LEI Number in the United States: Requirements, Cost and How to Apply

Does a US company need an LEI?

There is no blanket federal rule requiring every US LLC, corporation or nonprofit to obtain an LEI. The requirement depends on the entity's financial activity, regulatory filings, counterparties and service providers.

A provider request is real for that account even when no US law requires the code. If a broker, custodian, clearing member or European counterparty says it will not open or process the account without an LEI, that condition governs the relationship. The distinction matters for planning: a legal requirement follows the transaction, a provider requirement follows the contract, and only the second one can be renegotiated.

For account-level questions, see Does My Company Need an LEI? 12 Common Scenarios.

US regulations that use an LEI

CFTC swap reporting

17 CFR 45.6 governs identifier use in Part 45 swap recordkeeping and reporting. Swap execution facilities, designated contract markets, derivatives clearing organizations, swap data repositories, swap dealers, major swap participants and swap counterparties eligible to receive an LEI must be identified by an LEI in that data. The rule also sets out how an alternate identifier is assigned when a counterparty is not eligible for an LEI.

This applies to swaps under CFTC jurisdiction. It is not a rule about ordinary securities trading, and it does not extend to every business that uses a hedging product through a bank without being a reporting counterparty.

SEC security-based swaps

Regulation SBSR requires security-based swap transaction reports to identify counterparties, brokers, execution venues and clearing agencies with prescribed unique identification codes. Where an internationally recognized standards-setting system meets the conditions in the rule, the identifier is the LEI issued through the Global LEI System.

Regulation SBSR does not make an LEI a condition of being an EDGAR filer, a registered investment adviser or a public company.

Form-specific federal reporting

Some federal forms require an LEI, some request it, and some collect it only when the entity already has one. The Federal Reserve, when it added an LEI field to the FR Y-6, FR Y-7 and FR Y-10 reports, stated that the item collects the LEI if the entity has already obtained one and that the reports do not require an entity to obtain an LEI for the purpose of the report. Read the current instructions for the specific form rather than assuming the field is mandatory.

Current regulatory inventory

GLEIF maintains a public LEI in Regulations inventory listing the rules and jurisdictions that reference the identifier. The table separates uses where an LEI is required, requested or optional, and those distinctions are part of the information, a "requested" entry is not a mandate.

This article provides general information, not legal advice. A regulator, broker or compliance adviser should confirm the rule that applies to a specific transaction.

LEI, EIN, UEI and CIK are different identifiers

An EIN cannot replace an LEI where an LEI is required: the IRS number is a domestic tax identifier and carries no Global LEI System reference data, no parent relationships and no public validation record. The reverse also holds. An LEI does not replace an EIN for tax filing, a Unique Entity ID for federal awards through SAM.gov, or a CIK for EDGAR submissions. A US company that trades derivatives and holds federal contracts can end up needing several of them at once.

How much does an LEI cost in the United States?

StandardsDesk US LEI price check: August 2026

Calculated from the three prices above:

• One-year new-registration range: $60 to $75
• Median one-year new-registration price: $70
• One-year renewal range: $40 to $75
• Median one-year renewal price: $70
• Sample size: three providers
• Currency: USD
• Prices checked: August 24, 2026

Method. The sample includes providers that display public USD pricing for US entities. It is a market snapshot, not a complete provider ranking. Bloomberg and RapidLEI are accredited issuers; LEI Register is a Registration Agent working with accredited issuers. Taxes, document work, fund applications, bulk orders and optional services can change the final charge. Prices can move after the data-check date. Each issuer or Registration Agent sets its own price, and GLEIF does not sell LEIs directly.

The wider pricing picture, including multi-year discounts and transfer costs, is covered in How Much Does an LEI Cost? Registration and Renewal Fees.

Who can apply for a US LEI?

The Global LEI System issues codes to legal entities and to structures that are legally or financially responsible for their own activity. In the United States that usually means:

• Corporations
• LLCs
• Partnerships
• Registered nonprofits
• Funds and eligible trusts
• Government entities
• Other legally or financially responsible entities that meet Global LEI System eligibility rules
• A registered sole proprietor acting in a business capacity, where the entity can be validated under the applicable rules

A private individual does not obtain an LEI for personal investing. A trade name, an internal department or an ordinary domestic branch does not automatically qualify for its own code either. Eligibility for trusts, funds and sole proprietorships is decided case by case against the registration authority data available to the issuer, so treat those applications as questions to raise with the issuer before paying.

What information do you need?

