How to Register on SAM.gov: A Step-by-Step Guide for Grant Applicants

Before you can apply for — or receive — a federal grant, your organization must be registered in SAM.gov (System for Award Management). This is a hard requirement with no exceptions. If your registration lapses, your application will be disqualified even if it is otherwise excellent. This guide walks you through the entire process, step by step.

What Is SAM.gov and Why Does It Matter?

SAM.gov is the official U.S. government system for entities that want to do business with the federal government — including receiving grants. It replaced the older CCR (Central Contractor Registration) system and now serves as the single database where agencies verify your organization's identity, legal status, and banking information before awarding funds.

Every federal grant program — whether from NIH, NSF, USDA, HHS, DOJ, or any other agency — checks SAM.gov registration as part of its eligibility review. If your registration is inactive, expired, or was never completed, your application will not be processed.

SAM.gov registration is free. There is no legitimate reason to pay a third party to register on your behalf, though many businesses try to charge for this service. The process takes 1–3 weeks to complete, so start well before any application deadline.

Understanding the UEI Number

When you register in SAM.gov, you are assigned a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) — a 12-character alphanumeric code that identifies your organization across all federal government interactions. The UEI replaced the DUNS number in April 2022.

Your UEI is used on every federal grant application and on all federal contracts. Once assigned, it stays with your organization permanently. If your organization registered before April 2022, your UEI was automatically generated when you last renewed your SAM.gov registration.

To find your existing UEI: log into SAM.gov, navigate to your entity registration, and look for the Unique Entity ID field in the registration details. Your UEI is also visible in the public SAM.gov entity search.

Step-by-Step SAM.gov Registration Walkthrough

Here is the complete process for a new entity registration. Budget 2–4 hours spread across several days.

• Step 1 — Create a Login.gov account. SAM.gov requires a Login.gov account for access. Go to login.gov, create an account with your work email, and set up two-factor authentication. This takes about 10 minutes.
• Step 2 — Gather required information. Before starting, have ready: your organization's legal name (exactly as it appears in your articles of incorporation or equivalent document), your EIN (Employer Identification Number) or TIN, your CAGE code if you have one from prior federal activity, your organization's primary physical address, a bank account for Electronic Funds Transfer (routing and account numbers), and your organization's primary point of contact information.
• Step 3 — Start a new entity registration. Log into SAM.gov, click "Register Entity," and select the entity type that matches your organization — most grant applicants choose "Business or Organization" or "U.S. Federal Government." Do not select "Individual" unless you are a sole proprietor applying for grants under your personal SSN.
• Step 4 — Complete the Core Data section. Enter your legal name, EIN, and physical address. SAM.gov will verify your information against IRS records. If your legal name does not match IRS records exactly, the validation will fail. Common mismatches include: "Inc." vs "Incorporated," missing "The" at the beginning of a name, or outdated address records.
• Step 5 — Complete Assertions. This section collects information about your business type, size, and ownership demographics (small business, woman-owned, veteran-owned, etc.). Answer accurately — these designations affect your eligibility for set-aside programs and some grant categories.
• Step 6 — Complete Representations and Certifications. You will certify compliance with dozens of federal requirements. Read each one — they cover things like not being debarred from federal programs, compliance with civil rights laws, and truth in negotiations. Answering inaccurately is a federal offense.
• Step 7 — Enter financial information. Provide your bank account details for Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). This is how federal grants are paid. Without this information, you cannot receive payment even if awarded.
• Step 8 — Submit and wait for processing. After submission, SAM.gov typically takes 3–5 business days to validate your registration through the IRS, and then 7–10 additional business days to finalize activation. The full process usually takes 2–3 weeks. You will receive email updates as each stage completes.

Renewing Your SAM.gov Registration

SAM.gov registrations expire annually. You must renew every 12 months to keep your registration active. If your registration lapses even by one day, you become ineligible to receive federal grants until it is renewed — and the renewal process takes another 1–2 weeks.

Set a calendar reminder 60 days before your registration expiration date. Renewal is simpler than initial registration — you review and update your information and resubmit. Allow at least 2 weeks for processing before any grant deadline.

To check your expiration date: log into SAM.gov and view your entity registration details. The "Registration Expiration Date" field shows exactly when renewal is required.

Common SAM.gov Registration Mistakes

• Starting too close to a deadline. The 2–3 week processing time is fixed. Starting registration the week before a grant deadline guarantees disqualification. Start at least 6 weeks before any major application deadline.
• Legal name mismatch. The name in SAM.gov must match IRS records character-for-character. "ABC Nonprofit Inc" and "ABC Nonprofit, Inc." may both cause validation failures. Contact the IRS if you need to confirm your exact registered name.
• Using a personal email for the entity registration. Use an organizational email address. Personal emails for official government registrations create complications when staff changes occur.
• Forgetting to renew. Dozens of organizations miss grant deadlines every year because their SAM.gov registration silently expired. The system sends reminder emails, but they are easy to miss if staff turnover has occurred.
• Paying for registration. Registration is free at SAM.gov. Companies that charge $300–$500 to register on your behalf are not providing any service that you cannot do yourself at no cost.

After Registration: Next Steps

Once your SAM.gov registration is active, you have the foundational requirement in place. Your UEI will be auto-populated into most federal grant application systems. You can now submit applications on Grants.gov, NSF FastLane, NIH Commons, and other federal portals.

Keep your registration information current — particularly your address, bank account, and points of contact. Outdated information can delay payments on active awards.

Ready to start searching for grants now that your registration is in order? Browse available federal grants on GrantLocate — filtered by state, category, and deadline — to find opportunities that match your organization's mission.