# USAspending API The USAspending API at api.usaspending.gov is free and needs no key: its docs say endpoints do not require authorization, and no rate limit is published. It returns prime awards, subawards, recipients and bulk award files back to FY2001 for contracts. USAspending lags FPDS by days. Recipient hash IDs are not UEIs; join on UEI fields in the award rows.Checked on 2026-11-12.Official source: [USAspending API endpoints](https://api.usaspending.gov/docs/endpoints) | Base URL | api.usaspending.gov | | --- | --- | | Key | None required | | Contracts back to | FY2001 | | License | US government work, public domain | | Recipient IDs | Hash IDs, not UEIs | ## Which USAspending endpoints matter? | Endpoint | Use | | --- | --- | | /api/v2/search/spending_by_award/ | Search awards by filters | | /api/v2/recipient/{hash}/ | A recipient profile | | /api/v2/subawards/ | Subawards under a prime | | /api/v2/bulk_download/awards/ | Async CSV zips | | /api/v2/download/awards/ | Download a filtered set | ## Gotchas - USAspending lags FPDS by days. - Recipient hash IDs are not UEIs; join on UEI fields in the award rows. - Recent subaward data is sparse. - DoD contract actions appear 90 days after signing. - There is no published rate limit, so expect 429 or 5xx under load. ## Awards joined to SAM.gov entities SAM Gov API joins USAspending prime awards to the SAM.gov entity record by UEI, so one call returns a company's registration status next to its award history. ``` curl "https://samgovapi.io/api/v1/awards?recipient_uei=ABCDEFGH1234" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer sg_YOUR_KEY" ``` ## Get this as JSON ``` curl "https://samgovapi.io/api/v1/awards?recipient_uei=ABCDEFGH1234" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer sg_YOUR_KEY" ``` MCP tool: `search_awards`Keys start free, with no card. [Get a free API key](https://samgovapi.io/sign-up) or read the [docs](https://samgovapi.io/docs). ## Questions Does the USAspending API need a key?No. Its documentation says endpoints do not require authorization.Is USAspending the same as FPDS?USAspending publishes contract data that originates in FPDS, plus grants and other assistance. ## Related - [FPDS API](https://samgovapi.io/fpds-api) - [Contract Awards API](https://samgovapi.io/sam-gov-contract-awards-api) - [Who won a federal contract](https://samgovapi.io/guides/who-won-a-federal-contract) - [USAspending API vs samgovapi.io](https://samgovapi.io/compare/usaspending-api-vs-samgovapi)Updated 2026-11-12. Sources checked 2026-11-12.Independent. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by GSA, SAM.gov or any U.S. government agency. Registering in SAM.gov is free at sam.gov.

---

HTML version: https://samgovapi.io/usaspending-api . Markdown: https://samgovapi.io/usaspending-api.md

Independent. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by GSA, SAM.gov or any U.S. government agency. Registering in SAM.gov is free at sam.gov.

Get a free API key: https://samgovapi.io/sign-up?ref=ai-claudebot