The most common loan available through the SBA is a 7(a) loan which provides $30,000 to $5 million to small business owners. Qualified companies can use the funds to fund startup costs, purchase equipment, buy new land, repair existing assets, expand an existing business, acquire a new business, refinance debt, purchase inventory and supplies, and more.

To qualify for financing, business owners need to have good credit and good business history. In most cases, borrowers will have to put up collateral in order to secure financing.

Generally speaking, repayment terms do not exceed 10 years for most loans and 25 years for real estate loans. Interest rates can fall anywhere between 5–10 percent.

Small businesses that need long-term loans for fixed asset acquisitions—like buying property, buildings, or heavy equipment—can find the funding they need through the SBA 504 Loan program.

If approved, they can qualify for up to $5 million in financing. In most instances, owners are required to guarantee at least 20 percent of the loan.

“These loans are made available through Certified Development Companies (CDCs), which are the SBA’s community-based partners,” Manger explains. “The advantage of this program is that it provides terms of 10 years, 20 years, and 25 years, which helps free up cash flow for small businesses.”

To qualify for funding, businesses can not be worth more than $15 million and they must have an average net income of $5 million or less after taxes over the two previous years, according to the SBA. Nonprofits and businesses engaged in passive or speculative activities can’t get 504 loans.

SBA 504 Loans have fixed rates attached to them. You can use them in a variety of ways, including:

• Purchasing buildings

• Purchasing land and land improvements, which include grading, street improvements, utilities, parking lots, and landscaping

• Building new facilities or renovating existing ones

• Buying machinery or equipment that you intend to use over the long term

• Refinancing debt that stems from expanding a business through facilities or equipment

The 504 program, however, comes with some restrictions. You can not use these funds to buy inventory, consolidate debt, or as working capital.

According to the SBA, businesses usually need to create or retain one job for every $65,000 in financing they receive via 504 Loans; small manufacturers need to create or retain a job for every $100,000 in SBA funding.

In lieu of that, CDCs fund businesses that meet community development goals—like improving or stabilizing the economy, stimulating the development of other businesses, or bringing new income into the community. CDCs also fund businesses that help them meet their public policy goals, including revitalizing a community, expanding exports, increasing businesses owned by women, veterans, or minorities, and aiding rural development, among other things. What’s more, CDCs are more likely to approve loans that help them update facilities to meet health, safety, and environmental requirements.

Each year, the government aims to give out at least 5 percent of all federal contracting dollars to disadvantaged small business owners. One of the mechanisms they use to achieve that goal is the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development program.

Businesses approved for the program can earn sole-source government contracts of up to $4 million for goods and services and $6.5 million for manufacturing.

To qualify for 8(a) financing, small businesses must be at least 51 percent owned by a U.S. citizen entrepreneur who is socially or economically disadvantaged. Owners must have less than $4 million in assets and a personal net worth of $250,000 or less; their average adjusted gross income over the previous three years needs to be $250,000 or less, too. Owners must also manage day-to-day operations and their business needs to have a track record of successful performance.

To find out whether you’re eligible for an 8(a) Business Development loan, click here to visit the SBA’s “Am I Eligible?” page.

The SBA microloan program—which was created to help minority, veteran, women, and low-income entrepreneurs—awards qualified businesses with anywhere from $500 to $50,000. Borrowers have to sign a personal guarantee and may have to put up collateral to secure financing.

“The SBA’s Microloan program is designed to provide access to capital to traditionally underserved communities through mission-oriented not-for-profit lenders,” Manger says. “SBA regulators place a limit on the interest rates and fees that can be charged.”

In 2017, the SBA approved nearly 5,000 micro loans totaling almost $70 million; the average loan was $13,884 and carried a 7.5 percent interest rate. Repayment terms for micro loans can’t exceed 10 years.

According to Manger, 8 percent of micro loan borrowers return to the SBA when seeking larger amounts of capital.

The SBA offers working capital loans to businesses that need to solve short-term cash flow problems or meet seasonal financing obligations.

The loans—which can reach as high as $5 million with a maximum maturity of 10 years—are perhaps best for businesses that need access to credit lines to ensure they’re able to meet their recurring operating costs and absorb unforeseen expenses.

“SBA CAPLines are a revolving asset-based line of credit,” Manger says. “Small businesses that buy and sell inventory or need to fund contracts would benefit from this type of financing.”

Today, there are four CAPLine programs:

• Working Capital CAPLine funds. You can use these funds to cover short-term working capital needs. You cannot use these funds to pay taxes.

• Contract CAPLine funds. Contractors typically use these to finance specific contracts—including general and administrative expenses. You cannot use these funds to buy assets, pay taxes, finance debt, or as working capital loans.

• Seasonal CAPLine funds. If your business needs to pay for inventory or offset high receivables during the busiest times of the year (for example, a house painting business), look in to Seasonal CAPLine funds. In some cases, you may also use the funds to absorb increased labor expenses that are seasonal.

• Builder’s CAPLine funds. You can use these to finance construction and renovation projects. Approved expenses include labor, supplies, materials, equipment, direct fees, landscaping, and utility connections, among other things.

While the cost of these loans will vary based on your specific financial situation, the lender you partner with, and how much money you take out, generally speaking, you can expect to pay somewhere between 7.25 percent and 9.75 percent in interest.

Since CAPLines are lines of credit, you only have to pay interest on the money you spend—not the entire credit line.

The SBA offers loans to businesses that have suffered from natural disasters. Typically, the SBA makes these comparatively low-cost loans available to replace or repair damaged property and offset economic losses in the wake of disasters.

If a natural disaster affects your business, you may be entitled to up to $2 million in relief to repair real estate, equipment, inventory and other fixtures. Loans can be issued of up to 20 percent more than the total loss if the funds are used to protect property against similar damages in the future.

Up to $2 million may also be available to businesses that lose revenue and are unable to meet financial obligations they would have otherwise been able to pay if the natural disaster did not occur.

In the event of a disaster, the SBA assesses damages to determine whether businesses are eligible for compensation under the Disaster Loans program. Interest rates won’t exceed 4 percent for businesses that don’t have credit elsewhere, or 8 percent for businesses that do. Repayment terms can extend to 30 years, depending on the finances of the business.