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Last reviewed: September 28, 2026
A DUNS number is a free nine-digit business ID from Dun & Bradstreet, and it is still used in 2026 for business credit files, supplier vetting, and Apple and Google Play developer accounts for organizations. The federal government stopped using it on April 4, 2022, when SAM.gov switched to its own 12-character Unique Entity ID (UEI) for contracts and grants. No law requires a DUNS number, and Dun & Bradstreet says the number never expires.
Key takeaways:
Save this cheat sheet: DUNS, EIN, and UEI side by side.
A DUNS number is a unique nine-digit identifier assigned to a business by Dun & Bradstreet, a commercial credit bureau that has been rating companies since the 1800s. DUNS stands for Data Universal Numbering System. Dun & Bradstreet writes it as D-U-N-S, with hyphens, but everyone says "DUNS."
Think of it as a Social Security number for your business credit file, except it's run by a private company rather than the government. When a vendor, lender, or supplier wants to check whether your business pays its bills on time, they look you up by your DUNS number and pull your Dun & Bradstreet file. That file is what feeds your business credit scores.
A few facts that surprise people:
The DUNS number itself is just a key. The value lives in the credit file attached to it.
The main reason a DUNS number exists today is business credit. Your DUNS number is the anchor for your Dun & Bradstreet credit file, and the headline number in that file is your PAYDEX score.
PAYDEX is a business credit score that runs from 1 to 100 and measures one thing: how reliably your company pays its bills. It works like a personal credit score, but instead of tracking loans and credit cards, it tracks your payment history with vendors and suppliers who report to Dun & Bradstreet.
Dun & Bradstreet's PAYDEX key translates the score into payment speed:
| PAYDEX score | D&B risk band | What the score means |
|---|---|---|
| 80–100 | Low risk | 80 = prompt, paid within terms; 90 and 100 = paid early |
| 50–79 | Moderate risk | 70 = about 15 days beyond terms; 50 = about 30 days beyond terms |
| Below 50 | High risk | 40 = about 60 days beyond terms; 20 = about 120 days beyond terms |
One detail that trips owners up: PAYDEX is dollar-weighted. A large account you pay on time moves your score more than a small one, so the size of the bill matters, not just the fact that you paid it.
Why does this matter to a small business? A solid business credit file, separate from your personal credit, can help you:
Building business credit is a long game, and it starts with keeping your finances separate from your personal ones. A dedicated bank account is step one, and our guide on how to open a business bank account walks through it. Vendors that report your payments to Dun & Bradstreet are what move the PAYDEX needle.
The Unique Entity ID (UEI) replaced the DUNS number as the federal government's official entity identifier on April 4, 2022. The UEI is a 12-character alphanumeric ID that SAM.gov generates for free, and on that date SAM.gov and every other General Services Administration (GSA) system stopped using DUNS numbers.
For more than two decades before that, the DUNS number doubled as the federal government's official business identifier. If you wanted to bid on a federal contract, receive a federal grant, or register in SAM.gov (the System for Award Management), you first had to get a DUNS number from Dun & Bradstreet. The reason for the switch was straightforward: the government didn't want to depend on a private third party to issue the number that gates billions of dollars in federal awards, so it built its own.
Here's what changed:
If your business was already registered in SAM.gov before April 2022, the transition was automatic: you were assigned a UEI and didn't have to do anything. If you're registering now, you never touch a DUNS number at all. You go to SAM.gov, register your entity, and receive a UEI. Contract registrations also list the NAICS codes you sell under (our NAICS codes guide shows how to pick them), a new registration can take up to 10 business days to become active, and it must be renewed every 365 days.
The practical takeaway: if the only reason someone told you to get a DUNS number was to work with the federal government, that advice is outdated. For federal contracts and grants in 2026, you need a UEI from SAM.gov, not a DUNS number from Dun & Bradstreet.
Yes. DUNS numbers are still used in 2026 by Dun & Bradstreet for business credit files, by Apple and Google to verify organizations that publish apps, by the FDA as the facility identifier for food facility registration, and by large companies that vet suppliers. Only the federal award system (SAM.gov contracts, grants, and subawards) stopped using them in 2022.
The federal switch retired the DUNS number's biggest job, but it didn't make it useless. These are the real situations where you'll want one:
Building a Dun & Bradstreet business credit file. This is the main reason to get a DUNS number today. If you want a PAYDEX score and a formal business credit history with D&B, the DUNS number is the file it's attached to. No DUNS number, no D&B credit file.
