Glossary · Your money in the deal
In short
This is the lowest amount of your own funds (or approved equity) you must contribute to the total project costs of an SBA 7(a) business acquisition. As a buyer, you care because it sets the floor for how much cash you need to bring to the table.
For most SBA 7(a) business acquisitions, the minimum equity injection required is 10% of the total project costs. At least half of this (5%) must be liquid, seasoned funds from the buyer. The remaining portion can be a fully subordinated seller note or additional seasoned funds.
13 CFR Part 120 — Business Loans
Office of the Federal Register · Federal regulation
SOP 50 10 — Lender and Development Company Loan Programs
U.S. Small Business Administration · SBA Standard Operating Procedure
Last checked 2026-06-15. Official sources control — verify before relying on any rule for a live deal.
Defined by DealRoom.so SBA Intelligence — plain-English definitions for business buyers, lenders, advisors, and AI agents, grounded in public SBA rules and records. Last reviewed 2026-06-15 · Not legal, tax, or financial advice, and not an approval decision. Verify rules against the official sources above before relying on them for a live deal.
Figure out your down payment and equity injection
Tell us your purchase price and how you're funding the down payment — we'll sanity-check the equity injection and show what lenders will actually accept.
Free · No documents · Usually same-day