Small business financing
SBA financing
for your
business.
Buying a business. Securing your premises. Funding the next operating cycle. Start with the purpose, then understand the SBA paths worth discussing.
Outline your business requestWhat SBA
financing means.
SBA loan programs support small business financing through participating lenders and other program providers. Eligibility, permitted uses and terms depend on the program and the provider.
A term loan for a business purchase answers a different need from a monitored revolving line. Start with the intended use, the business’s ability to repay and the provider’s requirements.
Read the SBA’s loan overviewPurpose before program
What are you
trying to finance?
Program names are useful when they clarify the next decision. Begin with what the funds will pay for, then separate the pieces that need different treatment.
Buying a business
or buying out an owner.
Read the acquisition guide The 7(a) program can support eligible complete or partial ownership changes. A first acquisition, an established operator’s expansion and an owner buyout need different transaction reviews.
Separate purchase price, property, post-close working capital, buyer cash and seller financing. The seller’s continuing role and proposed note payments matter as much as the label on the deal.
Basis: SBA 7(a) overview and current SOP, Appendix 15.
Premises, construction
and equipment.
7(a) can support eligible business real estate, improvements and equipment, including mixed-purpose requests. The 504 program focuses on qualifying major fixed assets, such as business premises and long-term machinery, through a Certified Development Company and a senior lender.
For a building purchase or construction project, explain how the operating business will occupy the property, the ownership structure and the project stages. 504 is not a general inventory or working-capital facility, or a route for passive rental-property investment. Eligible refinancing has its own rules.
Compare the 7(a) program, 504 program and current property and construction rules.
A term loan
or a revolving line?
Standard 7(a) and 7(a) Small are distinct delivery methods; 7(a) Small is a term-loan path. SBA Express can support eligible term financing or revolving credit. “Express” describes a program process; it does not establish a promised closing date or approval.
An equipment purchase, franchise transaction or business-debt refinance needs a review of the actual use, business eligibility and structure. A program name alone does not settle qualification.
Basis: current SOP, Section B.
Website review · Integra’s SBA direction is confirmed. The specific program menu, delivery role and availability will be finalized at the business review. The program descriptions here are educational.
The operating cycle
Cash needs
have different rhythms.
A seasonal build-up, a signed contract and invoices awaiting payment create different financing questions. Compare how the line is drawn, monitored and repaid.
- Seasonal CAPLine
- For eligible seasonal increases in receivables, inventory and related labor needs. Identify the cycle and when the financed assets turn back into cash.
- Contract CAPLine
- For eligible costs of performing contracts. Bring the contract, direct cost budget and expected payment milestones.
- Builders CAPLine
- A specialized path for eligible construction or rehabilitation for resale. It has separate rules from financing the operating business’s own premises or a general investment-property request.
- Working Capital CAPLine
- An asset-based line tied to eligible short-term assets. Receivables, inventory and reporting ability matter to the borrowing and repayment cycle.
- Working Capital Pilot (WCP)
- Monitored lines for eligible domestic or export needs, using transaction-based or asset-based structures. Describe the contracts or assets being financed and your ability to provide timely financial, receivables, payables and inventory reports.
- Manufacturers’ Access to Revolving Credit (MARC)
- A specialized 7(a) working-capital route for eligible manufacturers. Explain your manufacturing activity and cash cycle. It does not finance the ownership purchase itself.
Basis: current SOP, Section B, Chapters 3–4 and the current WCP program guide.
Other paths to understand
Export activity.
Smaller funding needs.
- Export Express
- Eligible export development and expansion through a distinct Express delivery method. Explain the proposed export activity and the intended use of funds.
- Export Working Capital Program (EWCP)
- Working capital for eligible export transactions. Identify foreign orders, production costs and the point at which customer payments repay the facility.
- International Trade
- A separate route for eligible international-trade needs, including qualifying fixed assets and working capital. It should not be treated as interchangeable with an export transaction line.
- Microloan program
- Smaller business financing through designated nonprofit intermediaries, for eligible working capital, inventory, supplies and equipment. Proceeds cannot pay existing debts or buy real estate.
Basis: current SOP, Section B, Chapter 5 and International Trade provisions and the SBA Microloan overview.
Bring a clear purpose and the questions you need answered. Ask who will provide the financing, what information that provider needs and which program fits the actual request.
Educational content reviewed October 7, 2026. Program fit and underwriting depend on the transaction and provider.
Before the conversation
Bring the business
into focus.
- The business behind the request
- What does the business do? Where does it operate? Describe its current stage and the people behind it.
- What the funding needs to do
- Explain the purpose, your approximate amount and the assumptions behind that estimate. Ask whether the intended use fits an available program.
- What happens next
- Share your timing, important decision dates and the questions you want to resolve before moving forward.
Your conversation outline
Put your plans
into words.
Fill in what you know. Your outline can travel with you to Contact.
A clear next step