SBA 7(a) Q&A
Short answer
If the business you are acquiring has multiple locations, all those locations' revenue and employees are aggregated when determining SBA size standard eligibility.
SBA size standards apply to the entire business entity, including all its branches and subsidiaries. For a business acquisition, the combined revenues or employee counts of all existing locations and any new ones will be used to determine if the consolidated entity meets the SBA's small business size standard for its primary industry.
If you acquire a restaurant chain with three locations, each generating $1.5 million in annual revenue and employing 20 people, the SBA would aggregate these to $4.5 million in revenue and 60 employees to check against the size standard for restaurants, not each individual location.
13 CFR Part 121 - Small Business Size Regulations
SBA Table of Size Standards
Affiliation and Lending Criteria for SBA Business Loan Programs - Final Rule
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.
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