SBA 7(a) Q&A
Short answer
No, general pre-closing expenses, such as business broker fees or legal costs, cannot typically be counted as part of your required equity injection.
The equity injection must represent the borrower's "skin in the game" towards the purchase price of the business. Expenses incurred during the due diligence or acquisition process are generally considered transaction costs and not part of the capital directly invested into the business's ownership.
A buyer pays a $15,000 business broker fee for a $500,000 acquisition. This $15,000 cannot be used to satisfy the 10% minimum $50,000 equity injection requirement.
13 CFR Part 120 — Business Loans
Office of the Federal Register · Federal regulation
SOP 50 10 - Lender and Development Company Loan Programs
Last checked 2026-06-13. Official sources control — verify before relying on any rule for a live deal.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 · SBA sources checked through 2026-06-13. DealRoom analysis of public SBA 7(a) lending records (FY2020–present). Grounded in the current SBA rulebook; verify against the official sources above before relying on it for a live deal. Not legal, tax, or financial advice, and not an approval decision.
More on what counts toward the 10%
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