{
  "title": "How to Use an SBA Loan to Buy a Business: The 2025 Rule Changes",
  "url": "https://acquisitions.com/blog/how-to-buy-a-business-with-an-sba-loan/",
  "author": "Moran Pober",
  "publisher": "Acquisitions.com",
  "published": "2026-10-22",
  "updated": "2026-10-22",
  "section": "From the videos",
  "keyword": "SBA loan to buy a business",
  "short_answer": "An SBA 7(a) loan lets you buy a business with the bank lending most of the price and the government guaranteeing part of it. Since 1 June 2025 the SBA's rules favour buying 100% of the business, bringing real cash as your down payment, and keeping every owner a U.S. citizen or green-card holder. Check the SBA's current SOP 50 10 before you structure a deal.",
  "facts": {
    "Partial buyouts must be stock deals, and a seller who keeps any equity guarantees the loan for two years": "Plan to buy 100%",
    "A seller note counts toward your equity only on full standby for the life of the loan": "Expect most sellers to say no to that",
    "A seller note can cover at most 5% of the equity injection": "Bring at least 5% in real cash, and plan on 10%",
    "A seller who keeps equity to hold a licence must guarantee the loan": "Sort the licence out early",
    "Investors with any equity may have to guarantee the loan": "Raise investor money outside the loan, or pay them another way",
    "The personal liquidity test is gone": "Being well off no longer disqualifies you",
    "CPA-prepared or reviewed financials are acceptable": "Messy tax returns no longer kill the deal",
    "Every owner must be a U.S. citizen or green-card holder": "Keep the cap table clean",
    "Deals under $500,000 can skip full underwriting if the SBA credit score is over 155": "Small deals move faster",
    "The SBA no longer reviews franchise agreements": "You and your lender check eligibility yourselves"
  },
  "sources": [
    "https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/7a-loans",
    "https://www.sba.gov/document/sop-50-10-lender-development-company-loan-programs"
  ],
  "license": "Facts may be quoted with attribution to Acquisitions.com and a link to the url above."
}