A SAM.gov registration lasts one year. Renewing it is free, you can do it yourself in about an hour, and the only cost of leaving it late is the one that matters: while it is lapsed, you cannot be awarded federal work or paid for it.
When to start
Start 60 days before your registration ends. SAM.gov emails the people named on your registration as the date approaches, but the date is on your entity record whether or not those emails reach you.
Your new registration runs 365 days from the day you submit the renewal, so starting early costs you nothing worth worrying about and buys time if the IRS or entity validation needs a second look.
Before you sign in
- The Login.gov account of a person with the entity administrator role, or a role that can update the registration
- Your legal business name and EIN exactly as the IRS holds them
- Your bank routing and account number, if either has changed
- Your current physical address. It must be a place the business occupies, never a P.O. box, virtual office or mailbox service
- Your NAICS codes, and any you want to add or drop
- Your gross receipts and employee count, if they have changed
The steps
- 01Sign in to SAM.gov with Login.gov and open your Workspace.
- 02Open your entity under your entity registrations, and choose to update or renew it. SAM.gov treats a renewal as the registration submitted again, so the steps are the same either way.
- 03Confirm the entity validation page. If your legal name or physical address no longer matches public records, SAM.gov asks for a document showing both, dated within the last five years.
- 04Review Core Data: business types, NAICS codes, size information, the bank account for payments, and the executive compensation question. Change only what has changed.
- 05Review Assertions and Representations and Certifications. These are certifications. Read each one and answer for the business as it is today.
- 06Check your Points of Contact. SAM.gov sends its notices to these people, so make sure they are current and that someone reads their mail.
- 07Submit, and keep the confirmation email.
What happens after you submit
The IRS checks your legal name and EIN as a pair again. A clean renewal usually goes active within a few business days. A renewal that needs entity validation or fails the IRS check can take weeks, which is the reason to start early.
Watch for mail from SAM.gov. If it asks for anything, someone with access to the registration has to answer it before the renewal can finish.
What a lapse costs
| While the registration is lapsed | Why |
|---|---|
| No new contract awards | An offeror must be registered when it submits an offer and at the time of award (FAR 52.204-7). |
| Contract payments at risk | A contractor must stay registered during performance and through final payment (FAR 52.204-13). |
| No grant awards | Applicants and recipients must keep a current and active registration while an application is under consideration and while they hold an award (2 CFR 25.200). |
The short version
- 01Start 60 days before the date on your registration.
- 02Renew at SAM.gov yourself. It is free.
- 03Check your name, EIN, address, bank details and points of contact.
- 04Answer the certifications for the business as it is today.
- 05Submit, keep the confirmation, and answer any mail from SAM.gov.
Crafteny reads your registration, matches you against live federal contracts and grants every morning, tells you whether you are eligible and what the work is worth, and helps you write the bid.
Start freeNew to SAM.gov? The full registration guide covers the first registration step by step.