CAGE Code Explained: What It Is and How to Get One

If you are registering to sell to the federal government, you will encounter the CAGE code early in the process. It is a short identifier, it is free, and it is easy to confuse with the UEI. Here is what it actually is, who needs one, and how to get yours.

What is a CAGE code?

CAGE stands for Commercial and Government Entity. A CAGE code is a five-character identifier assigned to a specific facility of a company doing business with the federal government. It is maintained by the Defense Logistics Agency and used across federal contracting systems to identify your organisation’s physical location.

The key word is facility. A company with two offices in different locations can hold two CAGE codes — one per facility. Most small businesses have one office and therefore one CAGE code, but if you expand, expect a second one for the new location.

CAGE code vs UEI: the difference

The UEI identifies your entity — the legal business itself — across the whole federal government. The CAGE code identifies a facility where work is performed. You need both to complete a federal registration, and both appear on your public SAM.gov record. When a contracting officer or a prime contractor verifies you, they typically check both: the UEI confirms who you are, and the CAGE code confirms where you operate.

Who needs a CAGE code?

Any US-based entity that wants to bid on federal contracts or receive federal awards needs one. It is assigned automatically during SAM.gov registration for domestic entities — you do not apply for it separately. If you are a foreign company, you receive an NCAGE code instead (the “N” stands for NATO), which requires a separate request through the NATO support system before your SAM.gov registration can be completed.

How to get your CAGE code

For US companies, the process is straightforward: complete your SAM.gov entity registration, and a CAGE code is assigned as part of it. The assignment usually happens within a few days of submitting a complete registration. If your registration is held for validation — for example, because your business name does not match IRS records — the CAGE assignment waits too, which is why keeping your documents consistent before you start matters so much. Our federal contractor registration checklist walks through everything to prepare in advance.

How to look up a CAGE code

CAGE codes are public. Search SAM.gov’s entity search by legal business name and the CAGE code appears on the entity’s record alongside its UEI. The Defense Logistics Agency also maintains a public CAGE search. When checking a potential partner or competitor, verify that the CAGE code’s address matches the facility you expect — a mismatch can mean the company moved, or that you are looking at a different facility of the same company.

Do CAGE codes expire?

A CAGE code itself does not expire, but it becomes inactive if your SAM.gov registration lapses. Since registration must be renewed every year, an expired registration effectively suspends your CAGE code’s usability for new awards. Renew on time and the code stays active indefinitely.

Common mistakes

• Using a home address inconsistently. If your CAGE facility address differs from your tax records, validation stalls. Keep one consistent address everywhere.
• Assuming one code covers every location. Each facility needs its own code. Bidding work performed at a second site under the first site’s code creates compliance problems.
• Confusing CAGE with UEI on forms. Some solicitations ask for both. Entering your UEI in the CAGE field is a small error that can hold up an otherwise compliant bid.

The bottom line

The CAGE code is one of the least complicated parts of federal contracting — it is free, assigned during registration, and rarely causes trouble on its own. The trouble comes from the surrounding details: inconsistent addresses, lapsed registrations, and confusion with the UEI. Get those right, and the CAGE code takes care of itself. Once you are registered, GovQon helps you find the opportunities matched to your codes and certifications, so the administrative work turns into actual pipeline.

CAGE codes for multiple facilities

Growth creates a CAGE question most small firms do not anticipate: when you open a second office, warehouse, or plant, that facility needs its own CAGE code. The registration system treats each facility separately because contracting officers need to know exactly where work will be performed, and payment and inspection systems key off that location. Registering the new facility is a routine update to your entity record, but it should be done before you bid work that will be performed there — bidding under the old facility’s code while performing elsewhere creates a mismatch that can surface during an audit or a contract review. If you are unsure whether a location counts as a separate facility, the practical test is whether it has its own address and performs its own work; a shared mailbox or a virtual office does not qualify.

Where your CAGE code shows up

Beyond registration, your CAGE code appears on bids, contracts, invoices, and shipping documents for federal work. Primes ask for it when onboarding subcontractors, and contracting officers use it to pull your entity’s record across systems. That is why consistency matters: if your CAGE record shows an old address while your proposal shows a new one, a reviewer has to stop and reconcile the two, and that pause can cost you a deadline. Keep the facility address in your SAM.gov record current, and make sure the address on your proposals, invoices, and business documents matches it. For the broader picture, see our guide on how to look up a UEI number and our NAICS codes explained guide, which covers the other identifiers that appear alongside your CAGE code on every federal record.

Keeping your CAGE record clean over time

Your CAGE code needs no separate renewal, but it does need the same annual attention as the rest of your registration. Each year, when you renew, confirm the facility address on the record is still correct, that the facility still operates, and that any closed location has been removed rather than left to confuse a reviewer. A tidy record means every lookup — by a contracting officer, a prime, or a potential partner — returns a clean, consistent picture of your business, and that quiet credibility is worth more than most companies realise.