• Exact legal name
• State or jurisdiction of formation
• State registration authority
• State file, charter or registration number
• Legal form
• Registered legal address
• Headquarters address, if different
• Entity creation date when requested
• Direct and ultimate accounting-consolidating parent information, or an accepted reporting exception
• Contact details for the applicant
• Evidence that the applicant is authorized to act when requested
• Formation, trust, fund or governing documents when an authoritative public register does not hold enough information

A provider may ask for an EIN to help identify the entity or to match tax records, but the EIN is not the LEI registration number and does not appear as one in the Global LEI Index.

LEI reference data becomes part of a public record. Do not enter a personal home address unless that address is genuinely the entity's official legal or headquarters address on the state register.

How to apply for a US LEI

1. Search for an existing LEI. Check GLEIF by legal name and state registration number before paying, because predecessor entities, fund families and acquired subsidiaries often already hold a code. How to Verify an LEI: Lookup Fields and Statuses Explained walks through the fields and statuses.
2. Confirm which legal entity needs the LEI. A group may need separate codes for separate legal entities. Do not apply in the name of a trade name, brand or department.
3. Choose an issuer or Registration Agent. Use GLEIF's directory of accredited issuers. A US entity does not have to use an issuer headquartered in the United States; the issuer must be accredited for the relevant jurisdiction and, where applicable, for fund entities.
4. Enter the official registration details. Copy names, addresses and entity numbers exactly as they appear on the state register or in the governing documents. Mismatches are the most common cause of a stalled application.
5. Report parent relationships. Provide the direct and ultimate accounting-consolidating parent, or the applicable reporting exception.
6. Submit authorization and payment. How much evidence the issuer asks for depends on how much it can verify from authoritative sources; entities with complete state records are asked for less.
7. Check the issued record and renewal date. Confirm the final record in GLEIF, note the next renewal date, and tell the issuer after name, address, ownership or structural changes.

Processing can be quick when public state records match the application. Trusts, funds, authorization questions and inconsistent or outdated state filings take longer, and no issuer can promise a fixed turnaround for those cases. The step-by-step mechanics are covered in How to Get an LEI Code: Step-by-Step Guide.

Choosing a provider

• GLEIF-accredited issuer or listed Registration Agent
• Accreditation for the entity's jurisdiction and entity type
• New-registration price
• Renewal price
• Multi-year total, not only the annualized headline
• Automatic-renewal and cancellation terms
• Support for trusts or funds
• Required documents
• Published contact information
• Ability to transfer the LEI later

Changing provider does not change the permanent LEI code. A transfer moves management of the record to another issuer; a renewal revalidates the reference data for another year. They are separate actions and are often priced separately.

What happens after issuance?

The issuer validates the entity against an authoritative source, usually the state registration authority. The code and its reference data are then published in the Global LEI Index, where anyone can read them. The code stays assigned to that entity permanently.

The record still has to be renewed and revalidated to stay current. Missing the renewal date moves the registration status to LAPSED, which signals stale reference data; it does not reassign or erase the code. Material changes to the entity should be reported when they happen rather than saved for the annual renewal. LEI Renewal Explained: How to Renew and Avoid Lapsed Status covers the timing.

Why one identifier across borders

A US company that trades derivatives, banks in Europe and settles with an Asian counterparty carries a different national number in each place: an EIN at home, a Handelsregister number in Germany, a local company number elsewhere. The LEI is the one code that all of them can resolve to the same public entity record. Background on the code itself is in What Is an LEI Code and Who Needs One?.

Frequently asked questions

Does every US LLC need an LEI?

No. There is no federal rule that requires an LEI simply because a company is an LLC. The code becomes necessary through regulated activity or a counterparty condition.

Is an LEI the same as an EIN?

No. The EIN is a nine-digit IRS tax identifier. The LEI is a 20-character global code with public reference data. Neither substitutes for the other.

How much does a US LEI cost?

In a three-provider check on August 24, 2026, one-year registration ranged from $60 to $75, median $70. Renewals ranged from $40 to $75.

Can I obtain an LEI directly from GLEIF?

No. GLEIF oversees the system and publishes the index. Codes are issued by accredited LEI issuers and their Registration Agents.

Does the LEI number expire?

The code does not expire or get reassigned. The registration status changes to LAPSED if the annual renewal is missed.

Do federal contractors need an LEI or a Unique Entity ID?

Federal awards use the SAM.gov Unique Entity ID. An LEI is only relevant to a contractor that also has regulated financial activity or a counterparty requiring it.