Loan readiness navigator

Loan Readiness Navigator

Answer a few questions to see whether an SBA loan may be worth considering for your request. This is an early fit check only, not a prequalification, quote, application, approval, or lender decision.

No account needed. Loan-screening answers run in your browser; they are not stored, sent to a server, or used by the optional feedback form.

Disclaimer

Independent educational tool, not affiliated with or endorsed by the SBA, any government agency, or any lender. This quick screen is not a prequalification, quote, application, approval, or denial. Verify all SBA and lender requirements before making loan decisions.

Readiness snapshot

Answer the questions to see whether SBA may be worth considering.

Best next review path: Pending answers

Rules last reviewedJune 2026

This independent tool uses public SBA program guidance and should be verified against current SBA SOP, notices, forms, and lender policy before any real submission.

SBA 7(a)SBA 504 SBA Microloan 7(a) types WCP MARC notice Local assistance Lender reports 13 CFR 120.110 Ownership notice

Report flow

Borrower view

Plain-English next actions, likely SBA loan routes, and package readiness.

SnapshotCheck status

Score, confidence, amount, cash flow, and equity at a glance.

Step 1Fix first

Prioritized actions before document collection or lender routing.

Step 2Route next

SBA loan routes, lower-amount paths, and referral options.

Step 3-4Prepare package

Clear issues, confirm budget, and track document readiness.

1Overview

Readiness scores and confidence

Use this section to see whether the answers are complete enough to act on before reading the deeper sections.

SBA loan fit1/100

Lender readiness1/100

Snapshot confidenceLow

Funding amountNot entered

Project cost screen$0

Borrower injectionNot entered

Injection percent0.0%

Equity gapN/A

Credit scoreNot entered

Cash-flow statusNot entered

Snapshot confidenceLow

0 of 20 key loan-fit questions answered.

Still missing: Business stage, Business type, Use of funds, Funding amount, Credit score estimate...

2Action plan

Fix first

These are the highest-impact items to clear before spending time on documents or lender routing.

What would improve this deal most?

Fix input guardrails first

Missing loan purpose: choose at least one use of funds before relying on the result.

Makes the score and memo more reliable.

Confirm owner eligibility

Review direct and indirect owners, guarantors, citizenship/national status, principal residence, entity formation, and sanctions status.

Avoids spending time on a file that may not meet current SBA ownership rules.

Verify repayment support

Use tax returns, interim financials, add-backs, projections, and debt schedule review before choosing a structure.

Repayment support is one of the biggest lender-readiness drivers.

Document the credit-elsewhere story

Confirm whether reasonable non-SBA credit is available and why it does or does not solve the need.

Keeps SBA loan review aligned with lender documentation requirements.

Fix / next action plan

Move to document collection after this readiness screen looks clear enough for lender review.

3SBA loan routes

SBA loan options and referrals

This section points to SBA loan products, smaller-dollar routes, specialty programs, and local referral paths worth checking.

SBA loan route check

Commercial first, but SBA backup may still be worth reviewing.

A conventional option may be available, but SBA should still be considered if conventional terms do not solve the need.

Potential SBA loan amount to discussNot entered

StatusCommercial first, SBA backup may be worth reviewing

Recommended referralSBDC/SCORE or resource partner first

Discussion estimate only. Not an approval, commitment, quote, eligibility determination, or SBA/lender decision.

Recommended referral routes

SBDC/SCORE or resource partner first

Use this route when the borrower is not document-ready or still needs help clarifying the deal.

SBA loan program overview SBA Lender Match

Solutions to consider

Document solution: if an SBA loan still looks worth considering, collect the checklist items below; missing or unreviewed documents mean this is not a prequalification result.

4Eligibility review

Issues to clear

Use this section to separate possible hard stops, fixable warnings, verification items, and clean items.

Input guardrails

Missing loan purpose: choose at least one use of funds before relying on the result.

Can this be fixed?

Hard stop0

Likely blocks SBA loan review until resolved or disproved.

None flagged from this screen.

Needs verification13

Not necessarily bad, but the file is not reliable until checked.

Missing loan purpose: choose at least one use of funds before relying on the result.
Funding amount range is missing; program limits and lender appetite cannot be fully screened.
For-profit status is unanswered and must be verified for SBA review.
U.S. location/operations is unanswered and must be verified for SBA review.
Operating/ready-to-operate status is unanswered and must be verified.
SBA size status is unknown; lender must verify NAICS size standard and affiliation.
Ownership, citizenship/national status, principal residence, entity formation, sanctions status, and SBA-required guarantors must be verified before SBA packaging.
Owner character/legal status is unknown and needs lender review.
Federal debt and tax status are unknown and should be checked.
Prior government financing/default history is unknown and should be checked.
Credit-elsewhere status is unknown; lender should document whether reasonable conventional credit is available.
Cash-flow status is unknown; repayment ability must be verified from financials.
Legal organization is unknown; lender should verify formation type and required entity documents.

Fixable before submission1

Could often be repaired with better structure, more information, or timing.

Use of funds is not selected yet; program fit cannot be final until the need is clear.

Lender policy issue0

May depend on lender credit box, SBA documentation, timing, or deal structure.

None flagged from this screen.

5Document package

Document package

Use this to turn the screen into a practical submission checklist. Missing documents are next-step items, not a denial.

Document readiness tracker

0 ready / 11 missing / 0 N/A

Documents are a next step only. Missing documents do not make this a denial or qualification result.

Borrower docs

Borrower consent/privacy disclosure before storing or sharing information

SBA/lender application forms and borrower authorization

Ownership chart, operating agreement/bylaws, and guarantor list

Personal financial statement and source-of-injection support

Credit explanation for derogatory items, if any

Financial / CPA docs

Business and owner tax returns

Current P&L, balance sheet, and debt schedule

Itemized use-of-funds and funding amount support

Lender review docs

Credit-elsewhere support or conventional-credit comparison

Collateral, lien, UCC, tax lien, or payoff review

Guarantor list and lender-required authorizations

Important readiness notes

Independent tool. Not affiliated with or endorsed by SBA.

Independent educational tool, not affiliated with or endorsed by the SBA, any government agency, or any lender. SBA information is based on public guidance and should be verified against current SBA rules, forms, and lender policy.

Not a prequalification, quote, or approval.

This quick screen only suggests routes to discuss. Real loan decisions require full documents, underwriting, and current SBA and lender rules.

For SBA 7(a) and 504 loans, personal guaranties may be required, especially for 20%+ owners.

Loan Readiness Navigator

What stage is the business in?