How to Get WOSB Certification

Woman-Owned Small Business certification opens the door to federal contracts reserved specifically for businesses like yours.

What WOSB is and why it matters

The Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contracting Program lets agencies set aside certain contracts so that only women-owned businesses can compete for them. The government has a goal of awarding at least 5% of all federal contracting dollars to WOSBs each year. That's billions of dollars in opportunities with less competition. Being certified is what makes you eligible for those set-aside contracts.

Two ways to certify

You must be certified before you can compete for any WOSB or EDWOSB set-aside, and that's true in every eligible industry. Self-certifying your status in SAM.gov no longer makes you eligible for these set-asides; that option ended on October 15, 2020. There are two ways to get the certification itself:

1. 1

   Free SBA certification via MySBA Certifications

   Apply directly through the SBA's official portal, MySBA Certifications (certifications.sba.gov). It's free, and it's the path the steps below walk you through.

2. 2

   An SBA-approved third-party certifier

   You can instead go through an SBA-approved third-party certifier. Even then, the approval is still uploaded to your MySBA Certifications account, so you end up in the same SBA system either way.

Your industry only affects where WOSB versus EDWOSB set-asides can be used, not whether you have to be certified. You only provide personal financial details if you're certifying as an Economically Disadvantaged WOSB (EDWOSB).

Who qualifies

To qualify as a WOSB, your business must be at least 51% owned AND controlled AND operated by one or more women who are U.S. citizens. The woman owner must also be the highest-compensated employee in the business, or you'll need to explain in your application why she isn't (for example, if profits are reinvested rather than paid out as salary).

Formal certification, step by step

These steps walk through applying directly at the SBA's official portal, MySBA Certifications (certifications.sba.gov). Here's the process:

1. 1

   Create an account at certifications.sba.gov

   Go to certifications.sba.gov (MySBA Certifications) and set up your account. This is a separate system from SAM.gov.

2. 2

   Complete the WOSB application

   Fill in your business profile, ownership details, and a control narrative (a plain explanation of how the woman owner runs and controls the business day to day).

3. 3

   Upload your required documents

   • Articles of incorporation or operating agreement showing the female ownership percentage
   • Birth certificate or passport to confirm U.S. citizenship
   • Personal financial statements: only if you're applying for EDWOSB (economically disadvantaged) status
4. 4

   The SBA reviews your application

   Review typically takes around 90 days. The SBA may reach out if they need clarification or additional documents, so check your email and respond promptly.

5. 5

   Check your SAM.gov profile

   When the SBA approves you, it updates your status in SAM.gov and the Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) for you. You don't have to re-enter it yourself. Just confirm your SAM.gov profile shows the certification, and keep your SAM.gov registration current so it stays visible to contracting officers.

Keeping your certification active

WOSB certification isn't one-and-done. You recertify every three years through an SBA program examination that confirms your business still qualifies. (The rules also describe an annual attestation, but the SBA has put that step in abeyance for now, so the three-year recertification is what to plan around.) Put a reminder on your calendar so your eligibility never lapses.