How to Add NAICS Codes to Your SAM.gov Profile

Your NAICS codes tell the federal government what kind of work your business does. In SAM.gov, those codes shape which contract opportunities find you, how agencies judge your size, and whether you show up in searches by contracting officers. If your profile has the wrong codes, or no codes at all, you can miss out on work you are perfectly qualified to perform. Adding NAICS codes to your SAM.gov profile is straightforward once you know where the field lives and how to pick the right codes.

Whether you are registering for the first time or cleaning up an existing profile, this guide walks you through adding NAICS codes step by step, choosing a primary code, and fixing the most common errors.

What Is a NAICS Code?

NAICS stands for the North American Industry Classification System. It is a six-digit code used by federal agencies to classify businesses by industry. The first two digits identify a broad sector, such as construction or professional services, and the remaining digits narrow it down to a specific line of work. For example, a business that writes custom software and a business that repairs computers sit in different NAICS codes even though both work in technology.

In SAM.gov, NAICS codes appear in your entity’s Assertions section. Contracting officers use them to search for vendors, and agencies use them to set size standards — the revenue or employee limits that decide whether you count as a small business for a given contract. A code that matches your real work is therefore essential, not decorative. If you are unsure how NAICS codes are organized, the NAICS Codes Explained guide walks through the structure of the system and how to find codes that fit your business.

Before You Add Codes: Find the Right NAICS Codes

Do not guess. Picking codes at random can misrepresent your business and create problems later, especially if a code carries a size standard that does not match your actual size. Start with the work you actually do and plan to do in the next year, not work you did a decade ago or hope to do someday.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) maintains a NAICS search tool on its website where you can search by keyword and browse the official code descriptions. Read the full description of each candidate code, not just its title. Two codes can sound almost identical while covering very different services. Cross-check your shortlist against the work described in your capability statement and past performance so that everything tells the same story.

A good rule of thumb is to choose codes that describe your core services precisely, and to leave out codes for work you would not accept if it were offered tomorrow. Agencies sometimes verify your capabilities against your listed codes, and a profile full of unrelated codes can raise questions rather than open doors.

Step-by-Step: How to Add NAICS Codes in SAM.gov

Follow these steps to add NAICS codes to your SAM.gov profile:

1. Sign in to SAM.gov. Go to SAM.gov and sign in with your Login.gov credentials. You must be an entity administrator for the registration you want to edit; other roles may not have permission to change Assertions.
2. Open your entity registration. From your workspace, select the entity you want to update and choose the option to update or renew the registration. If your registration is already active, you can still edit it, but you will need to submit the changes for the update to take effect.
3. Go to the Assertions section. In the registration form, navigate to the section labeled Assertions or Goods and Services. This is where SAM.gov stores your NAICS codes, size information, and other business characteristics.
4. Find the NAICS code field. Look for the field that lets you search for NAICS codes by keyword or by code number. SAM.gov provides a search tool inside the form, so you do not need to know every code by heart.
5. Search and select your codes. Type a keyword or a six-digit code, review the results, and select each code that fits your business. Repeat the search for every line of work you want to list. Make sure each selected code appears in your list before moving on.
6. Set your primary NAICS code. Choose one code as your primary code. This should be the code that represents your largest source of revenue or your main line of business. See the next section for how to choose it.
7. Save and submit. Save the section, review your changes, and submit the registration update. SAM.gov will process the update; in most cases the change appears on your public profile within a day or two, though processing times can vary.

If you are still working through your first registration, the SAM.gov registration guide covers the full process from creating your entity record to submitting it for activation, including where the Assertions section sits in the workflow.

Choosing a Primary NAICS Code

Your primary NAICS code deserves extra thought because it drives several important decisions. It is the code agencies look at first, and it often determines which size standard applies to your business for a contract. In general, your primary code should be the one tied to your greatest revenue over the past few years, or the line of work that defines your business today if you are a new company.

Be careful when your revenue is split across several codes. Changing your primary code can change whether you qualify as small for a given opportunity, so do not switch it casually to chase a single contract. If your business has genuinely shifted focus, update the primary code and be ready to explain the change with your financial records. Consistency between your primary code, your website, and your capability statement also helps contracting officers trust what they see.

How Many NAICS Codes Should You Add?

There is no magic number, but most small businesses list somewhere between three and ten codes. Too few and you may miss opportunities that fit your work. Too many and your profile starts to look unfocused, which can hurt you when an agency reviews your capabilities.

A practical approach is to list every code under which you could credibly perform today, and to remove codes for work you no longer do. Review your list at least once a year, ideally during your annual registration renewal, and prune anything that no longer reflects your business. Your profile should read like a current snapshot of your company, not an archive of every service you have ever offered.

Common Errors and How to Fix Them

• Code not found in search. Double-check the six-digit number and try searching by keyword instead. Some codes were revised in recent NAICS updates, so an old code may have been replaced or split into new codes.
• Wrong primary code selected. Return to the Assertions section, change the primary designation to the correct code, and resubmit the update. The change takes effect once SAM.gov processes it.
• Changes not saving. Make sure you click Save in the section and then submit the full registration update. Saving a section alone does not publish the change until the update is submitted.
• Size standard mismatch. If a code shows you as other than small when you believe you are small, check the SBA size standard for that specific code. Size standards vary by code, so you can be small under one code and not under another.
• Codes not showing on your public record. Allow time for processing, then check your SAM.gov registration status to confirm the update went through. If the record still looks wrong after a few days, contact the Federal Service Desk for help.

Updating NAICS Codes Later

Your NAICS codes are not permanent. As your business grows or shifts, update them the same way you added them: sign in, open your entity registration, edit the Assertions section, and submit the update. There is no penalty for keeping your codes current; in fact, stale codes are one of the easiest problems for a contracting officer to notice.

Make NAICS review part of your annual renewal routine. Before you renew, compare your listed codes against your current services, your recent contracts, and your revenue mix. Update anything that has changed, confirm your primary code still reflects your main business, and remove codes you no longer support. A few minutes of housekeeping each year keeps your profile accurate and your opportunities aligned with your real capabilities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need NAICS codes to register in SAM.gov? Yes. SAM.gov requires at least one NAICS code in your entity’s Assertions before your registration can be completed. Most businesses add several.

Can I add NAICS codes after my registration is active? Yes. You can update your registration at any time by editing the Assertions section and submitting the change. You do not need to wait for your renewal window.

What happens if I pick the wrong NAICS code? The main risk is missing opportunities or being judged against the wrong size standard. Fix it by updating your profile as soon as you notice the error; there is no fine for correcting a code.

How long does a NAICS update take to appear? Most updates process within one to two business days, though times vary. If your public record has not changed after a few days, verify your submission went through and contact the Federal Service Desk if needed.

Related Guides

• NAICS Codes Explained: How to Find Yours for Federal Contracting
• SAM.gov Registration: How to Register Your Business Step by Step (2026)
• SAM.gov Representations and Certifications (FAR 52.212-3) Explained

NAICS Codes: Review Them at Every Renewal

Codes that fit today may not fit next year. When your services change, your NAICS codes should change with them — add the codes for the work you now do, and remove the codes for work you have stopped doing. A profile whose NAICS codes match its real revenue wins more of the right searches and fewer of the wrong ones.

To check whether your codes still make you small for the work you pursue, use the SBA Size Standards Tool — every size standard is tied to a NAICS code. And if you are still unsure which codes fit, read our NAICS Codes Explained guide for the step-by-step way to pick them; keeping your NAICS codes current is one of the cheapest habits in federal contracting.