What to know about Unique Entity Identifiers (UEIs)

If your business plans to work with the federal government—by applying for federal funds, grants or awards or conducting other business activities—you’ll need a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) first. Applying for a UEI is free and something you can do entirely online.

Here’s what you need to know about applying for a UEI—and what having one means for your business.

What you’ll learn:

• Your company will need a UEI if you plan to do business with the federal government—such as receiving federal funds, bidding on federal contracts or getting paid for federal contracts.

• The federal government now uses UEIs in place of D-U-N-S® Numbers to uniquely identify businesses for federal transactions, grant applications and contract awards.

• You can apply for a UEI through the federal government’s System for Award Management (SAM), where you can see whether your business already has one assigned or create an account to get started. 

• You’ll have to renew your entity registration every 365 days to keep your account active.

A UEI is a 12-character alphanumeric code issued by the U.S. government. Since April 2022, it’s been the official identification number for organizations that do business with federal agencies. 

The System for Award Management (SAM)—the federal government’s official registration system for organizations seeking federal contracts or assistance—is managed by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). The GSA issues UEI numbers through SAM. Your business is automatically assigned a UEI when you register your organization in the system.

Any entity that applies for, receives or reports on federal funding must have a UEI. These entities include private-sector businesses, nonprofits, government contractors and subcontractors. A UEI identifies your business in federal systems like SAM and other government grant portals, tracking your entity across government systems.

Both UEIs and D-U-N-S Numbers are used to identify your business, but they aren’t one and the same. 

The Data Universal Numbering System (D-U-N-S) Number is a nine-digit number issued by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) and linked to a company’s D&B business credit report and profile. Your D-U-N-S Number provides a snapshot of your organization’s financial health and helps potential lenders, partners, vendors and suppliers assess the risk of doing business with your company.

In April 2022, the federal government officially replaced D-U-N-S Numbers with UEIs to identify businesses. But if your organization had a D-U-N-S Number before the transition, it was automatically assigned a UEI—you’ll just need to verify it in SAM.

Not all businesses need a UEI. Basically, any business that plans to bid on contracts, receive grants or awards, or work with the federal government in another capacity will need a UEI. It uniquely identifies organizations doing business with the government.

So if your company plans to work solely with private companies or individual consumers, getting a UEI won’t be necessary.

To apply for a UEI, visit SAM.gov—the federal government’s official site for obtaining one. Once there, you can also check to see whether your business has already been assigned a UEI.

If you find this isn’t the case, you’ll need to set up an account on the SAM website. Here are the steps involved:

1. Create your account. After accepting the terms, you’ll be directed to Login.gov to create your account. Then you’ll return to SAM to sign in and continue the process.

2. Set up your profile. You’ll accept the user terms for SAM, verify your email with a one-time passcode, and then enter your business’s name and phone number.

3. Register your entity in SAM. Sign in to your account, then click Get Started to begin the entity-registration process.

4. Complete your entity registration. You’ll follow the prompts, answer a few questions and then select Create New Entity. Continue filling out each screen based on your business’s needs, and within about 10-15 days, you’ll find out whether your registration was approved or you need to make corrections to complete the process.

If you already have a UEI and must register your entity, you’ll sign in to your SAM account to access your entity workspace and complete the registration. You can track your registration status by clicking the Check Entity Status button. It typically takes about 10 business days for your registration to become active, though processing times can vary.

To keep your registration active, you’ll need to renew it every 365 days. Once your business is registered, you can update your information anytime throughout the year or wait until it’s time to renew. You can make changes to your registration, such as updating financial information and your business’s legal name.

You can update or renew your registration by logging into your entity workspace in SAM. Keeping your registration current helps ensure your business won’t face any interruptions in eligibility for federal contracts or awards.

Obtaining a UEI is an essential step for any business seeking to work with the federal government through contracts, grants or awards. UEIs—issued for free through SAM—have replaced D-U-N-S Numbers as the official way to identify entities in federal systems. Even though not every business needs a UEI, maintaining an active registration keeps your organization eligible for federal opportunities and keeps its information up to date across government platforms.

Once your business is set up to pursue new opportunities, having the right financial tools can help you take the next step. Capital One is ready to be your partner and help support your company’s growth. Compare Capital One Business credit cards and see if you’re pre-approved today—with no harm to your credit score.