How to Get WOSB Certified: A Step-by-Step Guide

The Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract Program lets the government set aside contracts for firms that are at least 51% owned and controlled by women. It supports the statutory goal of awarding at least 5% of federal contracting dollars to women-owned small businesses each year. Since self-certification ended on October 15, 2020, you must now be formally certified before you can win a WOSB set-aside or sole-source contract.

What do I need to qualify for WOSB certification?

To qualify as a WOSB under 13 CFR 127.200–127.202, your business must meet all of the following:

• Be a small business under SBA size standards for the NAICS codes in your SAM.gov profile.
• Be at least 51% unconditionally and directly owned by one or more women who are U.S. citizens. Ownership must be held by the women themselves, not through another entity or trust.
• Be controlled by those women, who must manage day-to-day operations and make the long-term decisions.
• Have an active SAM.gov registration with matching UEI, EIN, and MPIN.

Is EDWOSB different from WOSB certification?

An EDWOSB (Economically Disadvantaged WOSB) meets every WOSB requirement plus an economic-disadvantage test on the owning woman or women under 13 CFR 127.203. Every EDWOSB is automatically a WOSB. The current thresholds are:

• Personal net worth under $850,000 (excluding your ownership interest in the business, equity in your primary residence, and funds in IRA/retirement accounts).
• Adjusted gross income of $400,000 or less, averaged over the three years before certification (exceeding this creates a rebuttable presumption against disadvantage).
• Total personal assets of $6.5 million or less (this figure includes your primary residence and the value of the business).

How do I actually apply for WOSB certification?

There are two routes, and both are no-cost for the WOSB/EDWOSB certification itself. You can apply directly to SBA, or submit evidence that an SBA-approved third-party certifier has certified you.

Option 1: Certify free through SBA

Apply through MySBA Certifications at certify.sba.gov, SBA's free online certification process. You will create an account, confirm your business profile, and upload supporting documents.

Option 2: Use an SBA-approved third-party certifier

SBA recognizes four approved third-party certifiers: WBENC (Women's Business Enterprise National Council), the U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce, the National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC), and the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. WBENC provides the WOSB certification at no cost and lets you pursue it alongside its corporate-facing WBE credential. Even after a third-party certification, you must still upload your certificate and proof of citizenship to MySBA before bidding.

Which documents will I need to gather before applying?

• Proof of U.S. citizenship for each qualifying woman (state-issued birth certificate, certificate of naturalization, or unexpired U.S. passport), plus name-change proof if applicable.
• Business formation and governance documents (operating agreements, bylaws, shareholder agreements, DBA/trade-name certificates, signed recent meeting minutes electing officers/directors).
• Business tax returns (up to three years, depending on how long you have been in business).
• For EDWOSB only: three years of personal tax returns (both spouses if married filing separately) and personal financial information supporting the economic-disadvantage thresholds.

How long does WOSB certification last and how do I keep it?

Certification runs on a three-year cycle, with a program examination by SBA or your third-party certifier every three years. You must recertify with SBA within 90 calendar days of the end of your eligibility period, or SBA will decertify you.

Where do WOSB-certified firms find buyers?

Certification is most valuable when buyers can find you. Womyn Owned lists 5,581 SBA-certified WOSB/EDWOSB B2B vendors across all 50 states plus DC and Puerto Rico, of which 1,831 hold EDWOSB and 945 show federal contract activity totaling roughly $2.83 billion in obligations. Coverage is deepest in the states with the most certified vendors, including Virginia (520), California (494), and Texas (489). Data is sourced from the U.S. SBA Small Business Search and USAspending.gov.