Is my UEI the same as my EIN?
Why a UEI and an EIN are different numbers, what each one is for, and why this page never asks you to type one.
Updated
A UEI is not an EIN: a UEI is the twelve-character identifier SAM.gov issues for your entity, and an EIN is the employer identification number the IRS issues. The EIN is a taxpayer number, not the public UEI. This page shows no sample number and does not ask you to type one.
Is a UEI the same as an EIN?
No. A UEI is the twelve-character identifier SAM.gov issues for your entity. It is public, and it replaced the DUNS number in April 2022. An EIN is the employer identification number the IRS issues to a business. It is a taxpayer identification number, and it is not the UEI.
They are issued by different places, and they do different jobs. This page shows no sample of an EIN and has no place to type one. Firmenza never asks you to enter a taxpayer number here.
What is each number for?
A UEI identifies the entity in federal award systems. One business has one, and it stays the same year after year. The guide on your UEI is that identifier: what it is, where it appears, and that nobody needs to sell you one.
An EIN identifies the business to the IRS. It is not the public code a buyer uses to find you in SAM.gov. Taxpayer details are not part of the public record a lookup shows.
Can I use one in place of the other?
You cannot put an EIN where a form asks for a UEI, and a UEI does not stand in for an EIN on a tax matter. Firmenza does not search by a taxpayer number.
A CAGE code is a third identifier: five characters, for a supplier location. The guide on CAGE codes is that one. None of the three replaces the others.
Where would an EIN be entered?
When a registration asks for a taxpayer identification number, that question lives inside sam.gov's own forms. The guide on names and addresses that match is about the legal name and physical address, which have to match your records. This page does not walk the taxpayer check.
Do not type an EIN into a chat, a worksheet on this site, or an email to a helper. If you are unsure which record the name is checked against, the Federal Service Desk or a free counselor can say, and you still do not send the number through this page.
Free help also exists: APEX Accelerators (DoD-funded, free) and the Federal Service Desk will help you at no charge. We built Firmenza to be useful alongside them.
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