. For understanding how your DUNS number affects your business credit standing with contracting officers, read our business credit guide.