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What size business can you afford?
The standard SBA 7(a) acquisition math, run on your numbers: purchase price, loan size, monthly debt service, and the SDE a business needs to carry the deal and pay you.
Purchase price you could support
$1,500,000
Assumes a 10% equity injection.
SBA loan amount
$1,350,000
10-year term at 9%
Monthly payment
$17,101
$205,215 per year in debt service
SDE the business needs
$356,518
Covers your $100,000 salary plus debt service at 1.25× coverage — the screen lenders commonly apply.
Assumptions
- Rates default to today's typical pricing — about Prime + 2.25% (9% with prime at 6.75%); well-qualified borrowers see roughly 8.5–9.25%.
- 10-year term (standard for business-only acquisitions), 10% equity injection, single 7(a) loan up to $5,000,000.
- Seller notes counted toward the injection are modeled on full standby, per the reported mid-2025 rule changes.
- The SDE figure covers your salary plus debt service at 1.25× — a common lender screen, not a regulation. Working capital, closing costs, and taxes are on top.
Educational, not financing advice — every lender structures deals differently, so confirm numbers on your actual deal. Figures verified Jul 10, 2026; see the SBA loan statistics page for sources.
Where to go from a number
Stage 3 of the roadmap covers funding the search, stage 7 covers the lending gauntlet — and the directory lists acquisition lenders and loan brokers verified against their own pages.