SAM.gov registration walkthrough: UEI, EFT, and common pitfalls

Published April 18, 2026 · Updated Jun 12, 2026

SAM.gov is the System for Award Management — the federal government's centralized registration database. No active SAM registration = no federal money.

Timeline reality

Official answer: "10 business days." Real answer: 4–6 weeks if you're a first-time registrant, because you'll hit at least one validation delay (usually an address or tax ID mismatch).

What you need before you start

  • Your organization's legal name exactly as it appears on your IRS letter
  • EIN (tax ID)
  • Physical address (no PO boxes for the primary address)
  • Bank routing + account number for electronic funds transfer
  • A notarized Letter of Authorization if you're not an officer of the org

The steps

  1. Create a login.gov account (your personal, not the org's)
  2. Start a new "Entity Registration"
  3. Get your UEI (Unique Entity Identifier) — this replaced the old DUNS number in 2022
  4. Complete the Core, Assertions, Reps & Certs, and Points of Contact sections
  5. Submit and wait for IRS + bank verification
  6. Respond promptly to any validation emails (check spam)

Common gotchas

"Your entity is already registered." Someone in your org registered years ago and forgot. Find them, get credentials.

"Physical address mismatch." The address you list must match what the USPS has on file. Run it through USPS Zip+4 lookup first.

"Legal name mismatch." If the IRS has you as "Community Action Partnership of Anytown" but you entered "Community Action Partnership — Anytown", it fails. Use the IRS Determination Letter name character-for-character.

Annual renewal

SAM registration expires after 365 days. Calendar this. A lapsed SAM blocks all grant drawdowns until it's restored, which can take weeks and will crater your cash flow.