How to Get a Free DUNS Number (And Why D&B Wants You to Pay $149/Month)

Getting a DUNS number is free. It has always been free. Dun & Bradstreet — the only company on earth that issues them — has known this for over 160 years. What's changed is that D&B has quietly built a multi-hundred-dollar-per-month subscription business layered on top of the registration process. If you're not careful, you can walk in looking for a 9-digit identifier and walk out on a $149/month plan for something you could have gotten for nothing.

Here's exactly how to get your DUNS number at no cost, what D&B is actually selling, and what to do once you have the number in hand.

What Is a DUNS Number?

A DUNS number (Data Universal Numbering System) is a unique nine-digit identifier assigned to your business by Dun & Bradstreet. Think of it like a Social Security Number for your company — it's how D&B tracks and builds your business credit profile.

D&B created the system in 1963 to standardize how businesses were identified in trade and credit transactions. Today, more than 500 million businesses worldwide have one. Every time a supplier, lender, or platform checks your business's creditworthiness through D&B, they use your DUNS number to pull the file.

Because D&B is the only entity that assigns DUNS numbers, they have a monopoly on this particular piece of business infrastructure — and they've used that position creatively.

Do You Actually Need One?

Not every business owner does. Here's the honest breakdown.

You need a DUNS number if you're:

Applying for an Apple Developer account as an organization (it's required, not optional)
Working toward a PAYDEX score to build D&B business credit
Applying for certain Google, Microsoft, or AWS partner programs that require it
Working with suppliers or lenders who use D&B to vet vendors before extending credit
Doing business with international companies that use D&B as a verification layer

You probably don't need one yet if you're:

Just starting out and not yet pursuing business credit
Selling through Shopify, Etsy, Amazon, or other platforms (none require a DUNS)
A service-based business collecting payment by invoice or credit card
A sole proprietor who hasn't yet separated personal and business finances

One critical point for federal contractors: The U.S. federal government no longer uses DUNS numbers for procurement. In April 2022, the government fully switched to the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) system managed through SAM.gov. If you're trying to register to do business with the federal government, you need a UEI from SAM.gov — not a DUNS number from D&B. These are two completely separate systems.

How to Get Your DUNS Number for Free (Step by Step)

The free registration path is real. D&B just doesn't make it easy to find.

Step 1: Go to D&B's website and find the free registration page. Navigate to Dun & Bradstreet's DUNS registration section. Before clicking anything, look for the option labeled "Get a Free D-U-N-S Number." D&B's page design puts paid options front and center with prominent pricing and urgency cues. The free option exists — it's just not what they want you to pick.

Step 2: Create a D&B account. Use a dedicated business email address, not your personal inbox. D&B feeds marketing emails into the system the moment you register, and your personal inbox doesn't need the noise.

Step 3: Fill out your business information. You'll need:

Legal business name (exactly as registered with your state — spelling matters)
Physical business address (PO boxes are generally not accepted)
EIN (Employer Identification Number from the IRS)
Business phone number
Business start date
Approximate number of employees
Annual revenue estimate

If your business is new, rough estimates are fine for revenue and employees. Accuracy matters most for the name, address, and EIN — these need to match your official registration documents.

Step 4: Submit and wait. D&B's standard free processing time is up to 30 business days. In practice, many applications process in 7–14 days. You'll receive your DUNS number via email when it's ready.

That's the entire process. No payment. No subscription. Your DUNS number is permanent — it stays with your business entity and doesn't expire or require renewal.

The Expedited Option (When It's Worth It)

D&B offers expedited processing for roughly $229, which typically delivers your number in about 8 business days. That's a legitimate use case if you have a hard deadline — say, an Apple Developer application due in 10 days. If you're not on a deadline, the free track gets you there without spending a dollar.

The D&B Paid-Plan Playbook

Once you've registered, D&B has a clear goal: convert you from a free DUNS number holder into a paying subscriber. Here's what they're selling and whether any of it is actually worth your money.

CreditSignal — Free, But Deliberately Limited

D&B's free monitoring product shows you directional changes in your business credit scores: arrows indicating up, down, or flat. You can see that something changed — you just can't see the actual number. It's like a car's fuel gauge with the numbers blacked out. You know you're lower, but not how low.

This is useful for a vague sanity check. It's not useful for managing your credit profile ahead of a loan application.

D&B Credit Essentials — ~$39/Month

This is the first tier where you can see actual scores. If you're actively monitoring your PAYDEX score and want to understand where you stand before applying for business financing, this tier has real utility. A month or two of access before a major application is about as much as most small business owners need.

CreditBuilder Plus — ~$149/Month

This is the flagship upsell. D&B markets this as a way to "build business credibility" — the pitch is that it helps you complete your business profile, add financial information D&B wouldn't otherwise have, and present your company more favorably to creditors who check your file.

What it doesn't do is build your PAYDEX score for you. Your PAYDEX score is built by paying vendor invoices on time or early — that data comes from your vendors reporting payment experiences to D&B, not from your D&B subscription. The CreditBuilder product makes your profile look more complete, but it doesn't substitute for the actual trade-line payment history that drives the score.

For most small business owners and solopreneurs, this is money you don't need to spend. The vendors who report your payments to D&B do so whether or not you have a paid plan.

The bottom line on paid plans: Skip them until you have a concrete reason to pay — either you need to see your actual scores or you're about to apply for a significant business loan and want to audit your profile first. For building business credit from scratch, your money is better spent on your first vendor purchases.

What to Do After You Get Your DUNS Number

The number itself does nothing for your credit until there's data behind it. Here's how to put it to work.

