Calculator
How much can you actually borrow?
Not how much you want — how much your cash flow supports at the coverage ratio a lender will insist on.
Profit before owner's salary, interest, tax and depreciation, less what you need to live on.
Annual, across all existing business debt.
Most want 1.15–1.25×. Higher is stricter.
What the term does to it
same cash flow, different lengthsStretching the term buys borrowing capacity. It also means more total interest, and terms of 15 years or more bring a prepayment penalty that a ten-year loan avoids entirely. Longer is not free.
This is capacity, not approval
A lender also looks at collateral, your credit, how long the business has traded, and whether the industry worries them. Use this to size the conversation, then check the eligibility rules.
Common questions
How much can I borrow with an SBA 7(a) loan?
The 7(a) maximum is $5 million. In practice most loans are far smaller — the median funded loan is about $178,850. What you personally qualify for depends on cash flow, collateral and your equity injection, not just the cap.
What determines how much I qualify for?
Chiefly your debt service coverage — whether the business’s cash flow covers the payment with margin to spare — plus collateral, credit and how much equity you put in. Strong cash flow raises your ceiling faster than anything else.
Do I need collateral for an SBA loan?
For larger loans, lenders take available collateral (often including a lien on business assets and sometimes personal real estate), but a loan is not declined for insufficient collateral alone if the cash flow supports it. Smaller loans are frequently unsecured beyond a personal guarantee.
Read the guide
Want the rules behind this calculator? How much can you borrow with an SBA loan? walks through it in plain English — the SBA requirements, the data, and what lenders actually look for.