Free SBA Loan Pre-Screen

Business Loan Readiness

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 is needed — calculations run in your browser, and your results are shown only to you. No lender, government agency, or anyone else receives your answers or results. Print, copy, or download your results to keep them. The optional feedback form never receives your loan answers.

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 screen answer

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

Best next step: SBDC/SCORE or resource partner first

Borrower view keeps the report focused on next steps. Lender view adds the underwriting worksheet — for reviewing the file with a lender.

Rules last reviewedAugust 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.

SOP 50 10 SBA 7(a)SBA 504 SBA Microloan 7(a) types (SBA lender page)WCP WCP guide MARC appendix Local assistance Lender reports (SBA lender page)13 CFR 120.110 Ownership notice

Report flow

Borrower view

Clear readiness answer, contact path, next actions, and package readiness.

OverviewCan SBA review it?

Clear answer, amount, down payment, and confidence.

ActionWhat to do next

Only the most practical fixes and verification steps.

ContactWho to call

Contact route and official links for this loan type.

PackageWhat to collect

Likely lender questions and the document checklist.

1Overview

Can this be considered for SBA review?

This is the clear answer from the screen. It is not an approval or prequalification, but it tells the borrower what to do next.

Borrower answer

Not enough answers yet.

Complete the missing questions before relying on the SBA route or contact shown.

Requested amountNot entered

Amount appears within the route screen shown, subject to lender sizing.

Down paymentNo special screen

Entered owner cash/equity does not show a down-payment shortfall from this screen.

Primary SBA routePending answers

Good rescue route for small-dollar needs when the borrower needs coaching plus capital.

Calculated DSCRNot calculated

Uses entered annual operating cash flow / EBITDA divided by annual debt service.

Who to contact firstSBDC/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 local assistance

Best review routePending answers

Funding amountNot entered

Amount to confirmNot entered

Project costNot entered

Owner cash/equityNot entered

Down payment screenN/A

Credit scoreNot entered

Cash-flow statusNot entered

ConfidenceLow

Snapshot confidenceLow

0 of 19 key loan-fit questions answered.

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

2Action plan

What the borrower should do next

Only the practical next steps. Verification items mean the lender or CDC must check them; they are not automatic declines.

Next steps

Route borrower to an SBA microlender, CDFI, or technical-assistance partner for small-dollar capital and coaching.
Move to document collection after this readiness screen looks clear enough for lender review.

3SBA loan routes

Who to contact and which SBA route to discuss

Start with the route shown first, then use the route cards as talking points with your lender.

SBA loan route check

No SBA loan route fits yet — blockers to work through first.

The strongest available route has open blockers. Review each one with the lender — some may not apply once verified, and the rest become the action plan.

Loan amount to discussNot entered

StatusNo SBA loan route fits yet — blockers to work through first

Who to contactSBDC/SCORE or resource partner first

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

Who the borrower should contact

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 local assistance

4Lender conversation

Questions your lender is likely to ask

Each item here is a topic the lender or CDC will likely want to discuss. Verification items are things they must check, not automatic declines. Possible hard stops are the first things to ask about, because they can block SBA review until resolved or disproved.

Items to correct or confirm

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

What the lender will likely ask about

Possible hard stop0

Ask about this first. It likely blocks SBA loan review until resolved or disproved.

None flagged from this screen.

The lender must verify13

Something the lender or CDC must check — not an automatic decline, but the file is not reliable until verified.

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 submission2

Expect the lender to ask about this. It can 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.
Use of funds is not selected yet.

Lender policy question0

The answer depends on each lender's credit box, SBA documentation, timing, or deal structure — ask the lender directly.

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 / 16 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

Status: Missing

SBA/lender application forms, SBA Form 1919 if required, and borrower authorization

Status: Missing

Ownership chart, beneficial-owner details, operating agreement/bylaws, and guarantor list

Status: Missing

Government ID and eligibility support for required owners and guarantors

Status: Missing

Personal financial statement and source-of-injection support

Status: Missing

Credit explanation for derogatory items, if any

Status: Missing

Financial / CPA docs

Business and owner tax returns, plus affiliate returns if applicable

Status: Missing

IRS transcript/4506-C support if required by lender policy

Status: Missing

Current P&L, balance sheet, and debt schedule

Status: Missing

Itemized use-of-funds, sources, project budget, and funding amount support

Status: Missing

Projections, assumptions, and debt-service support when operating history is thin or changing

Status: Missing

Lender review docs

Credit-elsewhere support or conventional-credit comparison

Status: Missing

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

Status: Missing

Guarantor list, 20%+ owner review, and lender-required authorizations

Status: Missing

Insurance requirements, hazard/liability coverage, and lender loss-payee evidence if required

Status: Missing

Eligibility notes for size, affiliation, use of proceeds, ownership, and credit-elsewhere review

Status: Missing

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.

The Lender Packet is a plain-text readiness summary to bring to a lender meeting. It describes readiness only — never an approval, prequalification, quote, or any lender's decision.

Business Loan Readiness

What stage is the business in?