Open Vendor Accounts That Report to D&B

To generate a PAYDEX score, you need at least 3 trade references — vendor accounts where you make purchases, receive net-30 invoices, and pay them on time. The catch is that not every vendor reports payment data to D&B. You need to specifically open accounts with vendors that do.

Vendors commonly known to report to D&B:

Vendor	What They Sell
Uline	Shipping, packaging, and warehouse supplies
Quill	Office supplies
Grainger	Industrial, safety, and maintenance supplies
Crown Office Supplies	Office products
Summa Office Supplies	Stationery and office essentials

Open 3–5 of these accounts, make purchases you'd actually make for your business, and pay the invoices before the due date. These vendors report monthly to D&B, and your payment data starts building your file immediately.

Pay Early, Not Just On Time

A PAYDEX score of 80 means you paid exactly on the due date. A score of 90 means you paid about 30 days early. If you have net-30 terms, paying in 10–15 days pushes you into the 90s.

D&B dollar-weights payment experiences — larger invoices count for more. A $5,000 invoice paid 15 days early moves your score more than a $50 invoice paid the same day. If you have one larger monthly vendor order, paying it a couple of weeks early is the highest-leverage move you can make.

Separate Business and Personal Finances

Any purchases made on a personal credit card go to your personal credit bureaus — not to D&B. Routing business expenses through a dedicated business card or bank account ensures the payment history builds your business credit, not just your personal FICO.

Keep Your D&B Profile Current

Log into D&B once or twice a year and verify that your business name, address, EIN, and contact information are accurate. Outdated or incomplete profiles can create a perception of instability to anyone pulling your file.

Three Traps to Avoid

Trap 1: The Spam Surge

Registering with D&B puts your business contact information into a marketing ecosystem. Expect a significant increase in calls, emails, and texts from D&B and third-party vendors they share data with. Use a dedicated business email address at registration (not your personal inbox), and uncheck every marketing opt-in during signup. D&B has a formal process to request removal from marketing lists — if you're already getting spam, submit that request through their website and expect it to take about 10 business days.

Trap 2: The 90-Day Cancellation Clause

If you ever sign up for a paid D&B subscription, read the cancellation terms before you pay. D&B's contracts typically require you to cancel at least 90 days before your renewal date to avoid being billed for another full year. That's an unusually long notice window — most subscriptions use 30 days or fewer.

Set a calendar alert the same day you sign up: mark both the 90-day cancellation deadline and the actual renewal date. Missing this window by one day means you owe another year.

Trap 3: Assuming Your Vendors Report to D&B

Many small suppliers and local vendors don't submit payment data to any business credit bureau. You could have a spotless payment record with a dozen vendors and still have no PAYDEX score if none of them report. Always verify in advance whether a vendor reports to D&B before opening an account specifically for credit-building purposes.

Key Takeaways

Your DUNS number is completely free — D&B has always issued them at no cost
D&B's design buries the free path; look specifically for "Get a Free D-U-N-S Number" before clicking any paid option
Standard processing takes up to 30 business days; expedited costs ~$229 for ~8-day turnaround
D&B's paid plans start at ~$39/month for score access and reach ~$149/month for CreditBuilder — neither is required to get your number
Federal contracting no longer uses DUNS numbers — the government switched to the UEI system through SAM.gov in April 2022
To generate a PAYDEX score, open at least 3 vendor accounts that report to D&B — Uline, Quill, and Grainger are common starting points
Paying invoices early, not just on time, pushes your PAYDEX score above 80 — larger invoices paid early count most
If you sign up for any paid D&B service, remember: you typically need to cancel 90 days before renewal or you're billed for another year

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get a DUNS number without an EIN?

D&B can technically register a sole proprietorship using your Social Security Number, but that's a bad idea. Using your SSN for business registrations blurs the line between personal and business credit, and it exposes your SSN more widely than necessary. Get an EIN from the IRS first — it's free, takes about 5 minutes online, and is required for opening a business bank account anyway. Register your DUNS under your EIN from day one.

Does getting a DUNS number affect my personal credit?

No. Your D&B file and PAYDEX score are entirely separate from your personal Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax reports. Getting a DUNS number doesn't trigger a hard inquiry on your personal credit and doesn't appear anywhere on your personal credit report. The two credit systems operate independently. The only exception is if you apply for a business product — some lenders and cards require a personal credit check as part of underwriting — but that's a product requirement, not something triggered by the DUNS number itself.

D&B already has a file on my business. What does that mean?

D&B actively adds businesses to its database from public records — state business registrations, court filings, news, and third-party data — without the owner's knowledge. If someone searched your business on D&B's site, they may have found an automatically generated file. You can claim and verify this file through D&B's website. Worth doing even if you weren't aware of it, because auto-generated profiles are often incomplete or contain errors that could affect how lenders perceive your business.

How long until I have a PAYDEX score after getting my DUNS number?

Plan on 3–6 months from when your first vendor accounts start reporting. D&B needs at least 3 trade references before it generates a score, and most vendors report monthly. Once you have 3 on-time or early payments on file, your score is generated automatically — no action required on your end. With consistent early payment across multiple vendors, you can hit a PAYDEX of 80+ within that first 3–6 month window.

I have two business entities. Do both need separate DUNS numbers?

Yes. Each separate legal entity — LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp — gets its own DUNS number tied to its specific name and EIN. If you're building business credit for a particular entity, make sure your vendor accounts are opened under that entity's name and that your DUNS number reflects the same EIN. Running credit through the wrong entity is one of the most common mistakes small business owners make when building D&B files.