Can you defer payments on an SBA loan?
Short answer
Possibly. 13 CFR 120.530 lets SBA agree to defer payments on any business loan program, including 504, for a stated period. Ask your lender first. SOP 50 57 sets the approval route, and lenders cannot charge a fee for resetting the payment afterward.
Possibly. 13 CFR 120.530 says SBA may agree to defer payments on a business loan for a stated period. The policy covers all business loan programs, including 504 loans.
Who to ask
Start with your lender. SBA says lenders have unilateral authority over routine servicing. Changes to loan terms may or may not need prior approval (sba.gov/sba-lenders, read November 8, 2026). The details are in SOP 50 57 and SBA's 7(a) Lender Matrix, which are not among the sources behind this page.
What the sources do say
- Manufacturers' Access to Revolving Credit (MARC) loans. Lenders may defer payments, and revolving loans may be deferred for up to 6 months (SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. B, Ch. 3, Para. H, p. 143).
- Fees. A lender may not charge a fee for changing the installment after a deferment (Sec. A, Ch. 4, Para. C.2.b).
- 504 loans. A non-PCLP Certified Development Company (CDC) needs SBA's prior written consent to substantially alter loan terms (13 CFR 120.536(b)(1)).
- Extensions. SBA may extend a maturity by up to 10 years if that aids orderly repayment (13 CFR 120.531).
Effects to check
- Guarantors. Form language lets the lender modify the note without your consent, unless it raises the amount due (SBA Form 148, para. 4).
- Standby creditors. SBA Form 155 says a deferral on the SBA loan does not affect their agreement (para. 6).
What is not known
The sources here do not say whether interest keeps accruing during a deferment. Ask your lender before you agree.
Sources
- 13 CFR § 120.530
- 13 CFR § 120.531
- 13 CFR § 120.536
- SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. B, Ch. 3, Para. H (p. 143)
- SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. A, Ch. 4, Para. C.2.b (about pp. 68-69)
- SBA Form 148, Unconditional Guarantee
- SBA Form 155 (9/98), Standby Creditor's Agreement
- SBA, Terms, conditions and eligibility for 7(a) lenders, sba.gov/sba-lenders (read November 8, 2026)
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