Apple and Google developer accounts for organizations. Apple requires companies and educational institutions enrolling in the Apple Developer Program to provide a D-U-N-S number registered to their legal entity; individuals enroll without one, and Apple does not accept DBAs, trade names, or branches. Apple tells applicants to allow up to 5 business days to receive the number from D&B, plus up to 2 business days for Apple to receive it. Google Play Console will not create an organization developer account without a D-U-N-S number and warns that getting one can take up to 30 days.
FDA food facility registration. Every food facility registration submitted to the FDA must include a unique facility identifier, and the D-U-N-S number is the identifier the FDA recognizes. Dun & Bradstreet's request form has a dedicated path for businesses that need one for FDA registration.
Large-company supplier programs. Dun & Bradstreet says many of the world's largest companies ask for a D-U-N-S number on applications to become a supplier or to obtain credit, so expect the question before a big customer sets you up as a vendor.
State and local contracts, grants, and loans. Federal awards now use the UEI, but Dun & Bradstreet says many state and local agencies still require a D-U-N-S number from anyone bidding on city or state contracts, and some lenders and grant programs ask for one. Always read the specific solicitation or application.
International trade and partnerships. Dun & Bradstreet operates globally, and some overseas partners or trade registries use the DUNS number as a standard business identifier.
No. You need a DUNS number only when a customer, platform, agency, or lender asks for one: Dun & Bradstreet says you are not required to have a D-U-N-S number to own and operate a business, and forming an LLC does not make one mandatory.
Most freelancers, single-member LLCs, and small service businesses don't need a DUNS number to operate, file taxes, or get paid. If you're building toward financing or supplier credit, get one. If you're a solo consultant invoicing a handful of clients, it can wait. At Anna Money, where we worked with more than 60,000 small businesses, the question usually came from a startup checklist that listed the DUNS number next to the EIN as if both were legal requirements.
No. Dun & Bradstreet assigns some D-U-N-S numbers on its own, so an LLC may already have one without ever applying, but many LLCs have none. Search D&B's free D-U-N-S lookup before you apply so you don't end up requesting a second number.
You also don't need an LLC to get a DUNS number. Dun & Bradstreet issues numbers to nearly all business types, from S corporations to partnerships and LLCs, and sole proprietorships appear in its database too. Apple is the exception that matters: its organization enrollment accepts only legal entities, so a sole proprietor enrolls in the Apple Developer Program as an individual, with no D-U-N-S number needed.
No. Dun & Bradstreet says a D-U-N-S number is issued just once and "will never expire or change even if your business closes or is purchased by another company," and you never have to buy any product or service to obtain, use, or keep it.
When someone says their DUNS number "expired," one of three other things has usually happened:
A DUNS number, an EIN, and a UEI are three unrelated IDs from three different issuers: Dun & Bradstreet assigns the 9-digit DUNS number for business credit, the IRS assigns the 9-digit EIN for taxes, and SAM.gov assigns the 12-character UEI for federal contracts and grants. Getting one never gives you the others.
| Feature | DUNS Number | EIN | UEI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Issued by | Dun & Bradstreet (private) | IRS (federal) | SAM.gov / GSA (federal) |
| Format | 9 digits | 9 digits (XX-XXXXXXX) | 12 characters, alphanumeric |
| Purpose | Business credit file, supplier and app-store verification | Federal taxes, payroll | Federal contracts, grants, and subawards |
| Cost | Free ($229 optional expedite) | Free | Free |
| Required? | No law requires it; some companies and programs do | Yes for employers, corporations, and partnerships | Only for federal awards |
| Expires? | Never, per D&B | No; the IRS can deactivate an EIN but not cancel it | No, but the SAM.gov registration must be renewed every 365 days |
| Where to get it | dnb.com | irs.gov | sam.gov |
No. The EIN (Employer Identification Number) is the nine-digit federal tax ID the IRS issues for free, and the DUNS number is a nine-digit Dun & Bradstreet ID for your credit file. The IRS does not issue DUNS numbers, and Dun & Bradstreet cannot give you an EIN.
The IRS requires an EIN if you have employees or run the business as a corporation or partnership. A single-member LLC with no employees and no excise tax liability does not need one for federal tax purposes and uses the owner's taxpayer ID instead; our guide to getting an EIN as a sole proprietor covers when one is still worth having. If you already have an EIN and can't find it, see how to find your EIN number.
The UEI only matters if you're working with the federal government. If no federal contracts or grants are in your future, you can ignore it entirely.
The DUNS number is the optional one, focused on business credit and private-sector verification. It does nothing for your taxes or your federal eligibility; the EIN and the UEI handle those.
