SBA Express Loans Guide
- Maximum loan, with a 50% SBA guaranty
- $500,000
- SBA rate cap today: Prime plus 3.0% to 6.5%, by loan size
- 10.00% to 13.50%
- Longest line of credit, including any term-out
- 10 years
- Lenders need not take collateral at or below this amount
- $50,000
Sources: sba.gov, 13 CFR 120.214, SOP 50 10 8.1. Rates live from WSJ Prime. Data as of June 30, 2026. See the SBA Express data.
Janover Capital LLC is not a lender and is not the SBA. The lender makes the credit decision. A lender or marketplace may pay us a referral fee if we connect you, at no cost to you. Advertiser disclosure.
What an SBA Express loan is
An SBA Express loan is a 7(a) loan or line of credit of up to $500,000. A bank or other lender with SBA Express authority makes it. SBA guarantees 50% of it, and the lender makes the credit decision without prior SBA review (SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. B, Ch. 2; App. 16, Para. B.2).
Most SBA Express loans are small lines of credit. 69.2% of the 130,232 approved since FY2020 were lines, and the median loan was $50,000. Since FY2024 the line share is 77.3%. Read how an SBA Express line of credit works.
A Standard 7(a) loan runs up to $5,000,000, with a guaranty of 85% on loans of $150,000 or less and 75% on larger loans. The SBA Express limit and guaranty are smaller, and the lender decides without a separate SBA credit review. Compare SBA loans.
This site is run by Janover Capital LLC. We are not a lender and we are not the SBA. When you ask for financing, we route your inquiry to lending partners, and the lender makes the credit decision.
The Rate Board
Today's highest rate SBA allows on a variable-rate SBA Express loan, by size. These numbers update from the live Prime feed.
| Loan amount | SBA maximum variable rate | Maximum today |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 or less | Prime plus 6.5 percentage points | 13.50% |
| $50,001 to $250,000 | Prime plus 6.0 percentage points | 13.00% |
| $250,001 to $350,000 | Prime plus 4.5 percentage points | 11.50% |
| $350,001 to $500,000 | Prime plus 3.0 percentage points | 10.00% |
WSJ Prime is 7.00% as of Nov 10, 2026. The maximum today is Prime plus the spread SBA allows at that loan size (13 CFR 120.214(d)). Lenders may charge less, and rates vary by lender. SBA publishes its maximum for fixed-rate loans separately (SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 18, Para. A.1). See the full rates page for the history and how lenders actually priced loans.
Find loans like yours
See what SBA lenders actually did for businesses like yours.
Search 161,856 SBA loans approved since FY2024 by industry, state, size and time in business. You see how many were approved, which lenders made them, and their rates and terms. SBA's file lists approvals only, so it cannot show approval odds. Prefer to start with lenders? Try the Lender Finder.
Eight ways to use this site
- SBA programs7(a), 504, Express, microloans and how they differ
- RatesToday's WSJ Prime and SBA's maximum by loan size
- Lenders807 lenders ranked from SBA's loan file
- Industries402 industries with loan counts, rates and lenders
- PlacesAll 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico and 580 cities
- ToolsFree calculators and lookups
- Answers412 plain answers to SBA rule questions
- DataProgram statistics and SBA's own loan file
What SBA's loan file shows
Fiscal years run October 1 to September 30. Counts include Export Express, so they run a few loans above the program-only counts on the statistics page. Approvals only: the file has no declined applications.
Most active SBA Express lenders since FY2024
- The Huntington National Bank7,688 loans
- TD Bank7,028 loans
- U.S. Bank6,242 loans
- M&T Bank4,956 loans
- JPMorgan Chase Bank4,444 loans
Top SBA Express industries since FY2024
- Residential Remodelers2,229 loans
- Full-Service Restaurants2,159 loans
- Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors1,437 loans
- Landscaping Services1,323 loans
- Limited-Service Restaurants1,273 loans
Top SBA Express states since FY2024
Every number here comes from SBA's 7(a) loan-level file, as of June 30, 2026. Past loans do not describe any lender's current credit policy. See all the SBA Express statistics.
