How to Apply for An SBA Loan

SBA loans are a great source of funding for small business owners. You might have heard of this type of financing before but perhaps you need more information on how to acquire it.

In this post, we will explain how to apply for an SBA loan and detail what the process requires.

What You Need When Applying for an SBA Loan

SBA Loan Requirements

Some of the qualifications you need to qualify for an SBA loan are below:

• Must be registered as a small business.
• Be a for-profit establishment
• Business needs to be conducted in the U.S or its territories.
• Use funds for sound business uses.
• Have no past-due payments on federal government loans, such as taxes or student loans.
• Have business equity.
• Have tried other financing options.
• Prove that you are in need of a loan.

SBA Credit Requirements

Your credit history is a very important factor that could affect your ability to qualify when applying for a SBA loan. Both your personal and business credit scores considered by the SBA.

Do not completely rule out an SBA loan if your credit is not great but not poor. Other factors go into the approval process which are listed above.

Very poor credit is likely to disqualify you, even if your business generates sales and has decent cash flow, it will not distract your cash flow. Bankers will be concerned that you are failing to meet your payment deadlines.

Start the SBA Loan Application Process

There is extensive paperwork that needs to be completed when applying for an SBA loan because the SBA partners with banks to supply financing. These banks want low risk and do it by analyzing lots of paperwork.

Some of the documents you need to complete the application process includes both personal and business information.

• Driver’s license photo
• Personal business tax returns
• Business financial statements
• Personal and business bank statements
• Commercial documentation
• Documentation of management experience
• Financial projections
• Business plan
• Articles of incorporation

Get started gathering the above documentation as soon as you can since this will take a while to gather. You will need to update your business plan and financial projections if they are not current.

Your business plan should be very detailed. Have someone look at it and give you feedback. It is important that there are no issues before you submit it to the bank.

SBA loan risk is split between the bank and SBA so you will be working with a bank as you go through the process. It is recommended that you work with an SBA preferred lender so that your application process goes by a lot smoother.

Complete All SBA Loan Paperwork

When completing the loan application, you will find a list of required paperwork.

• Business debt schedule
• Draft loan authorization
• Personal financial statement
• Business valuation
• Cash flow projection
• Current income statement and balance sheet
• Copies of all notes and leases to be refinanced

The Bottom Line

Business owners seek out an SBA loan even though it can be difficult to get approved for. The information in this article should help you understand how the requirements are, how the process works, so you should be ready to apply for an SBA loan.

Consider applying for a business loan if you do not have time to wait for an SBA loan. This way you will get the financing you need for your business so that you can start to grow your business.