# 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.

Canonical page: https://www.sbaexpress.loans/answers/can-you-defer-payments-on-an-sba-loan/
Last checked: 2026-11-09

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](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-120.530)
- [13 CFR § 120.531](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-120.531)
- [13 CFR § 120.536](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-120.536)
- [SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. B, Ch. 3, Para. H (p. 143)](https://legacy.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2026-10/SOP%2050%2010%208.1%20Technical%20Policy%20Updates%20effective%20%2010.1.2026.docx)
- [SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. A, Ch. 4, Para. C.2.b (about pp. 68-69)](https://legacy.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2026-10/SOP%2050%2010%208.1%20Technical%20Policy%20Updates%20effective%20%2010.1.2026.docx)
- [SBA Form 148, Unconditional Guarantee](https://legacy.sba.gov/document/sba-form-148-unconditional-guarantee)
- [SBA Form 155 (9/98), Standby Creditor's Agreement](https://legacy.sba.gov/document/sba-form-155-standby-creditors-agreement)
- [SBA, Terms, conditions and eligibility for 7(a) lenders, sba.gov/sba-lenders (read November 8, 2026)](https://www.sba.gov/sba-lenders)