7(a) loans are the most basic and most used type loan of the Small Business Administration's (SBA) business loan programs. Its name comes from section 7(a) of the Small Business Act, which authorizes the agency to provide business loans to American small businesses.
Is an SBA 7(a) Loan Forgivable? SBA 7(a) loans are not forgivable. If you have an existing 7(a) loan (or other SBA loan) out with a lender, the CARES Act made funding available for the SBA to pay all principal, interest, and fees for six months for businesses impacted by the outbreak.
SBA 7(a) loan
This is by far the most popular SBA loan program. Repayment terms for this type of loan depend on how you use the funding. Generally, you're looking at the following maturity terms: 25 years for real estate, 10 years for machinery, and up to seven years for working capital.
What is a 7(a) loan? The 7(a) Loan Program, SBA's most common loan program, includes financial help for small businesses with special requirements. This is the best option when real estate is part of a business purchase, but it can also be used for: Short- and long-term working capital. Refinance current business debt.
SBA 504 loans are typically larger loans in dollar amounts lent. Businesses can borrow from $125,000 up to $10 million, depending on the business's qualifications and needs. 7a loans, meanwhile, offer smaller dollar amounts, with the maximum loan topping off at $5 million dollars.
SBA 7(a) Loan Terms
New businesses should have $1 of cash or business assets for each $3 of the loan. Established businesses should have at least $1 for every $4 of the loan. For loans more than $350,000, the SBA expects lenders to secure the loan to the fullest extent possible, based on the borrower's business assets.
SBA 7(a) Eligibility Requirements
Your business must have fewer than 500 employees, and less than $7.5 million revenue on average each year for the past three years. Your net income must be under $5 million (after taxes and not counting carry-over losses), and your tangible net worth must be less than $15 million.
The Targeted EIDL Advance provided funds of up to $10,000 to applicants who were in a low-income community, could demonstrate more than 30% reduction in revenue during an eight-week period beginning on March 2, 2020, or later, and had 300 or fewer employees.
With a SBA 7(a) loan, you can spend the funds on your own timeline. With a PPP loan, you'll have to use the entirety of your funds over the 8 or 24-week covered period—any money spent outside of that time frame won't qualify for forgiveness.
7(a) loans are the most basic and most used type loan of the Small Business Administration's (SBA) business loan programs. Its name comes from section 7(a) of the Small Business Act, which authorizes the agency to provide business loans to American small businesses.
Although the guarantee incentives lenders to work with small businesses, it can still be hard to qualify for SBA 7(a) loans. Lenders generally require a good personal credit score (690+), two or more years in business, and strong annual revenue for 7(a) loan applications.
If you get a new Section 7(a) or 504 Microloan before Sept. 20, then your first six months of principal and interest (up to $9,000 a month) will also be forgiven. What's unique about these loans is that you don't have to show that your business has been impacted by COVID.
SBA microloans, which are some of the easiest SBA loans to get approved for, range in size between $500 and $50,000.
Like many small business owners, your business exists as an extension of yourself. It is your identity and your hard work. However, you cannot use you SBA loan to pay off your personal debt, such as credit cards, mortgage or other debts.
Ineligible businesses include those engaged in illegal activities, loan packaging, speculation, multi-sales distribution, gambling, investment or lending, or where the owner is on parole.
PPP loans (the full principal amount and any accrued interest) may be fully forgiven, meaning they do not have to be repaid. If you do not apply for forgiveness, you will have to repay the loan.
First Draw PPP Loan If You Have No Employees
(If you are using 2020 to calculate payroll costs and have not yet filed a 2020 return, fill it out and compute the value.) If this amount is over $100,000, reduce it to $100,000. If both your net profit and gross income are zero or less, you are not eligible for a PPP loan.
First, the lender will seek payment from the business for the outstanding balance of the loan. However, if the business cannot pay the full amount, the lender will foreclose on the collateral pledged by the business. Your business assets may not have much value. In that case, the lender will abandon the collateral.
To summarize: If you received an Economic Injury Disaster Loan, you are required to pay it back in full. However, if you received your loan during the period when either of the Advance funds were offered and you were approved for either Advance, that portion does not have to be repaid.
As of January 1, 2022, SBA stopped accepting applications for new COVID-19 EIDL loans or advances. As of May 6, 2022, SBA is no longer processing COVID-19 EIDL loan increase requests or requests for reconsideration of previously declined loan applications due to a lack of available funding.
In response to COVID-19, small business owners, including agricultural businesses, and nonprofit organizations in all U.S. states, Washington D.C., and territories were able to apply for the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL).
Making false statements to obtain an SBA loan can result in serious criminal penalties. A person convicted for a federal crime relating to loan fraud faces federal prison time and steep fines.
Standard 7(a)
Lenders are not required to take collateral for loans up to $25,000. For loans in excess of $350,000, the SBA requires that the lender collateralize the loan to the maximum extent possible up to the loan amount.
Do SBA loans require a downpayment? Yes, the minimum SBA loan down payment requirement is 10% on 7(a) and 504 loans and is based on a business's cash flow and collateral. Weak cash flow or low-value collateral can increase the down payment requirement to up to 30% of the loan amount.