SBA 7(a) Rate and Fee Calculator

Enter a loan amount and the base rate your lender is quoting to see the highest rate SBA allows on a 7(a) loan that size, plus the upfront guaranty fee. Simply switch between variable and fixed to watch the ceiling move, because the two use different breakpoints.

One quick note: the base rate field starts on a round number so you have something to replace. It is a placeholder, not a rate we are publishing. Your lender is pricing off a specific index on a specific day.

Estimates only. SBA sets a maximum, your lender sets the rate, and the two are rarely the same number.

How the calculator works

It splits your loan into the guaranteed portion and the rest, because both answers depend on that split. The rate ceiling is your base rate plus a spread keyed to loan size. The fee is a percentage of the guaranteed portion only, which is why it lands lower than most people expect.

Nothing is stored and nothing is sent anywhere. The math runs in your browser, and the fee logic carries no rate of its own, only the fiscal year 2026 schedule and the tiers from the regulation.

SBA 7(a) rates and fees

Does the SBA Set My Interest Rate?

No. SBA sets a ceiling and your lender negotiates the rate underneath it. The initial maximum is determined as of the date SBA receives your loan application, and default interest rates are not permitted at all.

What Are the Maximum Variable Rates?

Four tiers, keyed to loan size and nothing else. Base plus 6.5 points at $50,000 and under. Base plus 6.0 points above $50,000 through $250,000. Base plus 4.5 points above $250,000 through $350,000. Base plus 3.0 points above $350,000.

Each boundary is inclusive at the top, so a loan of exactly $250,000 prices at base plus 6.0, not 4.5. One dollar more and the ceiling drops by a point and a half. Nothing about the borrower changed; only the tier did.

What Happened to the Seven-Year Rule?

It was repealed. An older structure priced loans differently under and over seven years of maturity, and 13 CFR 120.215 carried it. That section was removed by the rule at 87 FR 38900, effective August 1, 2022, and the spread now depends on loan size alone.

It still turns up on lender sites and comparison pages. If you see a maturity-based spread quoted anywhere, the source has not been updated in four years.

Why Is the Fixed-Rate Table Different?

Because it was set by a separate notice with its own breakpoints. Fixed maximums run Prime plus 800 basis points at $25,000 and under, 700 above $25,000 through $50,000, 600 above $50,000 through $250,000, and 500 above $250,000.

Compare a $300,000 loan under both. Variable tops out at base plus 3.0 points. Fixed tops out at base plus 5.0. The fixed maximum only applies if the rate is fixed for the entire term with no adjustment or reset.

Which Base Rate Applies?

Five are permitted. The Prime rate and the SBA Optional Peg Rate come from 13 CFR 120.214(c). The 5-year Treasury note rate, the 10-year Treasury note rate, and SOFR were added as alternative base rates effective March 1, 2026.

There is a hard cap on the alternatives. When a lender uses one, the maximum rate it may charge still cannot exceed Prime plus the allowed spread for that loan amount.

When Is My Rate Locked?

Not on the day you shop. For a variable-rate loan, the base rate in effect on the first business day of the month sets the initial rate for any complete application SBA receives that month, and "received" means the day the loan is approved and given an SBA number.

Base rates round to two decimals. So a Prime move mid-month does not change what your application is already pricing against.

What Is the Guaranty Fee Charged On?

The guaranteed portion, not the whole loan. SBA guarantees up to 85% of a loan of $150,000 or less and up to 75% above that, so on a $500,000 loan the fee applies to $375,000.

SBA Express is the exception. It carries a flat 50% guaranty at every size, so the guaranteed portion behind an Express loan is smaller and so is anything priced off it.

Here is SBA's own example. A $100,000 loan at an 85% guaranty gives a guaranteed portion of $85,000, and 2% of $85,000 is $1,700. Your lender may keep no more than a quarter of that, or $425.

How Much Is the Upfront Fee?

Three tiers for fiscal year 2026, all applied to the guaranteed portion. 2% at a gross loan of $150,000 or less. 3% from $150,001 to $700,000. Above $700,000, 3.5% of the first $1,000,000 of the guaranteed portion plus 3.75% of anything over that.

The top tier is marginal, not flat. SBA works it through on a $5,000,000 loan at a 75% guaranty: 3.5% of $1,000,000 is $35,000, 3.75% of the remaining $2,750,000 is $103,125, and the fee is $138,125.

Why Does a Large Loan Sometimes Skip the 3.75% Tier?

Because the $1,000,000 breakpoint sits on the guaranteed portion, not on the gross loan. At a 75% guaranty the guaranteed portion only clears $1,000,000 once the loan passes $1,333,333.

So, for example, on a $1,200,000 loan:

1,200,000 x 0.75 = $900,000 guaranteed portion

900,000 x 0.035 = $31,500, with no 3.75% component at all

Can My Lender Charge Me the Fee?

The upfront one, yes. Lenders are permitted to pass the upfront guaranty fee to the borrower, and you may use loan proceeds to pay it, though the first disbursement cannot be made solely or mainly for that purpose.

The annual one, no. SBA charges lenders an ongoing service fee of 0.55% of the outstanding guaranteed balance, and both the regulation and the fiscal year 2026 notice say it cannot be charged to the borrower. It shows on its own line here so nobody adds it to a closing estimate.

Are Any Fees Waived in Fiscal Year 2026?

Two waivers, and both are narrow. Loans to manufacturers in NAICS sectors 31 to 33 of $950,000 or less carry a 0% upfront fee, which is new this fiscal year and does not apply to MARC loans. SBA Express loans to a business owned and controlled by a veteran or a veteran's spouse carry no upfront fee, which is statutory rather than annual.

There is no general small-loan waiver in fiscal year 2026. Copy anywhere promising no guaranty fee under $500,000 or under $1 million is quoting a prior fiscal year that has ended.

What if I Take Two Loans?

They may be treated as one. When two or more 7(a) loans with maturities over 12 months are approved for you or your affiliates within 90 days of each other, SBA combines them to set the guaranty percentage and the upfront fee, whether or not the same lender made both.

The fee on the second loan is what the combined amount would have cost, less what you already paid, and it never goes negative. This calculator prices one loan standalone, so a second approval inside that window will not match it.

Where Can I Get a 7(a) Quote?

Answer a few questions and we route your file to SBA lending partners. Free, and no obligation. Once you have a rate, our SBA 7(a) loan calculator turns it into a payment and a full amortization schedule.

Fee schedule from SBA Information Notice 5000-872051, "7(a) Fees Effective October 1, 2025 for Fiscal Year 2026", which expires October 1, 2026. Variable rate ceilings from 13 CFR 120.214(d); fixed ceilings from 87 FR 46883 (Aug 1, 2022); alternative base rates from 91 FR 5805 (Feb 10, 2026); guaranty percentages from 13 CFR 120.210. Confirmed Jul 30, 2026. Confirm current fees and maximum rates with your lender before relying on them.