NAICS 541511 (Custom Computer Programming Services)
NAICS 541511 is the North American Industry Classification System code for Custom Computer Programming Services — the primary industry classification for custom software development, web application engineering, and bespoke software contracting. The federal small business size standard for NAICS 541511 is $34 million annual revenue (revised 2025).
Also called: NAICS 541511, NAICS Custom Computer Programming · Last updated: May 27, 2026 · By Joseph W. Anady
Why it matters.
NAICS codes are the universal taxonomy for industry classification used by federal procurement, SBA size standards, BLS employment data, and Census economic surveys. NAICS 541511 covers writing, modifying, testing, and supporting software to meet specific customer requirements. It's the primary NAICS for custom web development, custom software engineering, and bespoke application development.
How it works.
When pursuing a federal contract, the contracting officer assigns a primary NAICS code to the solicitation. Contractors bid only if their NAICS aligns. NAICS 541511 size standard is $34M annual revenue — businesses under this threshold qualify as 'small business' for set-aside purposes. NAICS 541511 is one of the most common NAICS codes for federal IT contracts under $250K (Simplified Acquisition Threshold).
2026 reality check.
NAICS 541511 size standard increased from $30M to $34M in 2025 (inflation adjustment). Federal procurement under NAICS 541511 totals approximately $4-6 billion annually, with growing emphasis on AI/ML capabilities, cybersecurity, and cloud-native architectures. SDVOSB set-asides within NAICS 541511 are a particularly active subset.
Data points
- NAICS 541511 size standard: $34M annual revenue (2025 revision, up from $30M)
- Description: writing, modifying, testing, supporting custom software for specific customer requirements
- Federal annual procurement under NAICS 541511: ~$4-6B
- Related NAICS: 541512 (Computer Systems Design), 541519 (Other Computer Related Services), 518210 (Computing Infrastructure)
- TDG's primary NAICS: 541511
First-hand insight from ThatDeveloperGuy.
ThatDeveloperGuy's primary NAICS is 541511 (Custom Computer Programming Services). Secondary NAICS: 541512 (Computer Systems Design Services), 541519 (Other Computer Related Services), 518210 (Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services). The NAICS array is registered in SAM.gov, declared in Organization schema as identifier, and referenced in capability statements. Most TDG federal opportunities filter on NAICS 541511.
How TDG approaches it
TDG declares NAICS 541511/541512/541519/518210 in SAM.gov, Organization schema identifier array, capability statements, and federal opportunity outreach. Joseph's Person schema identifier includes 'NAICS' propertyID with comma-separated values. NAICS 541511 alignment is verified before bidding any federal opportunity.
Common mistakes.
- Confusing NAICS 541511 (custom programming) with 541512 (systems design) or 541519 (other)
- Using only one NAICS — most IT businesses qualify for 2-4 related NAICS, register all relevant ones
- Forgetting size standard — businesses near $34M revenue may need careful tracking to maintain small business status
- Bidding outside primary NAICS without secondary alignment
- Missing NAICS in capability statement (federal CO's filter by NAICS)
FAQ.
What's the difference between NAICS 541511, 541512, 541519?
541511 = writing/modifying/testing custom software for specific customers. 541512 = designing/integrating computer systems (combining hardware + software). 541519 = other computer-related services not classified elsewhere (technical support, web hosting, training). Most IT businesses qualify for multiple.
What's the size standard for NAICS 541511?
$34 million annual revenue (effective 2025, revised from $30M). Businesses under this revenue threshold qualify as small business for federal set-aside contracts.
How do I find federal contracts under NAICS 541511?
sam.gov > Contract Opportunities > Search by NAICS = 541511. Set filters: set-aside type (SDVOSB if eligible), response date range, agency. Save search for daily email alerts.
Can I have multiple NAICS codes?
Yes — declare one primary NAICS and as many secondaries as genuinely apply to your business. Federal CO's may match contracts to your primary or secondary NAICS.
Where do I look up NAICS codes?
naics.com or census.gov/naics. Use the most specific NAICS that fits your dominant business activity as primary. Add genuinely-applicable adjacent NAICS as secondaries.
Maintained by Joseph W. Anady at ThatDeveloperGuy. Back to glossary · Suggest a term