SBA 7(a) Q&A
Short answer
Yes, reasonable and customary pre-closing legal and accounting fees directly related to the business acquisition can be counted towards your equity injection.
The SBA allows certain professional fees paid by the buyer prior to closing to be included as part of the total project costs and thus count towards the required equity injection. These fees must be documented and directly attributable to the acquisition process.
If a buyer incurs $10,000 in legal fees and $5,000 in accounting fees for due diligence and closing, these $15,000 can be added to the project costs. If the total project is $1,000,000, and these fees are included, the buyer's 10% injection would cover $100,000, including these fees.
Insider move
Lenders verify that the fees are for legitimate services directly related to the acquisition and are commercially reasonable. They require invoices and proof of payment to ensure these expenses are properly documented and incurred by the buyer.
13 CFR Part 120 — Business Loans
Office of the Federal Register · Federal regulation
SOP 50 10 - Lender and Development Company Loan Programs
Last checked 2026-06-14. Official sources control — verify before relying on any rule for a live deal.
Last reviewed 2026-06-14 · SBA sources checked through 2026-06-14. 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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