What is a CAGE code, and how is it different from a UEI?

Updated August 6, 2026

You're not really asking what a CAGE code is. You're asking whether it's the same thing as your UEI, whether you need to hunt it down separately, and whether some "registration service" is about to invoice you for something SAM.gov already handed you for free. Here's the direct answer: a CAGE code and a UEI are two different identifiers, you get both automatically when you register in SAM.gov, and there's no separate application, fee, or approval step for the CAGE code specifically. Worth flagging up front: zerogov.net is an independent, privately run site, not SAM.gov and not any federal agency, so treat this page as background information rather than official guidance.

CAGE code and UEI, side by side

A Unique Entity ID (UEI) is the 12-character alphanumeric code SAM.gov generates for your business the moment you complete registration. It's your primary identifier across federal contracting now, and it replaced the old DUNS Number system back in April 2022. If you're reading anything that still talks about DUNS as current, that source is out of date.

A CAGE code (Commercial and Government Entity code) is a separate 5-character identifier, also assigned during SAM.gov registration for U.S. entities. It exists mainly for logistics and contracting identification purposes, things like supply chain tracking and item cataloging, and it predates the UEI system by decades.

Neither one costs anything. Neither one requires a third-party middleman. If a site is charging you to "obtain" a CAGE code, they're charging you for a step that happens automatically when you register directly at sam.gov, which is also free and required by law to be free.

Why does the government need two codes for one business?

Because they serve different systems that grew up separately. The UEI is the identifier that ties your entity record together across award systems, it's what a contracting officer pulls up to see your registration status, your size representations, your points of contact. The CAGE code has roots in defense logistics, originally built for tracking suppliers of parts and equipment. Even now, it shows up heavily in Department of Defense contexts and anywhere a contract touches physical supply chains.

Think of the UEI as your business's account number in the federal system, and the CAGE code as a legacy tag that certain databases, especially defense and logistics ones, still expect to see. You'll list both on your SAM.gov entity record, and depending on the contract, one or the other might be the field a form actually asks for.

When you'll actually use each one

• UEI: registering in SAM.gov, searching or bidding on opportunities, filling out most modern federal forms, representing your business size and status under Reps and Certs.
• CAGE code: defense and logistics-related paperwork, item identification, some older forms and databases that were never rebuilt around the UEI.

In practice, most small businesses won't think much about their CAGE code day to day. It sits quietly on the registration record until a specific form or a specific contracting office asks for it by name.

How you actually get one

You don't apply for a CAGE code separately, and you don't need to find it before you start. Complete your entity registration in SAM.gov, and for U.S.-based entities, the CAGE code gets assigned as part of that process. Once your registration is active, you'll find both your UEI and your CAGE code sitting right on your entity record.

If your registration gets held up, the CAGE code gets held up with it. The most common cause is a failure in SAM's entity validation check, where your legal business name or address doesn't line up exactly with IRS or state filing records. That's a registration problem, not a CAGE-specific one, and it's worth fixing at the source rather than paying someone to chase it down for you. If you haven't started your registration yet, working through a checklist first, like the free one at sam-gov-registration-checklist, will catch most of the document and name-matching issues before they turn into a rejection.

A few things worth knowing while you're in there

Your CAGE code doesn't expire on its own timeline. It's tied to your SAM.gov registration, and that registration has to be renewed every year or you become ineligible for new contract awards until you fix it, at no cost to renew. It's also worth keeping an eye on the broader rule changes rolling out this year. The far-overhaul-2026-explained page walks through what's shifting in the 2026 FAR overhaul, including higher thresholds and renumbered clauses, none of which touch how your CAGE code or UEI get assigned, but both are things a new registrant should have on their radar. And if you're a contractor rather than an employee, it's worth understanding that funding lapses hit you differently than federal staff, which the page on government-shutdown-and-your-contract lays out plainly.

One more thing, since this keeps confusing people: zerogov.net is an independent site, not SAM.gov and not any part of the federal government. Nothing here is official guidance, just plain information from someone who's registered a business the free way and would rather you not pay for what's already handed to you.

Bottom line: you will never pay for a CAGE code or a UEI, because SAM.gov issues both automatically the moment your registration clears, at no cost, with no separate application required. If you haven't started yet, register directly through SAM.gov and double check that your legal name and address match your IRS and state records before you submit, since that mismatch is what stalls most applications.