A quick way to keep them straight: the IRS knows you by your EIN, the federal procurement system knows you by your UEI, and Dun & Bradstreet knows you by your DUNS number.
Start with Dun & Bradstreet's free D-U-N-S lookup. If your business isn't listed, request a number for free on dnb.com and expect it within 30 business days, or pay $229 for expedited delivery within 8 business days.
First, check whether you already have one. Dun & Bradstreet may have assigned your business a number without being asked, so you may have one without knowing it.
To look up an existing DUNS number:
To request a new one (free):
If no record exists, you can apply for free on the Dun & Bradstreet website. The form first asks which path fits: a U.S.-based business, a Canada-based business, an Apple developer, a business that needs a facility identifier for FDA registration, or a Google developer. You'll provide:
A Dun & Bradstreet representative may contact you to validate the details, and the number arrives by email. Here's the timeline and cost to set expectations:
| Option | Cost | Timing | When it makes sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard request on dnb.com | $0 | Up to 30 business days | Most businesses |
| Request through Apple's D-U-N-S lookup | $0 | Up to 5 business days from D&B, then up to 2 business days for Apple to receive it | Organizations enrolling in the Apple Developer Program |
| Expedited DUNSFile | $229 | Within 8 business days | A customer or program deadline inside the 30-day window |
For almost everyone, the free standard option is the right choice. The expedited $229 fee only makes sense if a vendor or program has a hard deadline that the 30-day window would blow past, and Apple notes that expediting does not shorten its own waiting period. Do not pay a third-party "DUNS registration service": Dun & Bradstreet issues the number for free. For questions, D&B lists a Small Business Advisor line at 1-800-591-8534.
After you have your number, the work of building credit begins: open trade accounts with vendors who report to Dun & Bradstreet, pay every bill on or before the due date, and keep your business finances cleanly separated from your personal accounts. Staying organized from day one makes this far easier, and our calendar of LLC tax deadlines for 2026 covers the filing dates that keep a young company in good standing.
Thinking a DUNS number is legally required. It isn't. Unlike an EIN, there's no law that says your business must have one. It's an optional credit-bureau identifier. Don't let a generic startup checklist scare you into treating it as mandatory.
Getting a DUNS number for federal contracts in 2026. Since April 2022, federal awards use the UEI from SAM.gov, not the DUNS number. If government work is your only goal, register in SAM.gov for a free UEI and skip Dun & Bradstreet entirely.
Paying a third party to "register" it. Dun & Bradstreet issues DUNS numbers for free. Any service charging a fee just to obtain one for you is selling you something you can do yourself in a few minutes.
Confusing the DUNS number with the EIN. They're both nine digits, which fuels the mix-up, but they're unrelated. Your EIN handles taxes and is issued by the IRS; your DUNS number handles credit and is issued by Dun & Bradstreet. Getting one does nothing for the other.
Enrolling in the Apple Developer Program under a DBA. Apple checks the D-U-N-S record against your legal entity name and rejects DBAs, trade names, and branches. A business listed in D&B as a sole proprietorship enrolls as an individual.
Assuming a new DUNS number means instant credit. The number is just an empty file until vendors start reporting your payments. A DUNS number with no trade history has no PAYDEX score. Building business credit takes months of consistent, reported, on-time payments.
A DUNS number gives lenders and suppliers a file to check; your books decide what they find when they ask for numbers. Jupid is an AI accountant that works in WhatsApp and iMessage. Connect your business bank account and Jupid categorizes every transaction automatically, with 95.9% accuracy, so your books stay current without manual data entry. When a supplier's credit application or a lender asks for figures, ask in chat ("how much did we spend with suppliers this quarter?") and get the answer in real time instead of building a report. Try Jupid and keep the books behind your credit file current.
This guide is for general educational purposes and does not constitute tax, legal, or accounting advice. Identifier requirements vary by business type, vendor, and funding program. Confirm whether you need a DUNS number, EIN, or UEI for your specific situation, and consult a qualified professional before relying on any of these for a contract, grant, or financing application.
CEO & Co-Founder
Fintech CEO with 10+ years building accounting and financial technology products. Previously co-founded and scaled an AI-powered accounting platform to $30M revenue and 100K+ business users, achieving 30,000 customers per accountant through automation — recognized by CNBC as a top fintech company. Holds a Master's in Management Information Systems. At Jupid, he leads the development of AI-native bookkeeping, tax, and compliance tools designed for freelancers and small business owners.
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