NAICS code for IT consulting and IT services: 541512 and its neighbors

This page is for IT consultancies, managed service providers and integrators picking codes for SAM.gov, a GSA schedule, a state vendor portal, an insurer or a bank, and for sellers building lists of IT services firms. If you mainly build software, the software development code page covers 541511 and 513210 in depth.

The IT services codes

All of these except 518210 sit in 5415, Computer Systems Design and Related Services, which County Business Patterns puts at 145,813 establishments, 2,050,626 employees and $250.8 billion in annual payroll in 2023.

The 541512 definition notes that these firms often install the system and train and support its users, so implementation work doesn't push a consultancy out of the code.

How to choose: what the client pays you for

Classify by the service that earns the most revenue, and list the others as secondary codes.

The Census Bureau doesn't name "managed services" anywhere. Our reading of the definitions: a managed service provider that operates and supports clients' systems fits 541513, one that hosts them in its own facilities fits 518210, and one that mostly sells projects and advice fits 541512. Many MSPs list all three. The 541611 line matters for consultants who drift into technology: the cross-references under management consulting (54161) and other technical consulting (541690) send computer systems and software consulting to 5415. The NAICS code for consulting page compares the other consulting codes.

The SIC codes for IT consulting

From the Census concordances:

So the SIC code for IT consulting is 7373 for integrators, or 7379 for computer consultants who don't integrate. Because 7379 splits three ways and 541512 draws on two SIC codes, a converted list will mix firms. The SEC uses 7373 and 7370 for most IT services companies, but not all of them, as the table further down shows. Check any pair in the NAICS to SIC converter.

How many IT consulting businesses there are

541512 had 58,113 establishments in 2023 with 766,160 employees and $93.6 billion in annual payroll, about $122,170 per employee (our calculation).

The top states are California (7,616), Texas (7,226), Virginia (3,968), Florida (3,819), New York (3,105), New Jersey (2,521) and Maryland (2,327). Facilities management firms (541513) run larger: 6,374 establishments averaging 16.2 employees. CBP counts locations with paid employees, not companies, and leaves out solo consultants. It uses NAICS 2017 codes; none of these changed in 2022.

SBA size standards and federal spending

From SBA's table effective 17 March 2023, still current in the eCFR on 28 October 2026, in average annual receipts: 541511, 541512 and 541519 are $34.0 million, 541513 is $37.0 million, 518210 is $40.0 million and 541611 is $24.5 million. The IT value-added reseller exception under 541519 uses 150 employees instead, and applies only when value-added services are at least 15% and no more than 50% of the contract price, with the reseller meeting the nonmanufacturer rule unless SBA waives it; below 15% the buy is classified as manufacturing.

Federal contract obligations from USAspending.gov:

The largest buyers under 541512 in fiscal 2025 were the Department of Defense ($9.06 billion), GSA ($5.53 billion), Veterans Affairs ($3.92 billion), Health and Human Services ($3.36 billion) and Homeland Security ($2.57 billion). Each solicitation names one code, so an IT firm registered only under 541512 can miss help desk or infrastructure bids posted under 541519 or 541513. The guide to selling to government covers how those buys are run.

Finding IT consulting firms by code

EDGAR lists public integrators under SIC 7373. Revenue from each company's latest 10-K:

Accenture shows why SIC lists miss firms: the largest company on this table sits outside every computer code. For private firms, USAspending's recipient search filtered to 541512, state vendor registrations and partner directories from the major software vendors name real IT consultancies. Bebop finds them from a description, such as Microsoft partners with 20 to 100 employees in Ohio, and researches each account.

Worked example

Illustrative example. The firm and its figures are invented; the rules and standards are SBA's.

Northbeam IT (northbeam.example) has 42 employees. Last year it earned $3.4 million from network design and integration projects, $1.6 million from running clients' systems on site and $1.0 million from reselling hardware with configuration: $6.0 million in all.

1. Primary code. Integration is 56.7% of revenue ($3.4 million of $6.0 million), so the primary code is 541512. On-site operations add 541513 and resale with configuration adds 541519.
2. SIC. A bank form gets 7373.
3. Size under each code. Five-year average receipts of $5.2 million are under $34.0 million (541512, 541519) and $37.0 million (541513).
4. A reseller bid. An agency posts a $900,000 buy of laptops with imaging and setup under the IT value-added reseller exception. Services are $180,000, 20% of the price, inside the 15% to 50% band, so the 150-employee standard applies and Northbeam, at 42, qualifies.

Next step: compare 541512 with the management consulting codes on the NAICS code for consulting page.