Is there a minimum time in business for an SBA loan?
Short answer
Not as a general rule. SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. A, Ch. 1 sets no minimum for 7(a) or 504 loans. Seasonal CAPLines, Export Express, the Export Working Capital Program and the 7(a) Working Capital Pilot have 12-month tests. Lenders may set their own.
No general minimum applies. SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. A, Ch. 1 lists the core eligibility tests, and time in business is not one of them. The SOP addresses start-ups directly.
Programs that do set one
- Seasonal CAPLines: in operation at least 12 calendar months (Sec. B, Ch. 4, Para. A.3).
- Export Express: at least 12 full months in operation, unless the key personnel have demonstrated export expertise and the lender underwrites conventionally. See Sec. B, Ch. 5, Para. A.1.
- Export Working Capital Program: 12 full months of operations, or a lender analysis showing sufficient management experience (Sec. B, Ch. 5, Para. B.1).
- 7(a) Working Capital Pilot: 12 full months of operations before filing (sba.gov/sba-lenders, read November 8, 2026).
Where time in business still matters
- A business in operation for 1 year or less is a start-up for equity purposes. A 7(a) start-up must inject at least 10% of total project costs.
- A New Business, open 2 years or less at approval, generally contributes more on a 504 loan (Sec. C, Ch. 1, Para. B).
- Lenders may rely on projections when history is thin.
Lender rules
Lenders may set their own time-in-business minimums, and those vary by lender. An SBA rule allowing a start-up does not require any lender to make that loan.
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