SBA Express loan terms
| Term | The rule |
|---|---|
| Maximum loan | $500,000, counting all outstanding SBA Express loans of the applicant and its affiliates (SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. B.1) |
| SBA guaranty | 50% of the loan (SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 16, Para. B.2) |
| Maximum rate | Prime plus 3.0 to 6.5 percentage points, depending on loan size (13 CFR 120.214(d)). Today's maximum is on the Rate Board. |
| Term loans | On term loans, the standard 7(a) maximums apply: 10 years for working capital, generally 10 years for equipment (up to 15 years if the IRS asset class supports it) and 25 years for real estate (SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 17, Para. A) |
| Lines of credit | Up to 10 years, including any term-out period, with no advances after the first 60 months (SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 17, Para. B.3) |
| Collateral | Lenders are not required to take collateral at or below $50,000. Above that, the lender may use its own collateral policies for similar non-SBA loans (SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 19, Para. B.3) |
| Who decides | On SBA Express, the lender makes the credit decision without prior SBA review (SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. C.2) |
| Timing | SBA publishes no turnaround time for SBA Express; the lender makes the credit decision. Ask each lender for its own estimate. |
| Upfront guaranty fee | 2% of the guaranteed portion on loans of $150,000 or less and 3% of the guaranteed portion on larger SBA Express loans (FY2027). Veteran-owned businesses pay $0 (SBA Information Notice 5000-881797, p. 2) |
Read the full rules on SBA Express loan terms and the loan requirements.
What you can use it for
SBA Express proceeds can fund most business purposes, and they must be used only for business (SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. A).
- Working capital: payroll, rent, inventory and supplies
- Equipment, furniture and fixtures
- Buying, renovating or building real estate you will occupy
- A revolving line of credit
- Refinancing eligible business debt (check which debts SBA will refinance)
- Buying a business (the rules for buying with SBA Express)
SBA does not allow proceeds to pay past-due payroll or trust taxes, or to finance floor plans. Proceeds also cannot buy property held for sale or investment (SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. A, Ch. 3, Para. B). Lenders can add limits of their own.
Who can get one
To be eligible, a business must be an operating, for-profit business located in the United States that is small under SBA size standards and can show a need for the credit (13 CFR 120.100). The desired credit also must not be available on reasonable terms elsewhere (13 CFR 120.101). SBA sets no minimum credit score; the lender applies its own credit standards.
- Some businesses are not eligible, including nonprofits, lenders, passive businesses owned by developers and landlords, life insurers, businesses located in a foreign country, pyramid schemes, businesses earning more than one third of revenue from legal gambling, and illegal businesses, among others (13 CFR 120.110).
- Under SBA's citizenship rule, 100% of direct and indirect owners and required guarantors must be U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals with their principal residence in the United States, its territories or possessions (SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. A, Ch. 1, Para. F).
- Owners of 20% or more of the business must give a personal guarantee (SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. A, Ch. 5, Para. A.1).
Run the free eligibility check or the size standard check. These eligibility answers cover the rest.
How getting financing through this site works
- Check the rules and today's rates with the free tools.
- Tell us what your business needs on a short form. It costs nothing and you are under no obligation.
- We route your inquiry to lending partners. A lender or marketplace may pay us a referral fee if we connect you, at no cost to you. See the advertiser disclosure.
- The lender reviews your business and makes the credit decision. We never decide, approve or fund a loan.
Ask lending partners about your loan
Tell us what you need. We route your inquiry to lending partners. Free, with no obligation.
Janover Capital LLC is not a lender and is not the SBA. The lender makes the credit decision. A lender or marketplace may pay us a referral fee if we connect you, at no cost to you. Advertiser disclosure.