The fiscal year 2027 fees
These fees cover 7(a) loans with an approval date from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. All loan amounts below are the gross approval amount. The fee is charged on the guaranteed portion, not the whole loan.
| Loan | Fee on the guaranteed portion |
|---|---|
| $150,000 or less (the lender may keep up to 25% of the fee) | 2% |
| $150,001 to $700,000 | 3% |
| $700,001 to $5,000,000 | 3.5% up to $1,000,000 of guaranteed portion, 3.75% above |
| Maturity of 12 months or less | 0.25% |
| $700,000 or less to a manufacturer, a food supply chain business or a business in a rural area | None |
| SBA Express to a veteran-owned business | None |
The guaranty is 85 percent for loans of $150,000 or less and 75 percent above that, 50 percent for SBA Express, and SBA's exposure to one borrower and its affiliates is capped at $3,750,000. Two or more 7(a) loans to the same business within 90 days of each other are treated as one loan for the guaranty percentage and the fee, whichever lenders made them.
The lender pays the upfront fee to SBA and may pass it on to the borrower. The borrower may pay it from loan proceeds, but the first disbursement may not be made mainly to pay it. The lender's annual service fee, 0.55 percent of the balance of the guaranteed portion for fiscal year 2027, cannot be charged to the borrower.
The rate cap
SBA sets the most a lender may charge as a base rate plus a spread, and the spread falls as the loan gets larger.
| Loan | Spread |
|---|---|
| $50,000 or less | 6.5 points |
| $50,001 to $250,000 | 6 points |
| $250,001 to $350,000 | 4.5 points |
| $350,001 and higher | 3 points |
The base rate is the Prime rate or SBA's optional peg rate. A lender may use SOFR or a Treasury rate as an alternative base, with the cap then set against Prime. Type the base rate in the form and the tool shows the cap for your loan size. It does not know today's rate and does not look it up.
Other charges SBA allows and bars
- Subsidy recoupment fee. On a loan with a maturity of 15 years or longer, a borrower who prepays more than 25 percent of the loan in any one year during the first three years pays SBA 5 percent, 3 percent and 1 percent of the prepayment, in years one, two and three.
- Packaging. A lender may charge a flat fee of up to $2,500 without documenting the work. Above that, SBA caps a percentage fee at 5 percent for loans of $150,000 or less and 3 percent above, and at $30,000 in all.
- Barred. A lender may not charge commitment, bonus, origination, broker, commission or referral fees, points, add-on interest, prepayment fees or renewal fees. The subsidy recoupment fee above goes to SBA, not to the lender.
Using it well
- Compare payments, not rates. A fee added to the loan raises the payment on the same cash in hand. Ask the lender which it expects.
- Check the cap. If a quote is above the base rate plus the spread for your loan size, ask why.
- Ask for the fees in writing. The lender must itemize the fees it charges. Compare the list with the allowed charges above.
In the data here
The SBA loan files give the gross approval, the SBA guaranteed amount, the term and the initial rate for each loan, but not who paid the upfront fee. The recorded loans behind a lender page show the size, rate and term of loans it has made, to the nearest quarter point and whole year, so you can compare a quote with what lenders have done.
Terms used here
- Upfront guaranty fee (SBA 7(a)): The one-time fee a 7(a) lender pays SBA for its guaranty, set by loan size and charged on the guaranteed portion. The lender may pass it on to the borrower.
- Annual service fee (SBA lender's fee): A yearly fee a 7(a) lender pays SBA on the outstanding balance of the guaranteed portion of each loan. On a 7(a) loan the lender may not pass it on to the borrower.
- SBA guaranty percentage: The share of a 7(a) loan that SBA guarantees to the lender: up to 85 percent of a loan of $150,000 or less, up to 75 percent of a larger loan, and 50 percent on SBA Express.
- SBA 7(a) loan: SBA's main business loan program. A lender makes the loan and SBA guarantees part of it: up to 85 percent of $150,000 or less and 75 percent of more, on loans up to $5,000,000.
Sources
Next step: check the record
- Loan Comps for an SBA 7(a) loanAdd your industry and state to see which lenders have made 7(a) loans like yours.
- SBA 7(a) lenders by loans madeThe 36-month count for every lender.
Keep reading
- SBA 7(a) or 504: which fits your loan: Both are SBA loans, and they work differently. The choice usually turns on what you are buying and how much cash you can put in.
- SBA 7(a) loan package checklist: A 7(a) package is the bank's usual file plus SBA's own list. Know which items SBA requires and you can have them ready before the first call.
Estimate from your inputs. Not a quote or advice about which loan to take. Another tool: all calculators.
SBA does not require you to use an agent or broker for a loan application. SBA has not reviewed or endorsed this site.