A Unique Entity ID (UEI) is the 12-character code SAM.gov assigns to your business. It replaced the DUNS number in April 2022, and it is now the identifier the federal government uses to recognize you on every contract, grant and sub-award. No UEI, no federal money.
It is free. It has always been free. The only place it comes from is SAM.gov. Everything below is the process as SAM.gov actually runs it.
Is a UEI the same as a tax ID number?
No. They are two different numbers issued by two different agencies for two different purposes.
- EIN / TIN — issued by the IRS. Identifies you for tax purposes.
- UEI — issued by SAM.gov. Identifies you for federal awards.
You do not need an EIN to request a UEI on its own. You do need one to complete a full entity registration, and the name and EIN you give SAM.gov have to match IRS records exactly or the registration stalls.
Who needs a UEI number?
You need one if you intend to do any of the following:
- Bid on a federal contract
- Apply for a federal grant, or receive one through a pass-through agency
- Act as a sub-recipient on someone else’s federal award
- Register on many state and local portals that now ask for a UEI, including Cal eProcure
Not every business has one. Only entities that have gone through SAM.gov have a UEI — there is no automatic assignment.
UEI only, or full registration?
SAM.gov offers two paths, and picking the wrong one wastes weeks. The difference matters:
| UEI only | Full entity registration | |
|---|---|---|
| What you provide | Legal business name and physical address | All of the above plus TIN, IRS consent, banking details, NAICS codes, reps & certs, points of contact |
| Lets you | Be identified and reported on someone else’s award | Bid on contracts and receive federal awards directly |
| Typical timeline | Often the same session, if validation passes | Allow at least ten business days after submission |
If your goal is to win work, you want the full registration. UEI-only is for entities that will never hold an award in their own name.
How to get a UEI number, step by step
- Create a Login.gov account. SAM.gov does not have its own sign-in. Use an email address that will outlive any one employee.
- Go to SAM.gov and select Get Started. Choose “Get a Unique Entity ID” or “Register Entity,” depending on the path above.
- Enter your legal business name and physical address. This is the step that decides everything. Use the legal name as filed with your state — not your DBA, not your trade name, not the version on your website. The address must be a physical street address; P.O. boxes are rejected.
- Clear entity validation. SAM.gov checks your name and address against third-party records. If they match, your UEI is issued. If they do not, you are asked to submit documentation.
- Decide whether to allow public display. You can restrict your record from public search. Think carefully: hiding it also makes it harder for contracting officers and prime contractors to find you.
What you need before you start
Have these in front of you, matching each other exactly:
- Legal business name as registered with the Secretary of State
- Physical street address
- Date and state of incorporation or formation
- Your formation documents (articles of incorporation, LLC filing, or equivalent) in case validation fails
How long does it take to get a UEI number?
If your records match cleanly, a UEI-only request is usually resolved in the same sitting. A full entity registration is different: SAM.gov advises allowing at least ten business days after submission for the registration to become active, and that clock does not start until validation clears.
The variable nobody plans for is entity validation. A mismatch between what you typed and what the underlying records show can add days or weeks while you gather documents and wait on a service desk ticket. If you are working toward a bid deadline or a grant submission date, start now, not the week before.
Why entity validation fails
Almost every first-time failure traces back to the same handful of causes: the legal name on the application does not match the state filing, the address format differs from what is on record, the business recently moved, or the entity was formed so recently that reference data has not caught up.
The fix is documentary, not technical — you submit proof and wait. We wrote up the specific causes and remedies in SAM.gov entity validation failed: what to do next.
Does a UEI expire?
The number itself does not change. Your registration does — it has to be renewed every year or it goes inactive, and an inactive registration makes you ineligible for award while it sits. Agencies will not chase you about it. See when SAM.gov registration expires and how renewal works.
Do not pay for a UEI
There is no filing fee, no expedite fee, no government charge of any kind. If a website is asking for a card to issue you a UEI, it is not the government. We cover the distinction between the free federal process and legitimate paid help in Is SAM.gov registration free?
Consultants — ourselves included — charge for time and expertise: getting the entity data right the first time, clearing validation failures, choosing NAICS codes that actually match the work you want, and keeping the registration current. That is a service fee. It is never a government fee, and anyone who blurs that line is telling you something about how they do business.
Get it done right the first time
Most of the businesses that come to us have already tried once. The registration is sitting in limbo, validation failed for a reason nobody explained, or the whole thing went active with NAICS codes that will never surface a relevant solicitation.
GERC handles UEI and entity validation and full SAM.gov registration for businesses across California — from the first filing through annual renewal. Book a strategy consultation and we will tell you honestly whether you need us or whether you can do it yourself in an afternoon.